Ratapan 3:10

ד (Dalet)

3:10 To me he is like a bear lying in ambush, ¹ 

like a hidden lion ²  stalking its prey. ³ 

Ratapan 3:12

3:12 He drew ⁴  his bow and made me ⁵ 

the target for his arrow.

Ratapan 3:23

3:23 They are fresh ⁶  every morning;

your faithfulness is abundant! ⁷ 

[3:10]  ¹ tn Heb “he is to me [like] a bear lying in wait.”

[3:10]  ² tc The Kethib is written אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”), while the Qere is אֲרִי (’ari, “lion”), simply a short spelling of the same term (BDB 71 s.v. אַרְיֵה).

[3:10]  ³ tn Heb “a lion in hiding places.”

[3:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “bent.”

[3:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “and set me as the target.”

[3:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “they are new.”

[3:23]  ⁷ tn The adjective רַב (rav) has a broad range of meanings: (1) quantitative: “much, numerous, many (with plurals), abundant, enough, exceedingly” and (2) less often in a qualitative sense: “great” (a) of space and location, (b) “strong” as opposed to “weak” and (c) “major.” The traditional translation, “great is thy faithfulness,” is less likely than the quantitative sense: “your faithfulness is abundant” [or, “plentiful”]. NJPS is on target in its translation: “Ample is your grace!”