DELIVERANCE FROM POWERFUL FOES And I moan because of the voice of the enemy, the oppression of the wicked; For upon me they cast iniquity, and in anger they attack me. "My heart throbbethi in my bosom, and the death anguish overtaketh me. "I would haste to my place of refuge, to a shelter from the stormy wind.k "Confound their counsel,' O Lord, and confuse their tongue, 12 For it was not an enemy who reviled me—that I could bear— 13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my companion and my familiar friend. covenant." 21His mouth is smoother than butter, but war is in his heart; His words are softer than oil, yet they are like drawn swords. 16As for me, I will call upon God, and Jehovah will save me; Longing for escape Oppres- A treacherous friend Invincible hope 23 But thou, O Jehovah, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction; These men of blood and deceit will not live out half of their days; Epilogue b553 Or, emending, cry of. 1554 Lit., writhes. 1554 Lit., terrors of death. k558 Heb. adds, probably as the result of dittography, tempest. The absence of the connective reveals its secondary origin. 1559 Following Targ. in supplying their counsel, required to complete the line. m5514 Heb. adds with the throng, but this destroys the symmetry of the line and is probably a scribal expansion. 5515 Suddenly the poet is enraged at the perfidy of his friend and calls down a malediction upon him. The reason of his hot anger is given in 20, 21, but a later scribe, familiar with the story of Korah in Nu. 1633, has added, for evils are in their dwellings. Under the influence of this gloss the number suddenly changes from singular to plural in the Heb. 5520, 21 Evidently these lines have been displaced, for they make no sense in their present position. Transferred to a place after 15, they supply the contrast demanded by the context. P5518 This line is doubtful and may be secondary. It supplies, however, the antecedent required in 19 and its present form may simply be due to scribal errors. 45519 To this vs. in the Heb. is appended what is probably a scribal note, who have no changes and who fear not God. А сгу for help The imminent peril Cry for help As for me, ever will I trust, O Jehovah, in thee. § 132. Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors, Ps. 571-4, 6 Ps. 57 'Be merciful to me, O Jehovah, be merciful, for in thee Is take In the shadow of thy wings I take refuge until calamities be overpast. May he send from heaven and save me from the reproach of him who would May Jehovah send forth in my behalf" his lovingkindness and his faithful ness. 4My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie among the devourers of men,▾ § 133. Prayer for Preservation from Secret Enemies, Ps. 64 Ps. 64 1Hear my voice, O Jehovah, in my plaint, Save my life from dread of the foe. 2Hide me from the council of evil-doers, From the throng of the workers of iniquity, "Who whet their tongue like a sword, Like an arrow they fit a bitter speech, "That they may shoot in concealment at the perfect; They shoot at him suddenly and fear not. "They encourage themselves in an evil purpose, They confer about laying snares, They say to themselves, 'Who will see? "Let them search after iniquity; we are innocent; Man's heart and mind is unfathomable.' 5522 This vs. belongs more properly at the end of this much-disarranged ps., for 23 is the natural sequel to 19. § 132 The petitioner is apparently an individual and his foes the rapacious rulers whose cruelty during the middle of the Persian period inspired many of these impassioned cries for divine intervention. A scribal editor has attributed it to David and connected it with the time when he fled from Saul in the cave. To this prayer has been added a song of thanksgiving, 5, 7-12, which appears again in 1081-5. 8571 Lit., my soul. +573 Supplying a letter required by the context. Possibly the original read from the hand of. u 573 Restoring a word which a later scribe mistook for selah. v 575 Lit., those who consume the sons of men. w 576 Some commentators would revise so as to make the parallelism complete with the last line, their own soul is caught. $133 Again the pitiable fate of the righteous but sadly persecuted class in the Judean community is voiced in song. Probably the ps., like others of this class, comes from the middle of the Persian period. 1646 This vs. is exceedingly doubtful. The VSS. and commentators differ widely. The above translation assumes that continues the speech of the plotters. It voices the criminal's attitude toward his crime. 648 Restoring the text as the context requires. § 134 Like the other acrostic pss., this is a mosaic without close logical connection or climax. It draws largely from Job, II Is., and Ex. 33, 34, but there is much that is original in the ps. The didactic purpose is obvious and it probably comes from the latter part of the Persian or from the Gk. period. 251 The second line in the first couplet has been lost, except that the words O my God have been preserved. b253 Or without effect, lit., in vain. 255 So Gk. Heb. has lost the initial letter required by the acrostic structure of the chapter. d257b Through a scribal error this line has been transferred to the seventh vs., with the result that it contains three instead of two lines. Restored as above, it completes the defective couplet and is in perfect keeping with the following context. 