Mazmur 21:4

21:4 He asked you to sustain his life, ¹ 

and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty. ² 

Mazmur 119:105

נ (Nun)

119:105 Your word ³  is a lamp to walk by,

and a light to illumine my path. ⁴ 

Mazmur 39:5

39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived, ⁵ 

and my life span is nothing from your perspective. ⁶ 

Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. ⁷ 

[21:4]  ¹ tn Heb “life he asked from you.” Another option is to translate the perfect verbal forms in v. 4 with the present tense, “he asks…you grant.”

[21:4]  ² tn Heb “you have granted him length of days forever and ever.” The phrase “length of days,” when used of human beings, usually refers to a lengthy period of time (such as one’s lifetime). See, for example, Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20. The additional phrase “forever and ever” is hyperbolic. While it seems to attribute eternal life to the king (see Pss 61:6-7; 72:5 as well), the underlying reality is the king’s enduring dynasty. He will live on, as it were, through his descendants, who will continue to rule over his kingdom long after he has passed off the scene.

[119:105]  ³ tn Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural (“words”).

[119:105]  ⁴ tn Heb “[is] a lamp for my foot and a light for my path.”

[39:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “Look, handbreadths you make my days.” The “handbreadth” (equivalent to the width of four fingers) was one of the smallest measures used by ancient Israelites. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 309.

[39:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “is like nothing before you.”

[39:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “surely, all vapor [is] all mankind, standing firm.” Another option is to translate, “Surely, all mankind, though seemingly secure, is nothing but a vapor.”