7:2 Otherwise they will rip 1 me 2 to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. 3
18:48 He delivers me 4 from my enemies;
you snatch me away 5 from those who attack me; 6
you rescue me from violent men.
22:8 They say, 7
“Commit yourself 8 to the Lord!
Let the Lord 9 rescue him!
Let the Lord 10 deliver him, for he delights in him.” 11
35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? 12
Rescue 13 me 14 from their destructive attacks;
guard my life 15 from the young lions!
50:22 Carefully consider this, you who reject God! 16
Otherwise I will rip you to shreds 17
and no one will be able to rescue you.
51:14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, 18 O God, the God who delivers me!
Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance. 19
69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink!
Deliver me 20 from those who hate me,
from the deep water!
For the music director; by David; written to get God’s attention. 22
70:1 O God, please be willing to rescue me! 23
O Lord, hurry and help me! 24
79:9 Help us, O God, our deliverer!
For the sake of your glorious reputation, 25 rescue us!
Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation! 26
91:15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him.
I will be with him when he is in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him honor.
142:6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble! 27
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
1 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.
2 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
3 tn Heb “tearing and there is no one rescuing.” The verbal form translated “tearing” is a singular active participle.
4 tn Heb “[the one who] delivers me.” 2 Sam 22:49 reads “and [the one who] brings me out.”
5 tn Heb “lifts me up.” In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb רום probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13). However, it could mean “exalt, elevate” here, indicating that the
6 tn Heb “from those who rise against me.”
7 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.
8 tn Heb “roll [yourself].” The Hebrew verb גלל here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the
9 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
10 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
11 tn That is, “for he [the
sn This statement does not necessarily reflect the enemies’ actual belief, but it does reflect the psalmist’s confession. The psalmist’s enemies sarcastically appeal to God to help him, because he claims to be an object of divine favor. However, they probably doubted the reality of his claim.
12 tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”
13 tn Heb “bring back, restore.”
14 tn Or “my life.”
15 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
16 tn Heb “[you who] forget God.” “Forgetting God” here means forgetting about his commandments and not respecting his moral authority.
17 sn Elsewhere in the psalms this verb is used (within a metaphorical framework) of a lion tearing its prey (see Pss 7:2; 17:12; 22:13).
18 tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.
19 tn Heb “my tongue will shout for joy your deliverance.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may my tongue shout for joy.” However, the pattern in vv. 12-15 appears to be prayer/request (see vv. 12, 14a, 15a) followed by promise/vow (see vv. 13, 14b, 15b).
20 tn Heb “let me be delivered.”
21 sn Psalm 70. This psalm is almost identical to Ps 40:13-17. The psalmist asks for God’s help and for divine retribution against his enemies.
22 tn Heb “to cause to remember.” The same form, a Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the superscription of Ps 38. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).
23 tn Heb “O God, to rescue me.” A main verb is obviously missing. The verb רָצָה (ratsah, “be willing”) should be supplied (see Ps 40:13). Ps 40:13 uses the divine name “
24 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.
25 tn Heb “the glory of your name.” Here and in the following line “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
26 tn Heb “your name.”
27 tn Heb “for I am very low.”