Psalms 6:9

6:9 The Lord has heard my appeal for mercy;

the Lord has accepted¹ my prayer.

Psalms 25:16

25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,

for I am alone² and oppressed!

Psalms 26:11

26:11 But I have integrity!³

Rescue me⁴ and have mercy on me!

Psalms 27:7

27:7 Hear me,⁵ O Lord, when I cry out!

Have mercy on me and answer me!

Psalms 28:6

28:6 The Lord deserves praise,⁶

for he has heard my plea for mercy!⁷

Psalms 30:8

30:8 To you, O Lord, I cried out;

I begged the Lord for mercy:⁸

Psalms 30:10

30:10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me!

O Lord, deliver me!”⁹

Psalms 86:3

86:3 Have mercy on me,¹⁰ O Lord,

for I cry out to you all day long!

Psalms 86:6

86:6 O Lord, hear my prayer!

Pay attention to my plea for mercy!

Psalms 86:16

86:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me!

Give your servant your strength!

Deliver your slave!¹¹

Psalms 116:1

Psalm 116¹²

116:1 I love the Lord

because he heard my plea for mercy,¹³

Psalms 119:58

119:58 I seek your favor¹⁴ with all my heart.

Have mercy on me as you promised!¹⁵

Psalms 119:132

119:132 Turn toward me and extend mercy to me,

as you typically do to your loyal followers.¹⁶

Psalms 119:170

119:170 Listen to my appeal for mercy!¹⁷

Deliver me, as you promised.¹⁸

Psalms 130:2

130:2 O Lord, listen to me!¹⁹

Pay attention to²⁰ my plea for mercy!

¹tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a preterite here; it is parallel to a perfect and refers to the fact that the Lord has responded favorably to the psalmist’s request.

²tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.

³tn Heb “and I in my integrity walk.” The psalmist uses the imperfect verbal form to emphasize this is his practice. The construction at the beginning of the verse (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist and the sinners mentioned in vv. 9-10.

⁴tn Or “redeem me.”

⁵tn Heb “my voice.”

⁶tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”

⁷sn He has heard my plea for mercy. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes at this point, because the Lord responded positively to his petition and assured him that he would deliver him.

⁸tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 8 are probably preterites; the psalmist recalls that he prayed in his time of crisis.

⁹tn Heb “be a helper to me.”

¹⁰tn Or “show me favor.”

¹¹tn Heb “the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 116:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.

¹²sn Psalm 116. The psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him from a life threatening crisis and promises to tell the entire covenant community what God has done for him.

¹³tn Heb “I love because the Lord heard my voice, my pleas.” It is possible that “the Lord” originally appeared directly after “I love” and was later accidentally misplaced. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls that God heard his cry for help (note the perfect in v. 2a and the narrative in vv. 3-4).

¹⁴tn Heb “I appease your face.”

¹⁵tn Heb “according to your word.”

¹⁶tn Heb “according to custom toward the lovers of your name.” The “lovers of” God’s “name” are the Lord’s loyal followers. See Pss 5:11; 69:36; Isa 56:6.

¹⁷tn Heb “may my appeal for mercy come before you.”

¹⁸tn Heb “according to your speech.”

¹⁹tn Heb “my voice.”

²⁰tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”