18:19 He brought me out into a wide open place;
he delivered me because he was pleased with me. 1
55:13 But it is you, 2 a man like me, 3
my close friend in whom I confided. 4
55:14 We would share personal thoughts with each other; 5
in God’s temple we would walk together among the crowd.
68:12 Kings leading armies run away – they run away! 6
The lovely lady 7 of the house divides up the loot.
68:21 Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies,
the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion. 8
77:10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
that the sovereign One 9 might become inactive. 10
92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. 11
105:6 O children 12 of Abraham, 13 God’s 14 servant,
you descendants 15 of Jacob, God’s 16 chosen ones!
119:115 Turn away from me, you evil men,
so that I can observe 17 the commands of my God. 18
1 tn Or “delighted in me.”
2 sn It is you. The psalmist addresses the apparent ringleader of the opposition, an individual who was once his friend.
3 tn Heb “a man according to my value,” i.e., “a person such as I.”
4 tn Heb “my close friend, one known by me.”
5 tn Heb “who together we would make counsel sweet.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the ongoing nature of the actions (the so-called customary use of the imperfect). Their relationship was characterized by such intimacy and friendship. See IBHS 502-3 §31.2b.
6 tn The verbal repetition draws attention to the statement.
7 tn The Hebrew form appears to be the construct of נוּה (nuh, “pasture”) but the phrase “pasture of the house” makes no sense here. The translation assumes that the form is an alternative or corruption of נצוה (“beautiful woman”). A reference to a woman would be appropriate in light of v. 11b.
8 tn Heb “the hairy forehead of the one who walks about in his guilt.” The singular is representative.
9 tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
10 tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khallotiy) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khalotiy), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shÿnot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.
11 tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
12 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
13 tc Some
14 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Heb “sons.”
16 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
18 tn The psalmist has already declared that he observes God’s commands despite persecution, so here the idea must be “so that I might observe the commands of my God unhindered by threats.”