66:12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;
we passed through fire and water,
but you brought us out into a wide open place. 1
71:20 Though you have allowed me to experience much trouble and distress, 2
revive me once again! 3
Bring me up once again 4 from the depths of the earth!
78:55 He drove the nations out from before them;
he assigned them their tribal allotments 5
and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down. 6
78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; 7
he gave the symbol of his splendor 8 into the hand of the enemy. 9
1 tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (“saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (rÿvakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).
2 tn Heb “you who have caused me to see many harmful distresses.”
3 tn Heb “you return, you give me life.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense, indicating repetition of the action described by the following verb. The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.) Another option is to understand this as a statement of confidence, “you will revive me once again” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
4 tn Heb “you return, you bring me up.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense, indicating repetition of the action described by the following verb. The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.) Another option is to understand this as a statement of confidence, “you will bring me up once again” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
5 tn Heb “he caused to fall [to] them with a measuring line an inheritance.”
6 tn Heb “and caused the tribes of Israel to settle down in their tents.”
7 tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.
8 tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.
9 sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).