Psalms 118:10-11

118:10 All the nations surrounded me. ¹ 

Indeed, in the name of the Lord ²  I pushed them away. ³ 

118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me.

Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

[118:10]  ¹ sn The reference to an attack by the nations suggests the psalmist may have been a military leader.

[118:10]  ² tn In this context the phrase “in the name of the Lord” means “by the Lord’s power.”

[118:10]  ³ tn Traditionally the verb has been derived from מוּל (mul, “to circumcise”) and translated “[I] cut [them] off” (see BDB 557-58 s.v. II מוּל). However, it is likely that this is a homonym meaning “to fend off” (see HALOT 556 s.v. II מול) or “to push away.” In this context, where the psalmist is reporting his past experience, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite. The phrase also occurs in vv. 11, 12.