Mazmur 35:4

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 

Mazmur 35:8

35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! ² 

Let the net they hid catch them!

Let them fall into destruction! ³ 

[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.

[35:8]  ² 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]  ³ tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.