Mazmur 7:9-15
Konteks7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked 1 come to an end! 2
But make the innocent 3 secure, 4
O righteous God,
you who examine 5 inner thoughts and motives! 6
7:10 The Exalted God is my shield, 7
the one who delivers the morally upright. 8
7:11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day. 9
7:12 If a person 10 does not repent, God sharpens his sword 11
and prepares to shoot his bow. 12
7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; 13
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 14
7:14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies – 15
and then falls into the hole he has made. 17
Mazmur 9:15-16
Konteks9:15 The nations fell 18 into the pit they had made;
their feet were caught in the net they had hidden. 19
9:16 The Lord revealed himself;
he accomplished justice;
the wicked were ensnared by their own actions. 20 (Higgaion. 21 Selah)
Mazmur 10:15
Konteks10:15 Break the arm 22 of the wicked and evil man!
Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, 23
which he thought you would not discover. 24
Mazmur 17:13
Konteks17:13 Rise up, Lord!
Confront him! 25 Knock him down! 26
Use your sword to rescue me from the wicked man! 27
Mazmur 21:8-10
Konteks21:8 You 28 prevail over 29 all your enemies;
your power is too great for those who hate you. 30
21:9 You burn them up like a fiery furnace 31 when you appear; 32
the Lord angrily devours them; 33
the fire consumes them.
21:10 You destroy their offspring 34 from the earth,
their descendants 35 from among the human race. 36
Mazmur 28:3-4
Konteks28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly, 37
who talk so friendly to their neighbors, 38
while they plan to harm them! 39
28:4 Pay them back for their evil deeds!
Pay them back for what they do!
Punish them! 40
Mazmur 31:18
Konteks31:18 May lying lips be silenced –
lips 41 that speak defiantly against the innocent 42
with arrogance and contempt!
Mazmur 35:1-8
KonteksBy David.
35:1 O Lord, fight 44 those who fight with me!
Attack those who attack me!
35:2 Grab your small shield and large shield, 45
and rise up to help me!
35:3 Use your spear and lance 46 against 47 those who chase me!
Assure me with these words: 48 “I am your deliverer!”
35:4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!
May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed! 49
35:5 May they be 50 like wind-driven chaff,
as the Lord’s angel 51 attacks them! 52
35:6 May their path be 53 dark and slippery,
as the Lord’s angel chases them!
35:7 I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me
and dug a pit to trap me. 54
35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! 55
Let the net they hid catch them!
Let them fall into destruction! 56
Mazmur 35:26
Konteks35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 57
May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! 58
Mazmur 55:15
Konteks55:15 May death destroy them! 59
May they go down alive into Sheol! 60
For evil is in their dwelling place and in their midst.
Mazmur 59:12-13
Konteks59:12 They speak sinful words. 61
So let them be trapped by their own pride
and by the curses and lies they speak!
59:13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish!
Let them know that God rules
in Jacob and to the ends of the earth! (Selah)
Mazmur 64:6-8
Konteks64:6 They devise 62 unjust schemes;
they disguise 63 a well-conceived plot. 64
Man’s inner thoughts cannot be discovered. 65
64:7 But God will shoot 66 at them;
suddenly they will be 67 wounded by an arrow. 68
64:8 Their slander will bring about their demise. 69
All who see them will shudder, 70
Mazmur 66:7
Konteks66:7 He rules 71 by his power forever;
he watches 72 the nations.
Stubborn rebels should not exalt 73 themselves. (Selah)
Mazmur 68:1-2
KonteksFor the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.
68:1 God springs into action! 75
His enemies scatter;
his adversaries 76 run from him. 77
68:2 As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away. 78
As wax melts before fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.
Mazmur 69:22-25
Konteks69:22 May their dining table become a trap before them!
May it be a snare for that group of friends! 79
69:23 May their eyes be blinded! 80
Make them shake violently! 81
69:24 Pour out your judgment 82 on them!
May your raging anger 83 overtake them!
69:25 May their camp become desolate,
their tents uninhabited! 84
Mazmur 71:13
Konteks71:13 May my accusers be humiliated and defeated!
May those who want to harm me 85 be covered with scorn and disgrace!
Mazmur 79:12
Konteks79:12 Pay back our neighbors in full! 86
May they be insulted the same way they insulted you, O Lord! 87
Mazmur 83:9-18
Konteks83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian 88 –
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River! 89
83:10 They were destroyed at Endor; 90
their corpses were like manure 91 on the ground.
