21:4 He asked you to sustain his life, 1
and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty. 2
32:3 When I refused to confess my sin, 3
my whole body wasted away, 4
while I groaned in pain all day long.
42:3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night; 5
all day long they say to me, 6 “Where is your God?”
44:8 In God I boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
44:22 Yet because of you 7 we are killed all day long;
we are treated like 8 sheep at the slaughtering block. 9
56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat 10 attack me all day long.
Indeed, 11 many are fighting against me, O Exalted One. 12
71:15 I will tell about your justice,
and all day long proclaim your salvation, 13
though I cannot fathom its full extent. 14
72:5 People will fear 15 you 16 as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,
for generation after generation. 17
72:7 During his days the godly will flourish; 18
peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky. 19
77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago! 20
78:14 He led them with a cloud by day,
and with the light of a fire all night long.
80:4 O Lord God, invincible warrior! 21
How long will you remain angry at your people while they pray to you? 22
82:2 He says, 23 “How long will you make unjust legal decisions
and show favoritism to the wicked? 24 (Selah)
89:46 How long, O Lord, will this last?
Will you remain hidden forever? 25
Will your anger continue to burn like fire?
90:13 Turn back toward us, O Lord!
How long must this suffering last? 26
Have pity on your servants! 27
102:8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who mock me use my name in their curses. 28
116:2 and listened to me. 29
As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help. 30
1 tn Heb “life he asked from you.” Another option is to translate the perfect verbal forms in v. 4 with the present tense, “he asks…you grant.”
2 tn Heb “you have granted him length of days forever and ever.” The phrase “length of days,” when used of human beings, usually refers to a lengthy period of time (such as one’s lifetime). See, for example, Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20. The additional phrase “forever and ever” is hyperbolic. While it seems to attribute eternal life to the king (see Pss 61:6-7; 72:5 as well), the underlying reality is the king’s enduring dynasty. He will live on, as it were, through his descendants, who will continue to rule over his kingdom long after he has passed off the scene.
3 tn Heb “when I was silent.”
4 tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
5 tn Heb “My tears have become my food day and night.”
6 tn Heb “when [they] say to me all the day.” The suffixed third masculine plural pronoun may have been accidentally omitted from the infinitive בֶּאֱמֹר (be’ÿmor, “when [they] say”). Note the term בְּאָמְרָם (bÿ’omram, “when they say”) in v. 10.
7 tn The statement “because of you” (1) may simply indicate that God is the cause of the Israelites’ defeat (see vv. 9-14, where the nation’s situation is attributed directly to God’s activity, and cf. NEB, NRSV), or (2) it may suggest they suffer because of their allegiance to God (see Ps 69:7 and Jer 15:15). In this case one should translate, “for your sake” (cf. NASB, NIV). The citation of this verse in Rom 8:36 follows the LXX (Ps 43:23 LXX), where the Greek term ἕνεκεν (Jeneken; LXX ἕνεκα) may likewise mean “because of” or “for the sake of” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἕνεκα 1).
8 tn Or “regarded as.”
9 tn Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.
10 tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.
11 tn Or “for.”
12 tn Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The
13 tn Heb “my mouth declares your vindication, all the day your deliverance.”
14 tn Heb “though I do not know [the] numbers,” that is, the tally of God’s just and saving acts. HALOT 768 s.v. סְפֹרוֹת understands the plural noun to mean “the art of writing.”
15 tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the
16 tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).
17 tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.
18 tn Heb “sprout up,” like crops. This verse continues the metaphor of rain utilized in v. 6.
19 tn Heb “and [there will be an] abundance of peace until there is no more moon.”
20 tn Heb “yes, I will remember from old your wonders.”
sn The psalmist refuses to allow skepticism to win out. God has revealed himself to his people in tangible, incontrovertible ways in the past and the psalmist vows to remember the historical record as a source of hope for the future.
21 tn Heb “
22 tn Heb “How long will you remain angry during the prayer of your people.” Some take the preposition -בְּ (bet) in an adversative sense here (“at/against the prayer of your people”), but the temporal sense is preferable. The psalmist expects persistent prayer to pacify God.
23 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to indicate that the following speech is God’s judicial decision (see v. 1).
24 tn Heb “and the face of the wicked lift up.”
25 tn Heb “How long, O
26 tn Heb “Return, O
27 tn Elsewhere the Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) + the preposition עַל (’al) + a personal object has the nuance “be comforted concerning [the personal object’s death]” (see 2 Sam 13:39; Jer 31:15). However, here the context seems to demand “feel sorrow for,” “have pity on.” In Deut 32:36 and Ps 135:14, where “servants” is also the object of the preposition, this idea is expressed with the Hitpael form of the verb.
28 tn Heb “by me they swear.” When the psalmist’s enemies call judgment down on others, they hold the psalmist up as a prime example of what they desire their enemies to become.
29 tn Heb “because he turned his ear to me.”
30 tn Heb “and in my days I will cry out.”