Psalm 144

A Psalm of David

“Herman Gunkel once proposed that this poem was an ‘imitation’ of Psalm 18, but, especially because some of the topics it touches on are unlike anything in Psalm 18, it seems more accurate to speak of certain citations from the earlier psalms woven into a different poetic context” Alter, 495.

Psalm 144 is often called by form critics a royal psalm. This is because of the mention of David within the psalm-144:10 and because of the connections to Psalm 18.

“The psalm may be divided into two major sections, based on the switch from first person singular language in vv. 1-11 to first person plural language in vv. 12-15” NICOT, 985.

This psalm incorporates Psalms 18, 8, 39, and 33. “Our circumstances change, but the words that sustained us in the past continue to sustain in the present and will continue to sustain us in the future. For that is the nature of Scripture- indeed ‘old, tried, and true,’ but ever new in changing circumstances” NICOT, 989.

144:1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock- Ps. 18:2, 31, 46; 19:14; 28:1; 62:2, 6, 7; Deut. 32:4, 13, 15, 18, 30, 31.

Who trains my hands for war- Ps. 18:34; II Sam. 22:35. Vs. 1 deals with the Psalmist’s hands, vs. 7 God’s hands, vs.7, 8, 11, 11 the alien’s hands. The word trains was translated teach in 143:10.

And my fingers for battle- The fingers may be mentioned because “the fingers refer to the pulling of the bowstring” Alter, 495. The only other mention of fingers in Psalms is God’s finger in Ps. 8:3.

144:2 My lovingkindness and my fortress- Speaking of God as my lovingkindness “is not unique: cf. Jonah 2:8 (9 Heb.), where it should against be taken as a designation of the Lord and His loyalty, rather than of man’s loyalty to Him” Kidner, 478. Similar uses of this word in Psalm 59:10, 17; 89:28 emphasize God’s lovingkindness to us and not man’s response to God. Lovingkindness in Ps. 143:8, 12 and Pss. 107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31, 43; 108:4; 109:12, 16, 21, 26.

Fortress in Ps. 18:2; 31:2, 3; 71:3; 91:2. God’s defense of him is because of God’s love.

My stronghold- Ps. 9:9; 18:2; 46:7, 11 and my deliverer- Ps. 18:2; 40:17; 70:5

My shield- 3:3; 5:12; 7:10; 18:2, 30, 35 and He in whom I take refuge- 141:8; 142:5; 7:1; 11:1; 16:1; 31:1.

Who subdues my people under me- Ps. 18:39, 47 “The violence of the verb suggests that ‘my people’ is not intended. A plural ‘peoples’ appears in the seemingly basis 18:48 (47) and II Sam. 22:48.

“Every virtue he possesses every victory won…are His alone (I Cor. 15:10)” Laymen, 698.

144:3 O LORD, what is man that You take knowledge of him?- Ps. 8:4; Job 7:17. His view of God is exalted in 144:1-2, 5-8 leads him here in vs. 3-4 to humble himself and be astonished that God cares for him. This contrast between God’s greatness and man’s dependence on Him is seen in II Cor. 4:7. “What is man, king or commoner, that he should be worthy of such glorious beneficence from God?” Alter, 496.

144:4 Man is like a mere breath- Ps. 39:5-6, 11; 62:9; 90:9; 109:23 “The word breath is hebel, the same word used by the author of Qoheleth to describe life in this world” NICOT, 987.

His days are like a passing shadow- Job 8:9; 14:2; Psalm 102:11; 109:23. “The line moves from mere breath to something still more insubstantial, a passing shadow” Alter, 496.

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143:1 Hear my prayer, O LORD- Hear is often used in the Psalms as an imperative directed to God (17:7; 27:7; 28:2; 30:10; 54:2; 64:1).

Give ear to my supplications! Give ear is also an imperative addressed to God in the Psalms (5:1; 17:1; 39:12; 54:2; 55:1; 84:8; 86:6; 140:6; 141:1; 143:1). The fact these imperatives are used together stresses the urgency of the request. For supplications the ESV and NIV have cries for mercy. Supplications are found in Ps. 28:2, 6; 31:22; 116:1; 130:2; 140:6.

Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness- “The psalmist makes his plea for deliverance, not on the merit of his own righteousness (vs. 2), but on that basis of God’s righteousness (vss. 1, 11)” Miller, 436. “His only claim is to a covenant relationship with his God (servant, cf. vs. 10), initiated and maintained by divine grace” Laymen 697. “His confidence lies, not in himself, but in the one who promised. He is true, faithful, and righteous” VanGemeren, 856.

“Righteousness is an appositive of faithfulness, so that the one word helps explain the other. The use of righteousness with steadfast love (covenant loyalty, vss. 11-12) also tempers the meaning of righteous (innocent) before God’s courts (vs. 2). God is faithful to His covenant commitment to His servant (vss. 2a, 12) and He is true to His own righteousness (character) in forgiving the penitent sinner” Miller, 436.

143:2 And do not enter into judgment with Your servant- The writer describes His relationship to God as Your servant (2, 12).

For in Your sight no man living is righteous- Job 4:17; 9:2; 15:4; 25:4; Eccl. 7:20. “No creature (not even the angels, according to Job) can hope to be blameless before God’s inexorable judgment” Alter, 492. “The OT also teaches that God freely forgives because of His grace (cf. Pss. 32:1-2, 5; 51:1-2; 103:3, 11-13; 130:3-4)” Miller, 437. This word righteous is a verb while vs. 1 and 11 are nouns. While God is righteous in the sense that He is faithful to His covenant, we are not righteous.

“While the psalmist is aware that no-one is perfectly righteous (v. 2), he does believe that he has grounds for saying that he does not deserve the violent treatment of those who are persecuting (pursuing) him” Longman, 462. “The reference to human waywardness (cf. 130:3; I Kings 8:46) is no shoulder-shrugging excuse but expresses a conviction of the power of sin” Laymen, 697. “The covenant relationship can be sustained only on the basis of continual divine forgiveness (cf. 51:5)” Allen, 281.

143:3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul- “Three metaphors describe the intensity of His suffering” Miller, 437. “Like a hunted beast he has been chased, grounded, caged (3; cf. 142 title)” Motyer, 580. The word enemy or enemies is used in vs. 3, 9, 12.

He has crushed my life to the ground- “Like the suffering servant in the book of Isaiah, crushed (see Isa. 53:5, 10; see also Ps. 94:5; Lam. 3:34)” McCann, 1251.

He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead-

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142:1 I cry aloud with my voice to the LORD- “The synonymous parallelism repeats the phrase ‘with my voice’ to emphasize that he cries aloud” Miller, 435. “In Psalm 142:1 is za’aq, conveys the idea of crying out in acute distress and seeking deliverance. The verbal root occurs only five times in the Psalter, twice in Psalm 142” NICOT, 978. “Although the Hebrew root translated ‘cry’ in vv. 1, 5 does not occur often in the psalms (see Pss. 22:5; 107:13, 19), it is an important theological word. For instance, it recalls the exodus (see Exod. 2:23); it is a crucial part of the pattern in the book of Judges (see Judg. 3:9, 15; 6:6-7); indeed, it became understood as a typical element in God’s dealing with God’s people (see Neh. 9:28)” McCann, 1247.

“To make supplication is to appeal to kindness (so the Hebrew word suggests)” Kidner, 473.

142:2 I pour out my complaint before Him- The six Hebrew words that make up this verse are a chiasm. pour out is used in 42:4; 62:8. The word before Him twice in vs. 2. The word complaint is used in Pss. 55:2; 64:1; 102:1 (heading); 104:34.

I declare my trouble before Him- Trouble is used in parallelism with complaint. This word appears in 77:2; 86:7.

142:3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me- Faint or overwhelmed is used in Ps. 61:2; 77:3; 143:4; Jonah 2:7. The word is used twice in Gen. 30:42 for the feeble among the flocks becoming Laban’s. “He is at his wit’s end and does not know how to pray adequately” Miller, 435. “He describes his emotional state as his spirit growing faint, probably referring to deep disappointment or depression” Longman, 461.

You knew my path- The you is emphatic. Knew in Ps. 1:6; 139:1-4. He finds comfort that God understands. “His only help in this time of distress is God, who watches over his life” Longman, 461.

They have hidden a trap for me- Trap lead for him in 140:5; 141:9-10.

