¹ sn Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age.

² tn Heb “he does not slander upon his tongue.” For another example of רָגַל (ragal, “slander”) see 2 Sam 19:28.

³ tn Or “his fellow.”

⁴ tn Heb “and he does not lift up an insult against one who is near to him.”

⁵ tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s experience and that of his ancestors. When he considers God’s past reliability, it only heightens his despair and confusion, for God’s present silence stands in stark contrast to his past saving acts.

⁶ tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).

⁷ tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.

⁸ tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”

⁹ tn Or “for.” This verse explains that the psalmist’s suffering is due to his allegiance to God.

¹⁰ tn Or “devotion to.”

¹¹ sn God’s house, the temple, here represents by metonymy God himself.

¹² tn Heb “the insults of those who insult you fall upon me.”

sn Jn 2:17 applies the first half of this verse to Jesus’ ministry in the context of John’s account of Jesus cleansing the temple.

¹³ sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.

¹⁴ tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”

¹⁵ tn Or “defend your cause.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “you have made us an object of contention to our neighbors.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “[by] which your enemies, O Lord, taunt, [by] which they taunt [at] the heels of your anointed one.”