33:18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, 1
those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness 2
80:14 O God, invincible warrior, 3 come back!
Look down from heaven and take notice!
Take care of this vine,
94:7 Then they say, “The Lord does not see this;
the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.” 4
8:4 Of what importance is the human race, 5 that you should notice 6 them?
Of what importance is mankind, 7 that you should pay attention to them, 8
9:12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; 9
he did not overlook 10 their cry for help 11
10:14 You have taken notice, 12
for 13 you always see 14 one who inflicts pain and suffering. 15
The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; 16
you deliver 17 the fatherless. 18
31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am. 19
59:4 Though I have done nothing wrong, 20 they are anxious to attack. 21
Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me! 22
115:12 The Lord takes notice of us, 23 he will bless 24 –
he will bless the family 25 of Israel,
he will bless the family of Aaron.
144:3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, 26 that you should notice them?
Of what importance is mankind, 27 that you should be concerned about them? 28
1 tn Heb “look, the eye of the
2 tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”
3 tn Heb “O God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also vv. 4, 7 for a similar construction.
4 tn Heb “does not understand.”
5 tn Heb “What is man[kind]?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race.
6 tn Heb “remember him.”
7 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
8 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
9 tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “did not forget.”
11 tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.
12 tn Heb “you see.” One could translate the perfect as generalizing, “you do take notice.”
13 tn If the preceding perfect is taken as generalizing, then one might understand כִּי (ki) as asseverative: “indeed, certainly.”
14 tn Here the imperfect emphasizes God’s typical behavior.
15 tn Heb “destruction and suffering,” which here refers metonymically to the wicked, who dish out pain and suffering to their victims.
16 tn Heb “to give into your hand, upon you, he abandons, [the] unfortunate [one].” The syntax is awkward and the meaning unclear. It is uncertain who or what is being given into God’s hand. Elsewhere the idiom “give into the hand” means to deliver into one’s possession. If “to give” goes with what precedes (as the accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests), then this may refer to the wicked man being delivered over to God for judgment. The present translation assumes that “to give” goes with what follows (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The verb יַעֲזֹב (ya’azov) here has the nuance “entrust” (see Gen 39:6; Job 39:11); the direct object (“[his] cause”) is implied.
17 tn Or “help.”
18 tn Heb “[for] one who is fatherless, you are a deliverer.” The noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9).
sn The fatherless. Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 68:5; 82:3; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
19 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
20 tn Heb “without sin.”
21 tn Heb “they run and they are determined.”
22 tn Heb “arise to meet me and see.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to meet; to encounter”) here carries the nuance of “to help.”
23 tn Or “remembers us.”
24 tn Another option is to translate the prefixed form of the verb “bless” in vv. 12-13 as a jussive, “may he bless” (see v. 14).
25 tn Heb “house.”
26 tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.
27 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
28 tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.