44:22 Yet because of you 1 we are killed all day long;
we are treated like 2 sheep at the slaughtering block. 3
65:13 The meadows are clothed with sheep,
and the valleys are covered with grain.
They shout joyfully, yes, they sing.
78:52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep;
he led them through the wilderness like a flock.
107:41 Yet he protected 4 the needy from oppression,
and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.
119:176 I have wandered off like a lost sheep. 5
Come looking for your servant,
for I do not forget your commands.
1 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).
2 tn Or “regarded as.”
3 tn Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.
4 tn Heb “set on high.”
5 tn Heb “I stray like a lost sheep.” It is possible that the point of the metaphor is vulnerability: The psalmist, who is threatened by his enemies, feels as vulnerable as a straying, lost sheep. This would not suggest, however, that he has wandered from God’s path (see the second half of the verse, as well as v. 110).