Mazmur 50:16-21

50:16 God says this to the evildoer: ¹ 

“How can you declare my commands,

and talk about my covenant? ² 

50:17 For you hate instruction

and reject my words. ³ 

50:18 When you see a thief, you join him; ⁴ 

you associate with men who are unfaithful to their wives. ⁵ 

50:19 You do damage with words, ⁶ 

and use your tongue to deceive. ⁷ 

50:20 You plot against your brother; ⁸ 

you slander your own brother. ⁹ 

50:21 When you did these things, I was silent, ¹⁰ 

so you thought I was exactly like you. ¹¹ 

But now I will condemn ¹²  you

and state my case against you! ¹³ 

Mazmur 64:8

64:8 Their slander will bring about their demise. ¹⁴ 

All who see them will shudder, ¹⁵ 

[50:16]  ¹ tn Heb “evil [one].” The singular adjective is used here in a representative sense; it refers to those within the larger covenant community who have blatantly violated the Lord’s commandments. In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander, and cheat others (Ps 37:21).

[50:16]  ² tn Heb “What to you to declare my commands and lift up my covenant upon your mouth?” The rhetorical question expresses sarcastic amazement. The Lord is shocked that such evildoers would give lip-service to his covenantal demands, for their lifestyle is completely opposed to his standards (see vv. 18-20).

[50:17]  ³ tn Heb “and throw my words behind you.”

[50:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “you run with him.”

[50:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “and with adulterers [is] your portion.”

[50:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “your mouth you send with evil.”

[50:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “and your tongue binds together [i.e., “frames”] deceit.”

[50:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “you sit, against your brother you speak.” To “sit” and “speak” against someone implies plotting against that person (see Ps 119:23).

[50:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “against the son of your mother you give a fault.”

[50:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “these things you did and I was silent.” Some interpret the second clause (“and I was silent”) as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, “[When you do these things], should I keep silent?” (cf. NEB). See GKC 335 §112.cc.

[50:21]  sn The Lord was silent in the sense that he delayed punishment. Of course, God’s patience toward sinners eventually runs out. The divine “silence” is only temporary (see v. 3, where the psalmist, having described God’s arrival, observes that “he is not silent”).

[50:21]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew infinitive construct (הֱיוֹת, heyot) appears to function like the infinitive absolute here, adding emphasis to the following finite verbal form (אֶהְיֶה, ’ehyeh). See GKC 339-40 §113.a. Some prefer to emend הֱיוֹת (heyot) to the infinitive absolute form הָיוֹ (hayo).

[50:21]  ¹² tn Or “rebuke” (see v. 8).

[50:21]  ¹³ tn Heb “and I will set in order [my case against you] to your eyes.” The cohortative form expresses the Lord’s resolve to accuse and judge the wicked.

[64:8]  ¹⁴ tc The MT reads literally, “and they caused him to stumble, upon them, their tongue.” Perhaps the third plural subject of the verb is indefinite with the third singular pronominal suffix on the verb being distributive (see Ps 63:10). In this case one may translate, “each one will be made to stumble.” The preposition עַל (’al) might then be taken as adversative, “against them [is] their tongue.” Many prefer to emend the text to וַיַּכְשִׁילֵמוֹ עֲלֵי לְשׁוֹנָם (vayyakhshilemo ’aley lÿshonam, “and he caused them to stumble over their tongue”). However, if this reading is original, it is difficult to see how the present reading of the MT arose. Furthermore, the preposition is not collocated with the verb כָּשַׁל (kashal) elsewhere. It is likely that the MT is corrupt, but a satisfying emendation has not yet been proposed.

[64:8]  ¹⁵ tn The Hitpolel verbal form is probably from the root נוּד (nud; see HALOT 678 s.v. נוד), which is attested elsewhere in the Hitpolel stem, not the root נָדַד (nadad, as proposed by BDB 622 s.v. I נָדַד), which does not occur elsewhere in this stem.