Mazmur 3:7

3:7 Rise up, ¹  Lord!

Deliver me, my God!

Yes, ²  you will strike ³  all my enemies on the jaw;

you will break the teeth ⁴  of the wicked. ⁵ 

Mazmur 9:4-5

9:4 For you defended my just cause; ⁶ 

from your throne you pronounced a just decision. ⁷ 

9:5 You terrified the nations with your battle cry; ⁸ 

you destroyed the wicked; ⁹ 

you permanently wiped out all memory of them. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 11:6

11:6 May the Lord rain down ¹¹  burning coals ¹²  and brimstone ¹³  on the wicked!

A whirlwind is what they deserve! ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 18:25

18:25 You prove to be loyal ¹⁵  to one who is faithful; ¹⁶ 

you prove to be trustworthy ¹⁷  to one who is innocent. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 25:10

25:10 The Lord always proves faithful and reliable ¹⁹ 

to those who follow the demands of his covenant. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 28:3

28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,

with those who behave wickedly, ²¹ 

who talk so friendly to their neighbors, ²² 

while they plan to harm them! ²³ 

Mazmur 39:9-10

39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth

because of what you have done. ²⁴ 

39:10 Please stop wounding me! ²⁵ 

You have almost beaten me to death! ²⁶ 

Mazmur 44:19

44:19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; ²⁷ 

you have covered us with darkness. ²⁸ 

Mazmur 49:7

49:7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; ²⁹ 

he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price ³⁰ 

Mazmur 54:5

54:5 May those who wait to ambush me ³¹  be repaid for their evil! ³² 

As a demonstration of your faithfulness, ³³  destroy them!

Mazmur 58:10

58:10 The godly ³⁴  will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out;

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

Mazmur 69:26

69:26 For they harass ³⁵  the one whom you discipline; ³⁶ 

they spread the news about the suffering of those whom you punish. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 78:6

78:6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,

might know about them.

They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. ³⁸ 

Mazmur 79:8

79:8 Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations! ³⁹ 

Quickly send your compassion our way, ⁴⁰ 

for we are in serious trouble! ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 79:11

79:11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! ⁴² 

Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die! ⁴³ 

Mazmur 81:15

81:15 (May those who hate the Lord ⁴⁴  cower in fear ⁴⁵  before him!

May they be permanently humiliated!) ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 86:2

86:2 Protect me, ⁴⁷  for I am loyal!

O my God, deliver your servant, who trusts in you!

Mazmur 88:15

88:15 I am oppressed and have been on the verge of death since my youth. ⁴⁸ 

I have been subjected to your horrors and am numb with pain. ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 94:23

94:23 He will pay them back for their sin. ⁵⁰ 

He will destroy them because of ⁵¹  their evil;

the Lord our God will destroy them.

Mazmur 102:20

102:20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,

and to set free those condemned to die, ⁵² 

Mazmur 103:20

103:20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,

you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees

and obey his orders! ⁵³ 

Mazmur 105:14

105:14 He let no one oppress them;

he disciplined kings for their sake,

Mazmur 119:88

119:88 Revive me with ⁵⁴  your loyal love,

that I might keep ⁵⁵  the rules you have revealed. ⁵⁶ 

Mazmur 119:128

119:128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. ⁵⁷ 

I hate all deceitful actions. ⁵⁸ 

Mazmur 119:176

119:176 I have wandered off like a lost sheep. ⁵⁹ 

Come looking for your servant,

for I do not forget your commands.

Mazmur 125:5

125:5 As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, ⁶⁰ 

may the Lord remove them, ⁶¹  along with those who behave wickedly! ⁶² 

May Israel experience peace! ⁶³ 

Mazmur 140:11

140:11 A slanderer ⁶⁴  will not endure on ⁶⁵  the earth;

calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down. ⁶⁶ 

Mazmur 141:6

141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. ⁶⁷ 

They ⁶⁸  will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

Mazmur 143:2

143:2 Do not sit in judgment on ⁶⁹  your servant,

for no one alive is innocent before you. ⁷⁰ 

[3:7]  ¹ tn In v. 2 the psalmist describes his enemies as those who “confront” him (קָמִים [qamim], literally, “rise up against him”). Now, using the same verbal root (קוּם, qum) he asks the Lord to rise up (קוּמָה, qumah) in his defense.

[3:7]  ² tn Elsewhere in the psalms the particle כִּי (ki), when collocated with a perfect verbal form and subordinated to a preceding imperative directed to God, almost always has an explanatory or causal force (“for, because”) and introduces a motivating argument for why God should respond positively to the request (see Pss 5:10; 6:2; 12:1; 16:1; 41:4; 55:9; 56:1; 57:1; 60:2; 69:1; 74:20; 119:94; 123:3; 142:6; 143:8). (On three occasions the כִּי is recitative after a verb of perception [“see/know that,” see Pss 4:3; 25:19; 119:159]). If כִּי is taken as explanatory here, then the psalmist is arguing that God should deliver him now because that is what God characteristically does. However, such a motivating argument is not used in the passages cited above. The motivating argument usually focuses on the nature of the psalmist’s dilemma or the fact that he trusts in the Lord. For this reason it is unlikely that כִּי has its normal force here. Most scholars understand the particle כִּי as having an asseverative (emphasizing) function here (“indeed, yes”; NEB leaves the particle untranslated).