83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, 92
and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna, 93
83:12 who said, 94 “Let’s take over 95 the pastures of God!”
83:13 O my God, make them like dead thistles, 96
like dead weeds blown away by 97 the wind!
83:14 Like the fire that burns down the forest,
or the flames that consume the mountainsides, 98
83:15 chase them with your gale winds,
and terrify 99 them with your windstorm.
83:16 Cover 100 their faces with shame,
so they might seek 101 you, 102 O Lord.
83:17 May they be humiliated and continually terrified! 103
May they die in shame! 104
83:18 Then they will know 105 that you alone are the Lord, 106
the sovereign king 107 over all the earth.
Mazmur 109:6-20
Konteks109:6 108 Appoint an evil man to testify against him! 109
May an accuser stand 110 at his right side!
109:7 When he is judged, he will be found 111 guilty! 112
Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.
109:8 May his days be few! 113
May another take his job! 114
109:9 May his children 115 be fatherless,
and his wife a widow!
109:10 May his children 116 roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home! 117
109:11 May the creditor seize 118 all he owns!
May strangers loot his property! 119
109:12 May no one show him kindness! 120
May no one have compassion 121 on his fatherless children!
109:13 May his descendants 122 be cut off! 123
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives! 124
109:14 May his ancestors’ 125 sins be remembered by the Lord!
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten! 126
109:15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them, 127
and cut off the memory of his children 128 from the earth!
109:16 For he never bothered to show kindness; 129
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened. 130
109:17 He loved to curse 131 others, so those curses have come upon him. 132
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings. 133
109:18 He made cursing a way of life, 134
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil. 135
109:19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, 136
or a belt 137 one wears continually!
109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, 138
those who say evil things about 139 me! 140
Mazmur 137:7-9
Konteks137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell. 141
They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, 142
right to its very foundation!”
137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! 143
How blessed will be the one who repays you
for what you dished out to us! 144
137:9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies
and smashes them on a rock! 145
Mazmur 140:9-10
Konteks140:9 As for the heads of those who surround me –
may the harm done by 146 their lips overwhelm them!
140:10 May he rain down 147 fiery coals upon them!
May he throw them into the fire!
From bottomless pits they will not escape. 148
Mazmur 144:6-7
Konteks144:6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter them!
Shoot your arrows and rout them! 149
144:7 Reach down 150 from above!
Grab me and rescue me from the surging water, 151
from the power of foreigners, 152
Ulangan 2:30
Konteks2:30 But King Sihon of Heshbon was unwilling to allow us to pass near him because the Lord our 153 God had made him obstinate 154 and stubborn 155 so that he might deliver him over to you 156 this very day.
Ulangan 2:1
Konteks2:1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Sea 157 just as the Lord told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time.
1 Samuel 25:29
Konteks25:29 When someone sets out to chase you and to take your life, the life of my lord will be wrapped securely in the bag 158 of the living by the Lord your God. But he will sling away the lives of your enemies from the sling’s pocket!
1 Samuel 25:39
Konteks25:39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Praised be the Lord who has vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal! 159 The Lord has kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.” 160 Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife.
1 Samuel 25:2
Konteks25:2 There was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. This man was very wealthy; 161 he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At that time he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
1 Samuel 15:31
Konteks15:31 So Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
1 Samuel 17:14
Konteks17:14 Now David was the youngest. While the three oldest sons followed Saul,
1 Samuel 17:23
Konteks17:23 As he was speaking with them, the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Philistines. He spoke the way he usually did, 162 and David heard it.
1 Samuel 17:2
Konteks17:2 Saul and the Israelite army 163 assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they arranged their battle lines to fight against 164 the Philistines.
1 Samuel 25:16
Konteks25:16 Both night and day they were a protective wall for us the entire time we were with them, while we were tending our flocks.
Ester 7:10
Konteks7:10 So they hanged Haman on the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. The king’s rage then abated.
Ayub 5:12-14
Konteks5:12 He frustrates 165 the plans 166 of the crafty 167
so that 168 their hands cannot accomplish
what they had planned! 169
5:13 He catches 170 the wise in their own craftiness, 171
and the counsel of the cunning 172 is brought to a quick end. 173
5:14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, 174
and grope about 175 in the noontime as if it were night. 176
Ayub 5:1
Konteks5:1 “Call now! 177 Is there anyone who will answer you? 178
To which of the holy ones 179 will you turn? 180
Kolose 3:19
Konteks3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.
