Mazmur 12:5

12:5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed, ¹ 

because of the painful cries ²  of the needy,

I will spring into action,” ³  says the Lord.

“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.” ⁴ 

Mazmur 35:1

Psalm 35 ⁵ 

By David.

35:1 O Lord, fight ⁶  those who fight with me!

Attack those who attack me!

Mazmur 35:10

35:10 With all my strength I will say, ⁷ 

“O Lord, who can compare to you?

You rescue ⁸  the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; ⁹ 

the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.” ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 43:1

Psalm 43 ¹¹ 

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me ¹²  against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me ¹³  from deceitful and evil men! ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 68:5

68:5 He is a father to the fatherless

and an advocate for widows. ¹⁵ 

God rules from his holy palace. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 140:12

140:12 I know ¹⁷  that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed

and vindicates the poor. ¹⁸ 

[12:5]  ¹ tn The term translated “oppressed” is an objective genitive; the oppressed are the recipients/victims of violence.

[12:5]  ² tn Elsewhere in the psalms this noun is used of the painful groans of prisoners awaiting death (79:11; 102:20). The related verb is used of the painful groaning of those wounded in combat (Jer 51:52; Ezek 26:15) and of the mournful sighing of those in grief (Ezek 9:4; 24:17).

[12:5]  ³ tn Heb “I will rise up.”

[12:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “I will place in deliverance, he pants for it.” The final two words in Hebrew (יָפִיחַ לוֹ, yafiakh lo) comprise an asyndetic relative clause, “the one who pants for it.” “The one who pants” is the object of the verb “place” and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix (in the phrase “for it”) is “deliverance.” Another option is to translate, “I will place in deliverance the witness for him,” repointing יָפִיחַ (a Hiphil imperfect from פּוּחַ, puakh, “pant”) as יָפֵחַ (yafeakh), a noun meaning “witness.” In this case the Lord would be promising protection to those who have the courage to support the oppressed in the court of law. However, the first part of the verse focuses on the oppressed, not their advocates.

[35:1]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Or “contend.”

[35:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “all my bones will say.”

[35:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.

[35:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “from [the one who is] too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.

[35:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the oppressed [one] and needy [one] from [the one who] robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.

[43:1]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Or “argue my case.”

[43:1]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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.

[68:5]  ¹⁵ sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by the fatherless and widows.

[68:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “God [is] in his holy dwelling place.” He occupies his throne and carries out his royal responsibilities.

[140:12]  ¹⁷ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading a first person verb form here. The Kethib reads the second person.

[140:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and the just cause of the poor.”