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 

Mazmur 35:26

35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! ⁴ 

May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! ⁵ 

[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.

[35:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”

[35:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle אַל (’al) appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.