[3:7]  ³ tn If the particle כִּי (ki) is taken as explanatory, then the perfect verbal forms in v. 7b would describe God’s characteristic behavior. However, as pointed out in the preceding note on the word “yes,” the particle probably has an asseverative force here. If so, the perfects may be taken as indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s assault on his enemies as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm, as expressed before (vv. 3-6) and after this (v. 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“Strike all my enemies on the jaw, break the teeth of the wicked”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.

[3:7]  ⁴ sn The expression break the teeth may envision violent hand-to hand combat, though it is possible that the enemies are pictured here as a dangerous animal (see Job 29:17).

[3:7]  ⁵ tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.

[9:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”

[9:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “you sat on a throne [as] one who judges [with] righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend…you sit on a throne”).

[9:5]  ⁸ tn The verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke” and in this context taken to refer to the Lord’s “rebuke” of the nations. In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.

[9:5]  ⁹ tn The singular form is collective (note “nations” and “their name”). 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 (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). In this context the hostile nations who threaten Israel/Judah are in view.

[9:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “their name you wiped out forever and ever.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 5 probably refer to a recent victory (definite past or present perfect use), although they might express what is typical (characteristic use).

[11:6]  ¹¹ tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the Lord rain down”), not indicative (“The Lord rains down”; see also Job 20:23). The psalmist appeals to God to destroy the wicked, rather than simply stating his confidence that God will do so. In this way the psalmist seeks to activate divine judgment by appealing to God’s just character. For an example of the power of such a curse, see Judg 9:7-57.

[11:6]  ¹² tc The MT reads “traps, fire, and brimstone,” but the image of God raining traps, or snares, down from the sky is bizarre and does not fit the fire and storm imagery of this verse. The noun פַּחִים (pakhim, “traps, snares”) should be emended to פַּחֲמֵי (pakhamey, “coals of [fire]”). The rare noun פֶּחָם (pekham, “coal”) occurs in Prov 26:21 and Isa 44:12; 54:16.

[11:6]  ¹³ sn The image of God “raining down” brimstone on the objects of his judgment also appears in Gen 19:24 and Ezek 38:22.

[11:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[may] a wind of rage [be] the portion of their cup.” The precise meaning of the rare noun זִלְעָפוֹת (zil’afot) is uncertain. It may mean “raging heat” (BDB 273 s.v. זַלְעָפָה) or simply “rage” (HALOT 272 s.v. זַלְעָפָה). If one understands the former sense, then one might translate “hot wind” (cf. NEB, NRSV). The present translation assumes the latter nuance, “a wind of rage” (the genitive is attributive) referring to a “whirlwind” symbolic of destructive judgment. In this mixed metaphor, judgment is also compared to an allotted portion of a beverage poured into one’s drinking cup (see Hab 2:15-16).

[18:25]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 25-29 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 25-27) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 28-29). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.

[18:25]  ¹⁶ tn Or “to a faithful follower.” A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[18:25]  ¹⁷ tn Or “innocent.”

[18:25]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a man of innocence.”

[25:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “all the paths of the Lord are faithful and trustworthy.” The Lord’s “paths” refer here to his characteristic actions.

[25:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to the ones who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”

[28:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”

[28:3]  ²² tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”

[28:3]  ²³ tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”

[39:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).

[39:10]  ²⁵ tn Heb “remove from upon me your wound.”

[39:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “from the hostility of your hand I have come to an end.”

[44:19]  ²⁷ tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”

[44:19]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל+מָוֶת [mavet + tsel]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.

[49:7]  ²⁹ tn Heb “a brother, he surely does not ransom, a man.” The sequence אִישׁ...אָח (’akh...’ish, “a brother…a man”) is problematic, for the usual combination is אָח...אָח (“a brother…a brother”) or אִישׁ...אִישׁ (“a man…a man”). When אִישׁ and אָח are combined, the usual order is אָח...אִישׁ (“a man…a brother”), with “brother” having a third masculine singular suffix, “his brother.” This suggests that “brother” is the object of the verb and “man” the subject. (1) Perhaps the altered word order and absence of the suffix can be explained by the text’s poetic character, for ellipsis is a feature of Hebrew poetic style. (2) Another option, supported by a few medieval Hebrew mss, is to emend “brother” to the similar sounding אַךְ (’akh, “surely; but”) which occurs in v. 15 before the verb פָּדָה (padah, “ransom”). If this reading is accepted the Qal imperfect יִפְדֶּה (yifddeh, “he can [not] ransom”) would need to be emended to a Niphal (passive) form, יִפָּדֶה (yifadeh, “he can[not] be ransomed”) unless one understands the subject of the Qal verb to be indefinite (“one cannot redeem a man”). (A Niphal imperfect can be collocated with a Qal infinitive absolute. See GKC 344-45 §113.w.) No matter how one decides the textual issues, the imperfect in this case is modal, indicating potential, and the infinitive absolute emphasizes the statement.

