translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: PSA

label: NET translator note

text: Or “nations.”


text: Heb “have come into your inheritance.”


text: Heb “[as] food for the birds of the sky.”


text: Heb “they have poured out their blood like water, all around Jerusalem, and there is no one burying.”


text: Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.” See Ps 44:13 .


text: Heb “How long, O Lord ?”


text: Or “jealous anger.”


text: Heb “which do not know you.” Here the Hebrew term “know” means “acknowledge the authority of.”


text: Heb “do not remember against us sins, former.” Some understand “former” as an attributive adjective modifying sins, “former [i.e., chronologically prior] sins” (see BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן ). The present translation assumes that ראשׁנים (“former”) here refers to those who lived formerly, that is, the people’s ancestors (see Lam 5:7 ). The word is used in this way in Lev 26:45 ; Deut 19:14 and Eccl 1:11 .


text: Heb “may your compassion quickly confront us.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating a tone of prayer.


text: Heb “for we are very low.”


text: Heb “the glory of your name.” Here and in the following line “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.


text: Heb “your name.”


text: Heb “may it be known among the nations, to our eyes, the vengeance of the shed blood of your servants.”


text: Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.”


text: Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form הוֹתֵר ( hoter ) is a Hiphil imperative from יָתַר ( yatar , “to remain; to be left over”). Here it must mean “to leave over; to preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to הַתֵּר ( hatter ), a Hiphil imperative from נָתַר ( natar , “be free”). The Hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharaoh freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21 ) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.


text: Heb “Return to our neighbors sevenfold into their lap.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of the Hebrew phrase שִׁבְעָתַיִם ( shiv ’ atayim , “seven times”) see Gen 4:15, 24 ; Ps 12:6 ; Prov 6:31 ; Isa 30:26 .


text: Heb “their reproach with which they reproached you, O Lord.”


text: Or (hyperbolically) “will thank you forever.”


text: Heb “to a generation and a generation we will report your praise.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14 .