18:3 I called 1 to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, 2
and I was delivered from my enemies.
18:19 He brought me out into a wide open place;
he delivered me because he was pleased with me. 3
33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;
a warrior is not saved by his great might.
34:4 I sought the Lord’s help 4 and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
106:43 Many times he delivered 5 them,
but they had a rebellious attitude, 6
and degraded themselves 7 by their sin.
111:9 He delivered his people; 8
he ordained that his covenant be observed forever. 9
His name is holy and awesome.
118:27 The Lord is God and he has delivered us. 10
Tie the offering 11 with ropes
to the horns of the altar! 12
1 tn In this song of thanksgiving, where the psalmist recalls how the Lord delivered him, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect.
2 tn Heb “worthy of praise, I cried out [to] the
3 tn Or “delighted in me.”
4 tn Heb “I sought the
5 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
6 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
7 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
8 tn Heb “redemption he sent for his people.”
9 tn Heb “he commanded forever his covenant.”
10 tn Heb “and he has given us light.” This may be an elliptical expression, with “his face” being implied as the object (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19). In this case, “his face has given us light” = “he has smiled on us,” or “he has shown us his favor.” Another option (the one reflected in the translation) is that “light” here symbolizes divine blessing in the form of deliverance. “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Some prefer to repoint the form וְיָאֵר (vÿya’er; vav [ו] conjunctive + jussive) and translate the statement as a prayer, “may he give us light.”
11 tn The Hebrew noun חַג (khag) normally means “festival,” but here it apparently refers metonymically to an offering made at the festival. BDB 291 s.v. חַג 2 interprets the word in this way here, citing as comparable the use of later Hebrew חֲגִיגָה, which can refer to both a festival and a festival offering (see Jastrow 424 s.v. חֲגִיגָה).
12 tn The second half of v. 27 has been translated and interpreted in a variety of ways. For a survey of major views, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 122.