Mazmur 143:3-4

143:3 Certainly ¹  my enemies ²  chase me.

They smash me into the ground. ³ 

They force me to live ⁴  in dark regions, ⁵ 

like those who have been dead for ages.

143:4 My strength leaves me; ⁶ 

I am absolutely shocked. ⁷ 

Mazmur 143:7

143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!

My strength is fading. ⁸ 

Do not reject me, ⁹ 

or I will join ¹⁰  those descending into the grave. ¹¹ 

[143:3]  ¹ tn Or “for.”

[143:3]  ² tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).

[143:3]  ³ tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”

[143:3]  ⁴ tn Or “sit.”

[143:3]  ⁵ sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).

[143:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”

[143:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “in my midst my heart is shocked.” For a similar use of the Hitpolel of שָׁמֵם (shamem), see Isa 59:16; 63:5.

[143:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”

[143:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).

[143:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

[143:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.