[49:7]  ³⁰ tn Heb “he cannot pay to God his ransom price.” Num 35:31 may supply the legal background for the metaphorical language used here. The psalmist pictures God as having a claim on the soul of the individual. When God comes to claim the life that ultimately belongs to him, he demands a ransom price that is beyond the capability of anyone to pay. The psalmist’s point is that God has ultimate authority over life and death; all the money in the world cannot buy anyone a single day of life beyond what God has decreed.

[54:5]  ³¹ tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.

[54:5]  ³² 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]  ³³ tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”

[58:10]  ³⁴ tn The singular is representative here, as is the singular from “wicked” in the next line.

[69:26]  ³⁵ tn Or “persecute”; Heb “chase.”

[69:26]  ³⁶ tn Heb “for you, the one whom you strike, they chase.”

[69:26]  ³⁷ tn Heb “they announce the pain of your wounded ones” (i.e., “the ones whom you wounded,” as the parallel line makes clear).

[69:26]  sn The psalmist is innocent of the false charges made by his enemies (v. 4), but he is also aware of his sinfulness (v. 5) and admits that he experiences divine discipline (v. 26) despite his devotion to God (v. 9). Here he laments that his enemies take advantage of such divine discipline by harassing and slandering him. They “kick him while he’s down,” as the expression goes.

[78:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “in order that they might know, a following generation, sons [who] will be born, they will arise and will tell to their sons.”

[79:8]  ³⁹ tn Heb “do not remember against us sins, former.” Some understand “former” as an attributive adjective modifying sins, “former [i.e., chronologically prior] sins” (see BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן). The present translation assumes that ראשׁנים (“former”) here refers to those who lived formerly, that is, the people’s ancestors (see Lam 5:7). The word is used in this way in Lev 26:45; Deut 19:14 and Eccl 1:11.

[79:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “may your compassion quickly confront us.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating a tone of prayer.

[79:8]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “for we are very low.”

[79:11]  ⁴² tn Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.”

[79:11]  ⁴³ tn Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form הוֹתֵר (hoter) is a Hiphil imperative from יָתַר (yatar, “to remain; to be left over”). Here it must mean “to leave over; to preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to הַתֵּר (hatter), a Hiphil imperative from נָתַר (natar, “be free”). The Hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharaoh freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.

[81:15]  ⁴⁴ tn “Those who hate the Lord” are also mentioned in 2 Chr 19:2 and Ps 139:21.

[81:15]  ⁴⁵ tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 66:3 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “to be weak; to be powerless” (see also Ps 109:24). The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, parallel to the jussive form in the next line.

[81:15]  ⁴⁶ tc Heb “and may their time be forever.” The Hebrew term עִתָּם (’ittam, “their time”) must refer here to the “time” of the demise and humiliation of those who hate the Lord. Some propose an emendation to בַּעֲתָתָם (ba’atatam) or בִּעֻתָם (bi’utam; “their terror”; i.e., “may their terror last forever”), but the omission of bet (ב) in the present Hebrew text is difficult to explain, making the proposed emendation unlikely.

[81:15]  tn The verb form at the beginning of the line is jussive, indicating that this is a prayer. The translation assumes that v. 15 is a parenthetical “curse” offered by the psalmist. Having heard the reference to Israel’s enemies (v. 14), the psalmist inserts this prayer, reminding the Lord that they are God’s enemies as well.

[86:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “my life.”

[88:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and am dying from youth.”

[88:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “I carry your horrors [?].” The meaning of the Hebrew form אָפוּנָה (’afunah), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. It may be an adverb meaning “very much” (BDB 67 s.v.), though some prefer to emend the text to אָפוּגָה (’afugah, “I am numb”) from the verb פוּג (pug; see Pss 38:8; 77:2).

[94:23]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ tn Or “in.”

[102:20]  ⁵² tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.

[103:20]  ⁵³ tn Heb “[you] mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”

[119:88]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “according to.”

[119:88]  ⁵⁵ tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:88]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “of your mouth.”

[119:128]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “for this reason all the precepts of everything I regard as right.” The phrase “precepts of everything” is odd. It is preferable to take the kaf (כ) on כֹּל (kol, “everything) with the preceding form as a pronominal suffix, “your precepts,” and the lamed (ל) with the following verb as an emphatic particle. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 138.

[119:128]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “every false path.”

[119:176]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “I stray like a lost sheep.” It is possible that the point of the metaphor is vulnerability: The psalmist, who is threatened by his enemies, feels as vulnerable as a straying, lost sheep. This would not suggest, however, that he has wandered from God’s path (see the second half of the verse, as well as v. 110).

[125:5]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.

[125:5]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the Lord will remove them” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[125:5]  ⁶² tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”

[125:5]  ⁶³ tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).

[140:11]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “a man of a tongue.”

[140:11]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “be established in.”

[140:11]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “for blows.” The Hebrew noun מַדְחֵפֹה (madkhefoh, “blow”) occurs only here in the OT.

[141:6]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.

[141:6]  ⁶⁸ tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.

[143:2]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”

[143:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”