23:4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, 1
I fear 2 no danger, 3
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff reassure me. 4
27:5 He will surely 5 give me shelter 6 in the day of danger; 7
he will hide me in his home; 8
he will place me 9 on an inaccessible rocky summit. 10
107:26 They 11 reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength 12 left them 13 because the danger was so great. 14
138:7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, 15 you revive me.
You oppose my angry enemies, 16
and your right hand delivers me.
1 tn The Piel of נָחַם (nakham), when used with a human object, means “comfort, console.” But here, within the metaphorical framework, it refers to the way in which a shepherd uses his implements to assure the sheep of his presence and calm their nerves. The underlying reality is the emotional stability God provides the psalmist during life threatening situations.
tn The Hebrew term ????????? (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (??? [tsel] + ????? [mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. ?????????). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form ???????? (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root ?????, tsalam) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. If the word does indeed mean “darkness,” it modifies ????? (gay’, “valley, ravine”) quite naturally. At the metaphorical level, v. 4 pictures the shepherd taking his sheep through a dark ravine where predators might lurk. The life-threatening situations faced by the psalmist are the underlying reality behind the imagery.
2 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 4, as in vv. 1-3, highlight what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.
3 tn The Hebrew term ??? (ra’) is traditionally translated “evil” here, perhaps suggesting a moral or ethical nuance. But at the level of the metaphor, the word means “danger, injury, harm,” as a sheep might experience from a predator. The life-threatening dangers faced by the psalmist, especially the enemies mentioned in v. 5, are the underlying reality.
4 tn The Piel of ????? (nakham), when used with a human object, means “comfort, console.” But here, within the metaphorical framework, it refers to the way in which a shepherd uses his implements to assure the sheep of his presence and calm their nerves. The underlying reality is the emotional stability God provides the psalmist during life threatening situations.
5 tn Or “for he will.” The translation assumes the כִּי (ki) is asseverative here, rather than causal.
6 tn Heb “he will hide me in his hut.”
7 tn Or “trouble.”
8 tn Heb “tent.”
9 tn The three imperfect verb forms in v. 5 anticipate a positive response to the prayer offered in vv. 7-12.
10 tn Heb “on a rocky summit he lifts me up.” The
11 tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).
12 tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
13 tn Or “melted.”
14 tn Heb “from danger.”
15 tn Or “distress.”
16 tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”