Kejadian 31:42

31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears ¹  – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, ²  and he rebuked you last night.”

Mazmur 9:4

9:4 For you defended my just cause; ³ 

from your throne you pronounced a just decision. ⁴ 

Mazmur 26:1

Psalm 26 ⁵ 

By David.

26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have integrity, ⁶ 

and I trust in the Lord without wavering.

Mazmur 35:1

Psalm 35 ⁷ 

By David.

35:1 O Lord, fight ⁸  those who fight with me!

Attack those who attack me!

Mazmur 35:23

35:23 Rouse yourself, wake up ⁹  and vindicate me! ¹⁰ 

My God and Lord, defend my just cause! ¹¹ 

Mazmur 43:1

Psalm 43 ¹² 

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me ¹³  against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me ¹⁴  from deceitful and evil men! ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 43:1

Psalm 43 ¹⁶ 

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me ¹⁷  against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me ¹⁸  from deceitful and evil men! ¹⁹ 

Pengkhotbah 2:23

2:23 For all day long ²⁰  his work produces pain and frustration, ²¹ 

and even at night his mind cannot relax! ²² 

This also is futile!

[31:42]  ¹ tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42,53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192-200.

[31:42]  ² tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”

[9:4]  ³ tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”

[9:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “you sat on a throne [as] one who judges [with] righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend…you sit on a throne”).

[26:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.

[26:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”

[35:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.

[35:1]  ⁸ tn Or “contend.”

[35:23]  ⁹ sn Though he is confident that the Lord is aware of his situation (see v. 22a), the psalmist compares the Lord’s inactivity to sleep and urges him to wake up.

[35:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for my justice.”

[35:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for my cause.”

[43:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalm 43 and Psalm 42 into one psalm. Psalm 43 is the only psalm in Book 2 of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Psalm 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.

[43:1]  ¹³ tn Or “argue my case.”

[43:1]  ¹⁴ tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.

[43:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.

[43:1]  ¹⁶ sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalm 43 and Psalm 42 into one psalm. Psalm 43 is the only psalm in Book 2 of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Psalm 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.

[43:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “argue my case.”

[43:1]  ¹⁸ tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.

[43:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.

[2:23]  ²⁰ tn Heb “all his days.”

[2:23]  ²¹ tn The syntax of this verse has been interpreted in two different ways: (1) The phrase “all his days” (כָל־יָמָיו, khol-yamayv) is the subject of a verbless clause, and the noun “pain” (מַכְאֹבִים, makh’ovim) is a predicate nominative or a predicate of apposition (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 15-16, §71). Likewise, the noun “his work” (עִנְיָנוֹ, ’inyano) is the subject of a second verbless clause, and the vexation” (כַעַס, kha’as) is a predicate nominative: “All his days are pain, and his work is vexation.” (2) The noun “his work” (עִנְיָנוֹ) is the subject of both nouns, “pain and vexation” (וָכַעַס מַכְאֹבִים, makh’ovim vakha’as), which are predicate nominatives, while the phrase “all his days” (כָל־יָמָיו) is an adverbial accusative functioning temporally: “All day long, his work is pain and vexation.” The latter option is supported by the parallelism between “even at night” and “all day long.” This verse draws out an ironic contrast/comparison between his physical toil/labor during the day and his emotional anxiety at night. Even at night, he has no break!

[2:23]  ²² tn Heb “his heart (i.e., mind) does not rest.”