9:18 for the needy are not permanently ignored, 1
the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed. 2
69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy;
he does not despise his captive people. 3
82:4 Rescue the poor and needy!
Deliver them from the power 4 of the wicked!
A prayer of David.
86:1 Listen 6 O Lord! Answer me!
For I am oppressed and needy.
109:22 For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me. 7
112:9 He generously gives 8 to the needy;
his integrity endures. 9
He will be vindicated and honored. 10
113:7 He raises the poor from the dirt,
and lifts up the needy from the garbage pile, 11
1 tn Or “forgotten.”
2 tn Heb “the hope of the afflicted does [not] perish forever.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The imperfect verbal forms express what typically happens.
3 tn Heb “his prisoners he does not despise.”
4 tn Heb “hand.”
5 sn Psalm 86. The psalmist appeals to God’s mercy as he asks for deliverance from his enemies.
6 tn Heb “turn your ear.”
7 tc The verb in the Hebrew text (חָלַל, khalal) appears to be a Qal form from the root חלל meaning “pierced; wounded.” However, the Qal of this root is otherwise unattested. The translation assumes an emendation to יָחִיל (yakhil), a Qal imperfect from חוּל (khul, “tremble”) or to חֹלַל (kholal), a polal perfect from חוּל (khul). See Ps 55:4, which reads לִבִּי יָחִיל בְּקִרְבִּי (libbiy yakhil bÿqirbbiy, “my heart trembles [i.e., “beats violently”] within me”).
8 tn Heb “he scatters, he gives.”
9 tn Heb “stands forever.”
10 tn Heb “his horn will be lifted up in honor.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
11 sn The language of v. 7 is almost identical to that of 1 Sam 2:8.