OET interlinear PSA 141:2

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

תִּכּ֤וֹן תְּפִלָּתִ֣⁠י

(Some words not found in UHB: set prayer_of,my incense to=your=face lifting_up_of my_palms_of,my offering_of evening )

The expression May my prayer be established is a passive verbal form. If it would be unnatural to use that form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context indicates that it is God. Alternate translation: [May you establish my prayer]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

קְטֹ֣רֶת לְ⁠פָנֶ֑י⁠ךָ

incense to=your=face

The point of this comparison is that just as incense rises up as a pleasing aroma before God, so David wants his prayer to rise up and be acceptable to God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [as a pleasing offering before you]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

לְ⁠פָנֶ֑י⁠ךָ

to=your=face

Here, to your face represents “in your presence.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [before you] or [in your presence]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

תִּכּ֤וֹן תְּפִלָּתִ֣⁠י קְטֹ֣רֶת לְ⁠פָנֶ֑י⁠ךָ מַֽשְׂאַ֥ת כַּ֝פַּ֗⁠י מִנְחַת־עָֽרֶב

(Some words not found in UHB: set prayer_of,my incense to=your=face lifting_up_of my_palms_of,my offering_of evening )

These two phrases mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them and express the emphasis in another way. Another approach would be to connect the phrases with a word that shows that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. See how you as a team have decided to translate the parallel phrases in the Psalms, and follow that approach here and throughout this psalm. Alternate translation: [May my prayer and my uplifted hands be truly acceptable to you, like a pleasing offering]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

מַֽשְׂאַ֥ת כַּ֝פַּ֗⁠י מִנְחַת־עָֽרֶב

(Some words not found in UHB: set prayer_of,my incense to=your=face lifting_up_of my_palms_of,my offering_of evening )

The point of this comparison is that just as the evening sacrifice is an acceptable offering to God, so David wants his raised hands in prayer to be equally acceptable. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [my lifted hands as an acceptable offering to you]

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

מִנְחַת־עָֽרֶב

offering_of evening

The evening sacrifice is a kind of grain offering that the Israelites presented to God at twilight each day. If your readers would not be familiar with what the evening sacrifice is, you could use the name of a similar thing that your readers would recognize, or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: [the offering presented at twilight] or [the daily evening offering]