Mazmur 54:5

54:5 May those who wait to ambush me ¹  be repaid for their evil! ² 

As a demonstration of your faithfulness, ³  destroy them!

Mazmur 94:23

94:23 He will pay them back for their sin. ⁴ 

He will destroy them because of ⁵  their evil;

the Lord our God will destroy them.

[54:5]  ¹ tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.

[54:5]  ² tn The Kethib (consonantal text) reads a Qal imperfect, “the evil will return,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Hiphil imperfect, “he will repay.” The parallel line has an imperative (indicating a prayer/request), so it is best to read a jussive form יָשֹׁב (yashov, “let it [the evil] return”) here.

[54:5]  ³ tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”

[94:23]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.

[94:23]  ⁵ tn Or “in.”