Mazmur 42:2

42:2 I thirst ¹  for God,

for the living God.

I say, ²  “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?” ³ 

Amsal 5:19

5:19 a loving doe, ⁴  a graceful deer;

may her breasts satisfy you at all times,

may you be captivated ⁵  by her love always.

Yesaya 35:6

35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,

the mute tongue will shout for joy;

for water will flow ⁶  in the desert,

streams in the wilderness. ⁷ 

Habakuk 3:19

3:19 The sovereign Lord is my source of strength. ⁸ 

He gives me the agility of a deer; ⁹ 

he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. ¹⁰ 

(This prayer is for the song leader. It is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.) ¹¹ 

[42:2]  ¹ tn Or “my soul thirsts.”

[42:2]  ² tn The words “I say” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.

[42:2]  ³ tn Heb “When will I go and appear [to] the face of God?” Some emend the Niphal verbal form אֵרָאֶה (’era’eh, “I will appear”) to a Qal אֶרְאֶה (’er’eh, “I will see”; see Gen 33:10), but the Niphal can be retained if one understands ellipsis of אֶת (’et) before “face” (see Exod 34:24; Deut 31:11).

[5:19]  ⁴ tn The construct expression “a doe of loves” is an attributive genitive, describing the doe with the word “loves.” The plural noun may be an abstract plural of intensification (but this noun only occurs in the plural). The same construction follows with a “deer of grace” – a graceful deer.

[5:19]  sn The imagery for intimate love in marriage is now employed to stress the beauty of sexual fulfillment as it was intended. The doe and deer, both implied comparisons, exhibit the grace and love of the wife.

[5:19]  ⁵ sn The verb שָׁגָה (shagah) means “to swerve; to meander; to reel” as in drunkenness; it signifies a staggering gait expressing the ecstatic joy of a captivated lover. It may also mean “to be always intoxicated with her love” (cf. NRSV).

[35:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “burst forth” (so NAB); KJV “break out.”

[35:6]  ⁷ tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT “desert.”

[3:19]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps, “is my wall,” that is, “my protector.”

[3:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “he makes my feet like those of deer.”

[3:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he makes me walk on my high places.”

[3:19]  sn Difficult times are coming, but Habakkuk is confident the Lord will sustain him. Habakkuk will be able to survive, just as the deer negotiates the difficult rugged terrain of the high places without injury.

[3:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “For the leader, on my stringed instruments.”