Psalms 43:1

Psalm 43 1 

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me 2  against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me 3  from deceitful and evil men! 4 

Psalms 94:14

94:14 Certainly 5  the Lord does not forsake his people;

he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. 6 

Psalms 147:20

147:20 He has not done so with any other nation;

they are not aware of his regulations.

Praise the Lord!

1 sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalm 43 and Psalm 42 into one psalm. Psalm 43 is the only psalm in Book 2 of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Psalm 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.

2 tn Or “argue my case.”

3 tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.

4 tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.

5 tn Or “for.”

6 tn Or “his inheritance.”