142:4 Look to the right and see- “To the right suggests the place where a helper would stand (cf. 16:8; 109:31; 110:5; 121:5)” Miller, 435. “The right was the place where the witness for the defense stood (109:31)” Allen, 276.

No one cares for my soul- “David was completely helpless before his enemies and no one seemed to care for his life” BK, 894. II Tim. 4:17 “He stands alone” Laymen’s, 697. “On the horizontal plane he stands alone” Allen, 279. “God hears persons whom nobody else bothers to hear, and that God cares for those whom nobody else appears to care for (v. 4d)” McCann, 1248.

142:5 I cried to You, O LORD- 140:6

I said, ‘You are my refuge- Ps. 14:6; 46:1; 61:3; 62:7, 8; 71:7; 73:28; 91:2, 9; 94:22; 104:18; 142:5; Isa. 4:6; 25:4.

My portion in the land of the living’- “Claiming Yahweh as my portion in the land of the living is particularly associated with the Levites (Num. 18:20; Deut. 10:9)” Broyles, 495.

“The land of the living is opposite of Sheol, the place of the dead (cff. Pss. 27:13; 52:5; 116:9)” Miller, 435.

142:6 For I am brought very low- brought low in Judges 6:6; Ps. 79:8; 116:6.

For they are too strong for me- Ps. 79:8 God is big enough to defeat every foe.

142:7 Bring my soul out of prison- Isa. 42:7; Ps. 102:20; 107:10. God can deliver us from every bondage. “He pleads his weakness and implicitly confesses God’s sovereign power” Laymen’s 697.

So that I may give thanks to Your name- 18:49; 20:1; 140:13 “The psalm-singer

141:1-2 Cry for help

141:1 O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me- “The cryptic phraseology indicates urgency” Miller, 433. Call (Ps. 4:1, 3; 17:6; 88:9; 130:1) and hasten or come quickly is used in Pss. 22:19; 38:22; 40:13; 70:1, 5; 71:12.

Give ear to my voice when I call to You!- Give ear is used in Ps. 55:1; 86:6; 143:1.

141:2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You- “Incense and evening sacrifice come from the realm of formal worship” Longman, 458. “Incense symbolized the prayers of the saints (Rev. 5:8) and the priestly intercession accompanying their prayers on behalf of the people (Rev. 8:3-4; Exod. 30:10)” Miller, 433. “Incense is intended to present a sweet fragrance before the Lord, and so the psalmist wants his prayer similarly to please God” Longman, 458.

The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering- Lifting up of hands was a common posture in prayer- Ex. 9:29; Ps. 28:2; 63:4; 134:2; I Tim. 2:8. The morning and evening offering are described in Ex. 29:38-42; 30:7-8; Num. 28:4-8. Because he mentions the evening sacrifice, BK, 893, calls this “an evening prayer for sanctification and protection.” A similar idea appears in Longman, 458.This shows that he knew that sacrifices were acceptable and longs for prayer to be just as acceptable. Portions of Scripture like Isaiah 1:10-15 are not anti-sacrifice.

141:3-7 Petition

141:3 Set a guard, O LORD over my mouth- “The prayer for the worshiper himself builds on bodily images” Broyles, 492. There were guards who waited at the temple- I Chron. 15:18, 24; II Kings 11:4-8; II Chron. 23:1-7. “He needs this strong Ally to help him guard his tongue” Laymen, 697. “Pure prayer Godward must be controlled speech manward (James 3:10-12)” Laymen, 579. “Religious ritual and moral lifestyle were to be integrally connected in ancient Israel” Broyles, 492. His first request is not judgment on his enemies but a plea that God will keep him from sin- Longman, 458. “Speech is an indicator of one’s relationship to the Lord (cf. 34:13; 39:1; Prov. 13:3; 21:23; James 3:1-12)” VanGemeren, 847.

The malicious intention of the speaker’s enemies seems to manifest itself in vicious speech. The special emphasis here is on the speaker’s prayer that he not answer them in kind, that he keep his own speech from slander and invective” Alter, 487.

Faithful and Christian at Vanity Fair prayed “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity” Kidner, 470.

Keep watch over the door of my lips- “The psalmist desires not to sin in word (34:13; 39:1; Prov. 13:3; 18:21; 21:23)” Miller, 433. Speech can do much harm- Prov. 10:6; 12:6; 22:10.

