Mazmur 10:9

10:9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; ¹ 

he lies in ambush, waiting to catch ²  the oppressed;

he catches the oppressed ³  by pulling in his net. ⁴ 

Mazmur 17:12

17:12 He ⁵  is like a lion ⁶  that wants to tear its prey to bits, ⁷ 

like a young lion crouching ⁸  in hidden places.

[10:9]  ¹ tn Or “in its den.”

[10:9]  ² tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.

[10:9]  ³ tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.

[10:9]  ⁴ tn Or “when he [i.e., the wicked man] pulls in his net.”

[10:9]  sn The background of the imagery is hunting, where the hunter uses a net to entrap an unsuspecting bird or wild animal.

[17:12]  ⁵ tn Here the psalmist switches to the singular pronoun; he views his enemies collectively, or singles out a representative of the group, perhaps its leader.

[17:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “his likeness [is] like a lion.”

[17:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “[that] longs to tear.”

[17:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “sitting.”