en_tn/psa/044/018.md

# Our heart has not turned back ... have not gone from your way

These two phrases are parallel. The writer speaks of loyalty to God as if it were following him, and disloyalty as if it were turning away from him. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# Our heart has not turned back

Here the word "heart" refers to the emotions, and specifically to loyalty and devotion. AT: "We have not stopped being loyal to you" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# you have severely broken us

The writer speaks of God's punishment as if it were breaking a fragile object. AT: "you have punished us severely" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# in the place of jackals

The writer speaks of Israel after God's punishment as if it were a wild, uninhabitable place. AT: "and made our land like a place where jackals live" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# jackals

a type of wild dog

# covered us with the shadow of death

The writer speaks of death as if it is an object that casts a shadow over those who are about to die. AT: "made us so that we are about to die" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# If we have forgotten the name of our God

Here the word "name" refers to God, himself. To forget God is to stop worshiping him. This is something that did not happen. AT: "If we had forgotten our God" or "If we had stopped worshiping our God" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])

# spread out our hands to a strange god

Spreading out the hands is a gesture that people used to worship and pray to a god. AT: "worshiped a strange god" or "prayed to a strange god" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction]])

# would not God search this out?

The writer uses this question to express that God would know if they worshiped another god. AT: "God would certainly find out" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# he knows the secrets of the heart

Here the word "heart" refers to the mind and thoughts. AT: "he knows what a person secretly thinks" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# we are being killed all day long

The phrase "all day long" is an exaggeration to emphasize that their people are being killed frequently. This can be stated in active form. AT: "we are always in danger of people killing us" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])

# we are considered to be sheep for the slaughter

This can be stated in active form. AT: "people consider us to be sheep for the slaughter" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])

# sheep for the slaughter

The writer compares the Israelites to sheep that people kill and eat. As sheep are helpless before those who kill them, so the Israelites are helpless before their enemies. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])