Discovery BoxPsalms 5:1 
ContextFor the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; 2 a psalm of David.
5:1 Listen to what I say, 3 Lord!
Carefully consider my complaint! 4
Psalms 17:1
ContextA prayer of David.
17:1 Lord, consider my just cause! 6
Pay attention to my cry for help!
Listen to the prayer
I sincerely offer! 7
Psalms 49:1
ContextFor the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.
49:1 Listen to this, all you nations!
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world! 9
Psalms 64:1
ContextFor the music director; a psalm of David.
64:1 Listen to me, 11 O God, as I offer my lament!
Protect 12 my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks. 13
Psalms 102:2
Context102:2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! 14
Listen to me! 15
When I call out to you, quickly answer me!
Psalms 141:6
Context141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. 16
They 17 will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
Psalms 142:6
Context142:6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble! 18
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
1 sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.
2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).
3 tn Heb “my words.”
4 tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.
5 sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.
6 tn Heb “hear,
7 tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”
8 sn Psalm 49. In this so-called wisdom psalm (see v. 3) the psalmist states that he will not fear the rich enemies who threaten him, for despite their wealth, they are mere men who will die like everyone else. The psalmist is confident the Lord will vindicate the godly and protect them from the attacks of their oppressors.
9 tn The rare noun חָלֶד (kheled, “world”) occurs in Ps 17:14 and perhaps also in Isa 38:11 (see the note on “world” there).
10 sn Psalm 64. The psalmist asks God to protect him from his dangerous enemies and then confidently affirms that God will destroy his enemies and demonstrate his justice in the sight of all observers.
11 tn Heb “my voice.”
12 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s request.
13 tn Heb “from the terror of [the] enemy.” “Terror” is used here metonymically for the enemy’s attacks that produce fear because they threaten the psalmist’s life.
14 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble.” The idiom “to hide the face” can mean “to ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “to reject” (see Pss 29:7; 30:7; 88:14).
15 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
16 tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.
17 tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.
18 tn Heb “for I am very low.”
