17:8 Protect me as you would protect the pupil of your eye! 1
Hide me in the shadow of your wings! 2
55:6 I say, 3 “I wish I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and settle in a safe place!
61:4 I will be a permanent guest in your home; 4
I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. 5 (Selah)
68:13 When 6 you lie down among the sheepfolds, 7
the wings of the dove are covered with silver
and with glittering gold. 8
1 tc Heb “Protect me like the pupil, a daughter of an eye.” The noun בַּת (bat, “daughter”) should probably be emended to בָּבַת (bavat, “pupil”). See Zech 2:12 HT (2:8 ET) and HALOT 107 s.v. *בָּבָה.
2 sn Your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
3 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the descriptive (present progressive) force of the verbs in v. 5.
4 tn Heb “I will live as a resident alien in your tent permanently.” The cohortative is understood here as indicating resolve. Another option is to take it as expressing a request, “please let me live” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
5 sn I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
6 tn Or “if.”
7 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “sheepfolds” is uncertain. There may be an echo of Judg 5:16 here.
8 tn Heb “and her pinions with the yellow of gold.”
sn The point of the imagery of v. 13 is not certain, though the reference to silver and gold appears to be positive. Both would be part of the loot carried away from battle (see v. 12b).