141:4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing- Matt. 6:13 More fundamental than his speech is his heart and he prays his heart will be right with God. “He knows too the dominant pull of his heart toward involvement in evil” Laymen, 697. “Whereas the psalmist prayed in Psalm 140 for deliverance from ‘evil’ (see vs. 1-2), here the prayer is that he be prevented from joining the wicked in their ‘evil’ (v. 4)” McCann, 1244. “This is a remarkable expression of divine control over the mind; I Sam. 16:14; I Kings 22:21-23; Ps. 119:36” Allen, 270.

With men who do iniquity – “He resolves to leave their circle with its lavish hospitality (cf. 23:5)” Laymen, 697.

And do not let me eat of their delicacies- “To eat of their dainties could mean to eat of their delicacies attained through wickedness, or it could suggest the strong temptation to follow the ways of those who used a false hospitality to influence him for evil (cf. Prov. 23:6-8, 20-21; Hos. 7:1-7)” Miller, 433. Prov. 4:17.

Psalm 140

For the choir director, A Psalm of David

“Psalm 140 is clearly an individual lament, with its appeals to God to listen and rescue (vv. 1, 4, 8), its complaints concerning the wicked who intend to harm the psalmist (vv. 2-3, 5), its imprecation (vv. 9-11) and its note of confidence (vv. 6-7, 12-13)” Longman, 455.

“In the present literary setting, the petitions in Psalm 140 can be understood as an elaboration of Ps. 139:19-22…Psalm 140 also anticipates Psalms 141-143” McCann, 1240. Psalms 141-143 are also individual laments.

“Psalm 140 is another prayer psalm about personal enemies. They are described in the familiar categories of ‘the righteous; (vs.13) and ‘the wicked’ (vv. 4, 8). These ‘men of violence’ (vv. 1, and so they ‘devise evil’) and ‘proud’ (v. 5) and by a variety of images. They are warlike (vv. 2, 7) and are compared to hunter (v. 5) and ‘their tongues; to ‘a serpent’s’ (v. 3)…The righteous are further described by the moral term ‘the upright’ and be economic terms, ‘the poor’ and ‘needy’” Broyles, 489.

“The psalm consists of two prayers (1-5, 8-11) each followed by an affirmation (6-7, 12-13)” Motyer, 579. “The first affirmation acknowledges the God of salvation in personal, protective care, the second affirms the God of righteousness in public oversight of society” Motyer, 579.

“The occurrences of Selah after vv. 3, 5, and 8 suggest a fourfold division of the psalm”

McCann, 1239.

The divine name appears in the first colon of vs. 1, 4, 6, 12.

140:1-3 Rescue me from violent men

140:4-5 Keep me from the wicked

140:6-8 A plea for God to provide protection

140:9-11 A prayer for judgment upon the wicked

140:12-13 God will maintain the cause of his people

Jesus and Psalm 140

140:3 is quoted to describe the sinfulness of man in Rom. 3:13. Sin from which only Jesus can provide salvation. “The New Testament treats the Psalter as a major witness to human depravity (most of Rom. 3:10-18 is from the Psalms), largely because it exposes this element in us of sheer malice, a poison which can be secreted and employed not only without provocation (69:4) but even in face of generosity and love (cf. especially 35:12-16; 55:12-14)” Kidner, 468.

“Paul is not referring to or condemning the malicious and violent enemies of the faith, but all humanity, both Jews and Greeks (Rom. 3:9). We are all capable of plotting maliciousness and engaging in violent ways” NICOT, 971. “From this perspective, Psalm 140 becomes a prayer requesting that we be delivered from ourselves!” McCann, 1241.

“Jesus Himself was the subject of false accusations that led to his crucifixion (see John 18:19-19:37). One can imagine Jesus praying this prayer. However, rather than uttering imprecation against his attackers, He prayed, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’ (Luke 23:34). Like the psalmist, Jesus expressed His utter confidence in God, even in the face of death” Longman, 457.

140:13 Jesus gives a whole deeper meaning to the upright dwelling in Your presence. “His last word matched the climax to which the whole of Scriptures moves: ‘His servants shall serve him: and they shall see His face’ (Rev. 22:3f., AV)” Kidner, 469.

