Your Bible study group is really enjoying your brilliant expositions of the Psalms. You, of course, cannot tell the group how many laborious hours you spend pouring over your Hebrew Bible to assure them that you really do know what you are talking about. This week has been a tough one, however. Your family required extra time, your job moved into “extra innings,” your professors refuse to delay the mid-term exam. You have no choice; you will have to “wing it” on Psalm 56. Hopefully there will not be any “land mines” in the way of another successful evening of fascinating your Bible study group!
Then came verse 1 (English text) . . .
(NIV)”Be merciful to me, 0 God, for men hotly pursue me all day long they press their attack.”
(NKJV)”Be merciful to me, 0 God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me.”
(NASB) ”Be gracious to me, 0 God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.”
SUE: "My Bible says 'men hotly pursue me;' Tom’s says 'man would swallow me up;' yours says 'man has trampled upon me.' How can it mean all of these things. Don’t they imply different things?"
TOM: "Right. Also, the NIV places the event in the present; the
NKJV, as a possible future event; and the NASB, a past event.
When did this happen? Is there a single best translation? Is there a single meaning?"
YOU: “Be merciful to me, 0 God!”