[7:9] 1 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.
[7:9] 2 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.
[7:9] 3 tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.
[7:9] 4 tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.
[7:9] 5 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.
[7:9] 6 tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[7:10] 7 tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God” (cf. NASB). As in v. 8, עַל (’al) should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God” (cf. NIV, “God Most High”). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.
[7:10] 8 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
[7:11] 9 tn Heb “God (the divine name אֵל [’el] is used) is angry during all the day.” The verb זֹעֵם (zo’em) means “be indignant, be angry, curse.” Here God’s angry response to wrongdoing and injustice leads him to prepare to execute judgment as described in the following verses.
[7:12] 10 tn Heb “If he”; the referent (a person who is a sinner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).
[7:12] 11 tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The referent (God) of the pronominal subject of the second verb (“sharpens”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:12] 12 tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.” “Treading the bow” involved stepping on one end of it in order to string it and thus prepare it for battle.
[7:13] 13 tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”
[7:13] 14 tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”
[7:14] 15 tn Heb “and he conceives harm and gives birth to a lie.”
[7:14] sn Pregnant with wickedness…gives birth to harmful lies. The psalmist metaphorically pictures the typical sinner as a pregnant woman, who is ready to give birth to wicked, destructive schemes and actions.
[7:15] 16 tn Heb “a pit he digs and he excavates it.” Apparently the imagery of hunting is employed; the wicked sinner digs this pit to entrap and destroy his intended victim. The redundancy in the Hebrew text has been simplified in the translation.
[7:15] 17 tn The verb forms in vv. 15-16 describe the typical behavior and destiny of those who attempt to destroy others. The image of the evildoer falling into the very trap he set for his intended victim emphasizes the appropriate nature of God’s judgment.
[9:15] 19 sn The hostility of the nations against God’s people is their downfall, for it prompts God to intervene and destroy them. See also Ps 7:15-16.
[9:16] 20 tn Heb “by the work of his hands [the] wicked [one] was ensnared. The singular form רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) is collective or representative here (see vv. 15, 17). The form נוֹקֵשׁ (noqesh) appears to be an otherwise unattested Qal form (active participle) from נָקַשׁ (naqash), but the form should be emended to נוֹקַשׁ (noqash), a Niphal perfect from יָקַשׁ (yaqash).
[9:16] 21 tn This is probably a technical musical term.
[10:15] 22 sn The arm symbolizes the strength of the wicked, which they use to oppress and exploit the weak.
[10:15] 23 tn Heb “you seek his wickedness.” As in v. 13, the verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as describing a fact, “you hold him accountable,” or as anticipating divine judgment, “you will hold him accountable.” However, since the verb is in apparent parallelism with the preceding imperative (“break”), it is better to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s desire or request.
[10:15] 24 tn Heb “you will not find.” It is uncertain how this statement relates to what precedes. Some take בַל (bal), which is used as a negative particle in vv. 4, 6, 11, 18, as asseverative here, “Indeed find (i.e., judge his wickedness).” The translation assumes that the final words are an asyndetic relative clause which refers back to what the wicked man boasted in God’s face (“you will not find [i.e., my wickedness]”). See v. 13.
[17:13] 25 tn Heb “Be in front of his face.”
[17:13] 26 tn Or “bring him to his knees.”
[17:13] 27 tn Heb “rescue my life from the wicked [one] [by] your sword.”
[21:8] 28 tn The king is now addressed. One could argue that the
[21:8] 29 tn Heb “your hand finds.” The idiom pictures the king grabbing hold of his enemies and defeating them (see 1 Sam 23:17). The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 8-12 may be translated with the future tense, as long as the future is understood as generalizing.
[21:8] 30 tn Heb “your right hand finds those who hate you.”
[21:9] 31 tn Heb “you make them like a furnace of fire.” Although many modern translations retain the literal Hebrew, the statement is elliptical. The point is not that he makes them like a furnace, but like an object burned in a furnace (cf. NEB, “at your coming you shall plunge them into a fiery furnace”).
[21:9] 32 tn Heb “at the time of your face.” The “face” of the king here refers to his angry presence. See Lam 4:16.
