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Psalm 12[a]

For the music director, according to the sheminith style;[b] a psalm of David.

12 Deliver, Lord!
For the godly[c] have disappeared;[d]
people of integrity[e] have vanished.[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12:1 sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.
  2. Psalm 12:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (sheminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
  3. Psalm 12:1 tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
  4. Psalm 12:1 tn Or “have come to an end.”
  5. Psalm 12:1 tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”
  6. Psalm 12:1 tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”