Mazmur 118:12

118:12 They surrounded me like bees.

But they disappeared as quickly ¹  as a fire among thorns. ² 

Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

Yesaya 1:31

1:31 The powerful will be like ³  a thread of yarn,

their deeds like a spark;

both will burn together,

and no one will put out the fire.

[118:12]  ¹ tn Heb “were extinguished.”

[118:12]  ² tn The point seems to be that the hostility of the nations (v. 10) is short-lived, like a fire that quickly devours thorns and then burns out. Some, attempting to create a better parallel with the preceding line, emend דֹּעֲכוּ (do’akhu, “they were extinguished”) to בָּעֲרוּ (ba’aru, “they burned”). In this case the statement emphasizes their hostility.

[1:31]  ³ tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).