[21:9] 33 tn Heb “the
[21:10] 34 tn Heb “fruit.” The next line makes it clear that offspring is in view.
[21:10] 36 tn Heb “sons of man.”
[28:3] 37 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
[28:3] 38 tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”
[28:3] 39 tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”
[28:4] 40 tn Heb “Give to them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds. According to the work of their hands give to them. Return their due to them.” The highly repetitive style reflects the psalmist’s agitated emotional state and draws attention to his yearning for justice.
[31:18] 41 tn Heb “the [ones which].”
[35:1] 43 sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.
[35:2] 45 tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.
[35:3] 46 tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:210-11.
[35:3] 47 tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
[35:3] 48 tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
[35:4] 49 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.
[35:5] 50 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
[35:5] 51 sn See the mention of the
[35:5] 52 tn Heb “as the
[35:6] 53 tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
[35:7] 54 tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).
[35:8] 55 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] 56 tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
[35:26] 57 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”
[35:26] 58 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.
[55:15] 59 tc The meaning of the MT is unclear. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads יַשִּׁימָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashimavet ’alemo, “May devastation [be] upon them!”). The proposed noun יַשִּׁימָוֶת occurs only here and perhaps in the place name Beth-Jeshimoth in Num 33:49. The Qere (marginal text) has יַשִּׁי מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashi mavet ’alemo). The verbal form יַשִּׁי is apparently an alternate form of יַשִּׁיא (yashi’), a Hiphil imperfect from נָשַׁא (nasha’, “deceive”). In this case one might read “death will come deceptively upon them.” This reading has the advantage of reading מָוֶת (mavet, “death”) which forms a natural parallel with “Sheol” in the next line. The present translation is based on the following reconstruction of the text: יְשִׁמֵּם מָוֶת (yeshimmem mavet). The verb assumed in the reconstruction is a Hiphil jussive third masculine singular from שָׁמַם (shamam, “be desolate”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix attached. This reconstruction assumes that (1) haplography has occurred in the traditional text (the original sequence of three mems [מ] was lost with only one mem remaining), resulting in the fusion of originally distinct forms in the Kethib, and (2) that עָלֵימוֹ (’alemo, “upon them”) is a later scribal addition attempting to make sense of a garbled and corrupt text. The preposition עַל (’al) does occur with the verb שָׁמַם (shamam), but in such cases the expression means “be appalled at/because of” (see Jer 49:20; 50:45). If one were to retain the prepositional phrase here, one would have to read the text as follows: יַשִּׁים מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashim mavet ’alemo, “Death will be appalled at them”). The idea seems odd, to say the least. Death is not collocated with this verb elsewhere.
[55:15] 60 sn Go down alive. This curse imagines a swift and sudden death for the psalmist’s enemies.
[59:12] 61 tn Heb “the sin of their mouth [is] the word of their lips.”
[64:6] 62 tn Heb “search out, examine,” which here means (by metonymy) “devise.”
[64:6] 63 tc The MT has תַּמְנוּ (tamnu, “we are finished”), a Qal perfect first common plural form from the verbal root תָּמַם (tamam). Some understand this as the beginning of a quotation of the enemies’ words and translate, “we have completed,” but the Hiphil would seem to be required in this case. The present translation follows many medieval Hebrew
[64:6] 64 tn Heb “a searched-out search,” which is understood as referring here to a thoroughly planned plot to destroy the psalmist.
[64:6] 65 tn Heb “and the inner part of man, and a heart [is] deep.” The point seems to be that a man’s inner thoughts are incapable of being discovered. No one is a mind reader! Consequently the psalmist is vulnerable to his enemies’ well-disguised plots.
[64:7] 66 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive is normally used in narrative contexts to describe completed past actions. It is possible that the conclusion to the psalm (vv. 7-10) was added to the lament after God’s judgment of the wicked in response to the psalmist’s lament (vv. 1-6). The translation assumes that these verses are anticipatory and express the psalmist’s confidence that God would eventually judge the wicked. The psalmist uses a narrative style as a rhetorical device to emphasize his certitude. See GKC 329-30 §111.w.
[64:7] 67 tn The perfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s certitude about the coming demise of the wicked.