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Psalm 139 For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

“The Greek title has prefixed the strange phrase ‘for the end,’ and the Alexandrinus text has appended the phrase ‘of Zechariah in the dispersion.’” Miller, 426; see Kinder, 463-464 for similar ideas.

“The psalm is poetically balanced with four paragraphs (or strophes) of six verses each. In the first paragraph (vss. 1-6), the psalmist praised God for his minute knowledge of him, the contemplation of which fills the psalmist with awe (vs. 6). In the second paragraph (vss. 7-12), the psalmist states that God is everywhere the psalmists might go, and God is there to lead and hold him (vs. 10). In the third paragraph (vs. 13-18) and the psalmists combines the idea of God omniscience (vs. 1-6) and omnipresence (vss. 7-12) and applies these divine qualities to God’s knowledge of the psalmist’s embryonic development (vss. 13-15) and God’s planning of the psalmist’s life (vss. 16-18)…In the fourth paragraph (vss. 19-24), the psalmist thinks of God as the judge of all the earth and in complete confidence asks God to judge Him with a view to His correcting His life so as to please God (vss. 23-24)” Miller, 426. “Psalm 139 is perhaps the most intimate of psalms. It displays a striking awareness of God’s interest in individuals” Broyles, 483.

“Any small thoughts that we may have of God are magnificently transcended by this psalm; yet for all its height and depth it remains intensely personal from first to last” Kidner, 463.

I think Longman is overly negative in his assessment of the Psalm. He says vs. 1-18 “express ambivalence about God’s pervasive knowledge, presence, and power. In light of its final stanza, the psalm is best considered a lament” 452.

139:1-6 God’s intimate knowledge of the Psalmist

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Psalm 138

A Psalm of David- Psalms 138-145 are listed as Psalms of David in the heading. “The Greek title places the psalm in the days of Haggai and Zechariah” Miller, 423. Is the I individual or collectively? “The individual who is offering thanks here appears to have been rescued from enemies who sought his undoing” Alter, 476.

“Psalm 138 is the first of a collection of eight psalms (Pss. 138-145) in Book Five that are attributed, in their superscription to David” NICOT, 958. “Psalms 138 and 145 share no less than thirteen terms and verbal roots, forming an envelope structure around the collection: ‘give thanks’ (138:1, 2, 4); ‘name’ (138:2; 145:1-2, 21); ‘hesed’ (138:2; 145:8, 10, 13, 17), ‘be faithful’ (138:2; 145:13, 18), ‘be great’ (138:2, 5; 145:3, 6, 8); ‘cry out’ (138:3; 145:18); ‘hear’ (138:4; 145:19); ‘glory’ (138:5; 145:5, 11, 12); ‘exalt’ (138:6; 145:1); ‘hand’ (138:7, 8; 145:16); ‘for all time’ (138:8; 145:1, 21); ‘deliver’ (138:7; 145:19)’; ‘make, do’ (138:8; 145:4, 9, 10, 13, 17)” NICOT, 958.

“Maybe it all happened in II Sam. 5:17-25, when the Philistines challenged David’s infant kingdom, and in answer to enquiring of the Lord, a signal victory was won and the ‘gods’ of Philistia became the litter of battle” Motyer, 578.

138:1-3 His personal situation and his deliverance

“In vv. 1-3, the singer speaks directly to God, using second person pronouns” NICOT, 960.

138:1 I will give You thanks with all my heart- Ps. 119:2, 10, 34, 58, 69, 145; Jer. 3:10; 24:7. “O Lord comes from the Greek; it is omitted in the Hebrew text” Miller, 424. It is added in the NIV following a number of mss., versions, and 11 QPs- VanGemeren, 834; NICOT, 958; Allen, 244. Giving thanks is mentioned in vs. 1, 2, 4.

I will sing praises to You before the gods- Pss. 95:3; 96:4; 97:7; 135:5; 136:2-3 “gods (‘elohim) is translated ‘angels’ in the Greek. However, there is little, if any, clear evidence in the OT for taking the word ‘elohim to mean angels. The Jewish translators of the OT into Greek were influenced by the Hellenistic concept of angels meditating to man the will of God so transcendently holy that he refused to communicate directly with sinful man” Miller, 424. See Allen, 244, for more on the LXX. “The Aramaic Targum rendered it, not very convincingly, as ‘judges.’ Following this line, Rashi and other medieval exegetes understood it as a reference to the Sanhedrin” Alter, 476. Some believe he refers to all heavenly beings and give Psalm 82 as a parallel. This psalm is “expressing God’s sovereignty over any claimants to the appellation ‘god.’” NICOT, 959. The Psalm is “an implicit testimony to Yahweh’s power not only to surrounding pagan nations but to their gods” Allen, 244.

