54:7 Surely 1 he rescues me from all trouble, 2
and I triumph over my enemies. 3
73:13 I concluded, 4 “Surely in vain I have kept my motives 5 pure
and maintained a pure lifestyle. 6
73:18 Surely 7 you put them in slippery places;
you bring them down 8 to ruin.
1 tn Or “for,” indicating a more specific reason why he will praise the
2 tn The perfects in v. 7 are probably rhetorical, indicating the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance and his own vindication as if they were occurring or had already occurred.
3 tn Heb “and on my enemies my eyes look.”
4 tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.
5 tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
6 tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.
7 tn The use of the Hebrew term אַךְ (’akh, “surely”) here literarily counteracts its use in v. 13. The repetition draws attention to the contrast between the two statements, the first of which expresses the psalmist’s earlier despair and the second his newly discovered confidence.
8 tn Heb “cause them to fall.”