Mazmur 10:18

10:18 You defend ¹  the fatherless and oppressed, ² 

so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. ³ 

Mazmur 34:21

34:21 Evil people self-destruct; ⁴ 

those who hate the godly are punished. ⁵ 

Mazmur 58:10

58:10 The godly ⁶  will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out;

they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

Mazmur 74:21

74:21 Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame!

Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! ⁷ 

[10:18]  ¹ tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”

[10:18]  ² tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.

[10:18]  ³ tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.

[34:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.

[34:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.

[58:10]  ⁶ tn The singular is representative here, as is the singular from “wicked” in the next line.

[74:21]  ⁷ sn Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! The statement is metonymic. The point is this: May the oppressed be delivered from their enemies! Then they will have ample reason to praise God’s name.