Mazmur 62:9

62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;

human beings are unreliable. ¹ 

When they are weighed in the scales,

all of them together are lighter than air. ² 

Mazmur 90:10

90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, ³ 

or eighty, if one is especially strong. ⁴ 

But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. ⁵ 

Yes, ⁶  they pass quickly ⁷  and we fly away. ⁸ 

Mazmur 138:7

138:7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, ⁹  you revive me.

You oppose my angry enemies, ¹⁰ 

and your right hand delivers me.

Mazmur 142:4

142:4 Look to the right and see!

No one cares about me. ¹¹ 

I have nowhere to run; ¹² 

no one is concerned about my life. ¹³ 

[62:9]  ¹ tn Heb “only a breath [are] the sons of mankind, a lie [are] the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, a number of interpreters and translators treat these expressions as polar opposites, בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.

[62:9]  ² tn The noun הֶבֶל (hevel), translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again here.

[90:10]  ³ tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”

[90:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”

[90:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).

[90:10]  ⁶ tn or “for.”

[90:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.

[90:10]  ⁸ sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).

[138:7]  ⁹ tn Or “distress.”

[138:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”

[142:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “there is no one who recognizes me.”

[142:4]  ¹² tn Heb “ a place of refuge perishes from me.”

[142:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “there is no one who seeks for the sake of my life.”