79:2 They have given the corpses of your servants
to the birds of the sky; 1
the flesh of your loyal followers
to the beasts of the earth.
79:10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants
be avenged among the nations! 2
89:50 Take note, O Lord, 3 of the way your servants are taunted, 4
and of how I must bear so many insults from people! 5
A song of ascents. 7
134:1 Attention! 8 Praise the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord,
who serve 9 in the Lord’s temple during the night.
1 tn Heb “[as] food for the birds of the sky.”
2 tn Heb “may it be known among the nations, to our eyes, the vengeance of the shed blood of your servants.”
3 tc Many medieval Hebrew
4 tn Heb “remember, O Lord, the taunt against your servants.” Many medieval Hebrew
5 tn Heb “my lifting up in my arms [or “against my chest”] all of the many, peoples.” The term רַבִּים (rabbim, “many”) makes no apparent sense here. For this reason some emend the text to רִבֵי (rivey, “attacks by”), a defectively written plural construct form of רִיב (riv, “dispute; quarrel”).
6 sn Psalm 134. The psalmist calls on the temple servants to praise God (vv. 1-2). They in turn pronounce a blessing on the psalmist (v. 3).
7 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
8 tn Heb “Look!”
9 tn Heb “stand.”