Mazmur 35:4-6

35:4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!

May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed! ¹ 

35:5 May they be ²  like wind-driven chaff,

as the Lord’s angel ³  attacks them! ⁴ 

35:6 May their path be ⁵  dark and slippery,

as the Lord’s angel chases them!

Mazmur 35:8

35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! ⁶ 

Let the net they hid catch them!

Let them fall into destruction! ⁷ 

[35:4]  ¹ tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.

[35:5]  ² tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.

[35:5]  ³ sn See the mention of the Lord’s angel in Ps 34:7.

[35:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “as the Lord’s angel pushes [them].”

[35:6]  ⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.

[35:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.

[35:8]  ⁷ tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.