Mazmur 85:3-6

85:3 You withdrew all your fury;

you turned back from your raging anger. ¹ 

85:4 Restore us, O God our deliverer!

Do not be displeased with us! ² 

85:5 Will you stay mad at us forever?

Will you remain angry throughout future generations? ³ 

85:6 Will you not revive us once more?

Then your people will rejoice in you!

[85:3]  ¹ tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81. See Pss 69:24; 78:49.

[85:4]  ² tn Heb “break your displeasure with us.” Some prefer to emend הָפֵר (hafer, “break”) to הָסֵר (haser, “turn aside”).

[85:5]  ³ tn Heb “Will your anger stretch to a generation and a generation?”