Mazmur 39:4

39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality

and the brevity of life! ¹ 

Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! ² 

Mazmur 42:9

42:9 I will pray ³  to God, my high ridge: ⁴ 

“Why do you ignore ⁵  me?

Why must I walk around mourning ⁶ 

because my enemies oppress me?”

Mazmur 43:2

43:2 For you are the God who shelters me. ⁷ 

Why do you reject me? ⁸ 

Why must I walk around ⁹  mourning ¹⁰ 

because my enemies oppress me?

Mazmur 89:47

89:47 Take note of my brief lifespan! ¹¹ 

Why do you make all people so mortal? ¹² 

Mazmur 133:1

Psalm 133 ¹³ 

A song of ascents, ¹⁴  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ¹⁵ 

[39:4]  ¹ tn Heb “Cause me to know, O Lord, my end; and the measure of my days, what it is!”

[39:4]  ² tn Heb “Let me know how transient I am!”

[42:9]  ³ tn The cohortative form indicates the psalmist’s resolve.

[42:9]  ⁴ tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28; Pss 18:2; 31:3.

[42:9]  ⁵ tn Or “forget.”

[42:9]  ⁶ sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar idea.

[43:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “God of my place of refuge,” that is, “God who is my place of refuge.” See Ps 31:4.

[43:2]  ⁸ tn The question is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but זָנַח (zanakh, “reject”) is a stronger verb than שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”).

[43:2]  ⁹ tn The language is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but the Hitpael form of the verb הָלַךְ (halakh; as opposed to the Qal form in 42:9) expresses more forcefully the continuing nature of the psalmist’s distress.

[43:2]  ¹⁰ sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar statement.

[89:47]  ¹¹ tn Heb “remember me, what is [my] lifespan.” The Hebrew term חֶלֶד (kheled) is also used of one’s lifespan in Ps 39:5. Because the Hebrew text is so awkward here, some prefer to emend it to read מֶה חָדֵל אָנִי (meh khadel ’aniy, “[remember] how transient [that is, “short-lived”] I am”; see Ps 39:4).

[89:47]  ¹² tn Heb “For what emptiness do you create all the sons of mankind?” In this context the term שָׁוְא (shavah) refers to mankind’s mortal nature and the brevity of life (see vv. 45, 48).

[133:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  ¹⁴ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[133:1]  ¹⁵ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.