“The psalmist offers praise ‘in the face of the gods,’ almost contemptuously denying them sovereignty (see Pss. 58:1-2; 82:1)” McCann, 1232. “He openly defies the gods of pagan nations, proud of this practical proof of the superiority of his own God” Laymen, 695.

138:2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple- Ps. 5:7; 11:4; 22:29; 28:2; 134:2; I Kings 8:29. “There is a fine blend of boldness and humility from the outset: boldness to confess the Lord before the gods, humility to bow down before Him” Kinder, 461.

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Psalm 137

The LXX has a heading τω Δανιδ the Lucian text add (δια) ‘Ιεριμιομ ‘through Jeremiah’ Allen, 235.

This is a community lament written in the time of Babylonian captivity. They are in Babylon (1-3) and Jerusalem has been destroyed (7). “Note the first person plural ‘we,’ ‘us,’ ‘our,’ etc., in vs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8.” Willis, vol. 3, 4-5. “The scene has the vividness of first-hand experience” Kidner, 459.This psalm is a first-person account of the sadness of the captives. It seems that the experience of exile “is fresh and acutely painful” Alter, 473. Most psalms “are historically vague in order to be applied again and again to new situations” Longman, 448, but the historical context for this psalm is much easier to identify. It may have been written by Levitical musicians who ‘bemoan their separation from the temple” Longman, 448. “Every line of it is alive with pain, whose intensity grows with each strophe to the appalling climax” Kidner, 459.

“The placement of Psalm 137 in Book Five of the Psalter is somewhat curious. According to the story of the Psalter, Book Five celebrates the return of the Babylonian exiles to Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the temple, and the continued existence of the Israelites as the people of God…It seems that for the Israelites, even in the midst of present rejoicing, the past pain must always be remembered” NICOT, 953.

137:1-4 Lament

137:1 By the rivers of Babylon- Ezek. 1:3. Jer. 51:13 describes Babylon a “you who dwell by many waters.” Alter, 473, argues for the translation streams here instead of rivers. Babylon is also mentioned in vs.8.

There we sat down and wept- Neh. 1:4; Lam. 1:2, 16. There is used in vs. 1 and v. 3 This word expresses “the alienation of the collective speakers from the place they find themselves, which, logically should be ‘here’ rather than ‘there’” Alter, 473. Some take it as an indication that the psalm was written after return from captivity- Motyer, 577.

The people had lost their home country and had been taken into slavery. They lost their king and palace and they lost the temple where their God dwelt. “There is a proper time for weeping. Life is not ceaseless joy” Motyer, 577.

There is repetition of the first plural pronoun suffix nu nine times in vv. 1-3. Isa. 53:4-6 is similar.

When we remembered Zion- The word remember is used in vs. 1, 6, 7 and the word forget was used twice in vs. 5. Zion is used in this psalm in vs. 1, 3. The word Jerusalem is used in vs. 5, 6, 7. “Their grief was no mere homesickness” Laymen, 694. They longed for the temple, the festivals, the fellowship with God. Interestingly, in Lam. 1:7 Jerusalem is doing the remembering.

This is not to say that life for all was horrific in Babylon. “The prophet Jeremiah encouraged them to make a living, to increase in number, and to seek the peace and prosperity of the land (Jer. 29:4-9)” VanGemeren, 827.

137:2 Upon the willows in the midst of it- The NIV has poplars instead of willows. “The populus euphratica is in view; it looks more like a willow than a true poplar” K. Wilson, quoted in Allen, 236.

We hung our harps- “Lyres are smaller than ‘harps’ (KJV, NASB, NEB), and would much more likely be carried into exile” Miller, 422. “A relief from Sennacherib’s palace at Nineveh, in the neighboring land of Assyria, portrays a situation not unlike this, with three prisoners of war play lyres as they march along by an armed soldier” Kidner, 459; also Alter, 474.

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