3:56 You heard 1 my plea: 2
“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!” 3
3:57 You came near 4 on the day I called to you;
you said, 5 “Do not fear!”
1 tn The verb could be understood as a precative, “hear my plea,” parallel to the following volitive verb, “do not close.”
2 tn Heb “my voice.”
3 tn The preposition ל (lamed) continues syntactically from “my plea” in the previous line (e.g. Ex 5:2; Josh 22:2; 1 Sam 8:7; 12:1; Jer 43:4).
4 tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Draw near”). The perspective of the poem seems to be that of prayer during distress rather than a testimony that God has delivered.
5 tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Say”).