256 As a result of the scribal errors in the present context, thy lovingkindness has been repeated from 7b. At its present position at the end of 6a it destroys the regular metrical symmetry of the vs. 1257a So Syr. Heb. adds my transgressions. 8258 Heb. adds therefore. Jeho vah's gracious dealing with men Prosperity of those who revere Jehovah Deliver and pardon, O Jehovah Pre serve me Invocation 10All his waysh are mercy and truth, To those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. "For the sake of thy name, O Jehovah, Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great. 12 Who is he that feareth Jehovah? He will instruct him in the way that he shall choose. 13He himself will dwell in prosperity, And his seed will inherit the land. 14 Jehovah's secret is with those who fear him,i 15 Mine eyes are ever toward Jehovah, For he bringeth forth my feet from the net. And grant thou forgiveness of all my sins. 19 Consider mine enemies for they are many, 20Oh keep my life and deliver me, Let me not be ashamed for in thee I put my trust. 21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for thee, O Jehovah.m § 135. Prayer for Deliverance from Wrong-Doers, Ps. 28 Ps. 28 1To theen I call, O my Rock, turn not a deaf ear to me; Lest if thou turn a deaf ear to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. "Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to thee; While I lift up my hands, O Jehovah, toward thy holy shrine. h2510 Heb., all the ways of Jehovah. But the metre of the vs. strongly suggests that this was a scribal expansion from the original which read all his ways. 12511 Slightly correcting the Heb. as the context requires. 12514 I. e., the reverential attitude is necessary for insight and understanding of the divine purpose and for the establishment of the intimate bond between him and the individual. 2517 Dividing the Heb. letters as the context requires. 12518 Supplying the verb required by the acrostic structure of the chapter. A scribe, by mistake, has repeated at the beginning of 18 the initial word of 19. m 2521 So Gk. Heb. omits O Jehovah. A later editor has added, in order to adapt the ps. to liturgical use, Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. It § 135 There are many points of contact between this ps. and 15, 243-6, and Dt. 261-11. 281 Omitting Jehovah, which is not supported by the metre or the context. P282 Gk., Jehovah hath heard. 4282 Inserting Jehovah as the metre demands. DELIVERANCE FROM WRONG-DOERS 3Draw me not away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, hearts. 40 requite them according to their deeds, and the evil of their doings;" "According to the work of their hands render to them their desert. "Blessed be Jehovah for he hath heard the voice of my supplications; Jehovah is the strength of his people, and the saving refuge of his anointed. "Save thy people and bless thine inheritance; Feed them also and lift them up forever. § 136. Petition for Jehovah's Help against Malicious Foes, Ps. 4013-17 Deliver thine own and punish the wicked Thanksgiving for the assur ance of divine help Epilogue Over throw the Ps. 40 13Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me," make haste to help me; 14 May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded together;" Let them be turned back and put to shame, who delight in my misfortune; foes 15 Let them be desolate because of their shame, who say,* Aha, aha. 16Let all who seek thee exult and rejoice in thee; Let those who love thy salvation continually magnify Jehovah. 17Since I am afflicted, O Jehovah,a hasten thou to me; O thou my helper and my deliverer, my God, tarry not. § 137. An Old Man's Prayer for Deliverance, Ps. 71 Ps. 71 1With thee, O Jehovah, I seek refuge; Let me never be put to shame. 283 I. e., do not count me in the number of. 284 A scribe has added the following explanatory note, based on Is. 512 and Jer. 24o, and 454, For they do not appreciate the deeds of Jehovah, and the works of his hands; he will destroy them and not build them up. +285 So Targ. and Gk. and the requirements of the context. u 288 So Gk., Syr., and certain MSS. This is clearly the original reading as indicated by the following vs. From the parallelism and the context it is clear that Jehovah's anointed was the messianic nation. A later scribe, however, who regarded the Anointed One as the promised messianic king, changed for his people to for him in the first part of the vs. The passage in its original form is richly suggestive of the sense in which the term Messiah or Anointed was frequently used by the psalmist. § 136 Although joined to another_ps., it is evident that this fervent prayer was once entirely independent, for it appears as Ps. 70 in a later collection. Its historical background was evidently a time of persecution. 4013 Heb. adds, repetitiously, Jehovah. w 4014 So Ps. 702. Heb. adds to destroy it. 4015 So the parallel in Ps. 703. Heb. adds to me. y4016 This line in the Heb. is overfull. Probably the verb say was added from the parallel in 704. a4017 The parallel, Ps. 705, has God, which evidently stood for an original Jehovah. This is clearly supported by the parallelism of the next line. §137 This ps. is the prayer of an old man beset by foes. He was familiar with Dt., II Is., and many of the earlier pss., as his many quotations indicate. Vss. 1-3 are quoted from 311-3 with slight scribal variations. The dependence on these comparatively late writings and the lack of close literary unity suggest that the ps. comes from the Gk. period. Succor the faithful Deliver thy servant, O Jehovah |