Discovery BoxPsalms 2:3 
Context2:3 They say, 1 “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us! 2
Let’s free ourselves from 3 their ropes!”
Psalms 8:2
Context8:2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies
you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, 4
so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy. 5
Psalms 11:2
Context11:2 For look, the wicked 6 prepare 7 their bows, 8
they put their arrows on the strings,
to shoot in the darkness 9 at the morally upright. 10
Psalms 118:5
Context118:5 In my distress 11 I cried out to the Lord.
The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place. 12
Psalms 127:5
Context127:5 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
They will not be put to shame 13 when they confront 14 enemies at the city gate.
1 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The quotation represents the words of the rebellious kings.
2 tn Heb “their (i.e., the
3 tn Heb “throw off from us.”
4 tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation follows the reading of the LXX which has “praise” (αἶνος, ainos) in place of “strength” (עֹז, ’oz); cf. NIV, NCV, NLT.
5 tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The Hitpael participle of נָקַם (naqam) also occurs in Ps 44:16.
6 tn In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and threaten his people (Ps 3:8).
7 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form depicts the enemies’ hostile action as underway.
8 tn Heb “a bow.”
9 sn In the darkness. The enemies’ attack, the precise form of which is not indicated, is compared here to a night ambush by archers; the psalmist is defenseless against this deadly attack.
10 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
11 tn Heb “from the distress.” The noun מֵצַר (metsar, “straits; distress”) occurs only here and in Lam 1:3. In Ps 116:3 מצר should probably be emended to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”).
12 tn Heb “the
13 tn Being “put to shame” is here metonymic for being defeated, probably in a legal context, as the reference to the city gate suggests. One could be humiliated (Ps 69:12) or deprived of justice (Amos 5:12) at the gate, but with strong sons to defend the family interests this was less likely to happen.
14 tn Heb “speak with.”
