Mazmur 74:2

74:2 Remember your people ¹  whom you acquired in ancient times,

whom you rescued ²  so they could be your very own nation, ³ 

as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!

Mazmur 84:3

84:3 Even the birds find a home there,

and the swallow ⁴  builds a nest,

where she can protect her young ⁵ 

near your altars, O Lord who rules over all,

my king and my God.

[74:2]  ¹ tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.

[74:2]  ² tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).

[74:2]  ³ tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).

[84:3]  ⁴ tn The word translated “swallow” occurs only here and in Prov 26:2.

[84:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself, [in] which she places her young.”

[84:3]  sn The psalmist here romanticizes the temple as a place of refuge and safety. As he thinks of the birds nesting near its roof, he envisions them finding protection in God’s presence.