64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent 1 in secluded places.
They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. 2
74:20 Remember your covenant promises, 3
for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules. 4
88:6 You place me in the lowest regions of the pit, 5
in the dark places, in the watery depths.
1 tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here as representative of a larger group.
2 tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
3 tc Heb “look at the covenant.” The LXX reads “your covenant,” which seems to assume a second person pronominal suffix. The suffix may have been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word (כִּי) begins with kaf (כ).
4 tn Heb “for the dark places of the earth are full of dwelling places of violence.” The “dark regions” are probably the lands where the people have been exiled (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:157). In some contexts “dark regions” refers to Sheol (Ps 88:6) or to hiding places likened to Sheol (Ps 143:3; Lam 3:6).
5 tn The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit,” “cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See v. 4.