[64:7] 68 tn The translation follows the traditional accentuation of the MT. Another option is to translate, “But God will shoot them down with an arrow, suddenly they will be wounded” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[64:8] 69 tc The MT reads literally, “and they caused him to stumble, upon them, their tongue.” Perhaps the third plural subject of the verb is indefinite with the third singular pronominal suffix on the verb being distributive (see Ps 63:10). In this case one may translate, “each one will be made to stumble.” The preposition עַל (’al) might then be taken as adversative, “against them [is] their tongue.” Many prefer to emend the text to וַיַּכְשִׁילֵמוֹ עֲלֵי לְשׁוֹנָם (vayyakhshilemo ’aley lÿshonam, “and he caused them to stumble over their tongue”). However, if this reading is original, it is difficult to see how the present reading of the MT arose. Furthermore, the preposition is not collocated with the verb כָּשַׁל (kashal) elsewhere. It is likely that the MT is corrupt, but a satisfying emendation has not yet been proposed.
[64:8] 70 tn The Hitpolel verbal form is probably from the root נוּד (nud; see HALOT 678 s.v. נוד), which is attested elsewhere in the Hitpolel stem, not the root נָדַד (nadad, as proposed by BDB 622 s.v. I נָדַד), which does not occur elsewhere in this stem.
[66:7] 71 tn Heb “[the] one who rules.”
[66:7] 72 tn Heb “his eyes watch.” “Eyes” are an anthropomorphism, attributed to God here to emphasize his awareness of all that happens on earth.
[66:7] 73 tn The verb form is jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al). The Kethib (consonantal text) has a Hiphil form of the verb, apparently to be understood in an exhibitive sense (“demonstrate stubborn rebellion”; see BDB 927 s.v. רוּם Hiph), while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Qal form, to be understood in an intransitive sense. The preposition -לְ (lamed) with pronominal suffix should be understood in a reflexive sense (“for themselves”) and indicates that the action is performed with the interest of the subject in mind.
[68:1] 74 sn Psalm 68. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.
[68:1] 75 tn Or “rises up.” The verb form is an imperfect, not a jussive. The psalmist is describing God’s appearance in battle in a dramatic fashion.
[68:1] 76 tn Heb “those who hate him.”
[68:1] 77 sn The wording of v. 1 echoes the prayer in Num 10:35: “Spring into action,
[68:2] 78 tn Heb “as smoke is scattered, you scatter [them].”
[69:22] 79 tc Heb “and to the friends for a snare.” The plural of שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is used in Ps 55:20 of one’s “friends.” If the reading of the MT is retained here, the term depicts the psalmist’s enemies as a close-knit group of friends who are bound together by their hatred for the psalmist. Some prefer to revocalize the text as וּלְשִׁלּוּמִים (ulÿshillumim, “and for retribution”). In this case the noun stands parallel to פַּח (pakh, “trap”) and מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), and one might translate, “may their dining table become a trap before them, [a means of] retribution and a snare” (cf. NIV).
[69:23] 80 tn Heb “may their eyes be darkened from seeing.”
[69:23] 81 tn Heb “make their hips shake continually.”
[69:24] 82 tn Heb “anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger.
[69:24] 83 tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81.
[69:25] 84 tn Heb “in their tents may there not be one who dwells.”
[69:25] sn In Acts 1:20 Peter applies the language of this verse to Judas’ experience. By changing the pronouns from plural to singular, he is able to apply the ancient curse, pronounced against the psalmist’s enemies, to Judas in particular.
[71:13] 85 tn Heb “those who seek my harm.”
[79:12] 86 tn Heb “Return to our neighbors sevenfold into their lap.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of the Hebrew phrase שִׁבְעָתַיִם (shiv’atayim, “seven times”) see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 12:6; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
[79:12] 87 tn Heb “their reproach with which they reproached you, O Lord.”
[83:9] 88 tn Heb “do to them like Midian.”
[83:9] 89 sn The psalmist alludes here to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (see Judg 7-8) and to Barak’s victory over Jabin’s army, which was led by his general Sisera (Judg 4-5).
[83:10] 90 sn Endor is not mentioned in the accounts of Gideon’s or Barak’s victories, but both battles took place in the general vicinity of the town. (See Y. Aharoni and M. Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, 46, 54.) Because Sisera and Jabin are mentioned in v. 9b, many understand them to be the subject of the verbs in v. 10, though they relate v. 10 to Gideon’s victory, which is referred to in v. 9a, 11. (See, for example, Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 263.)
[83:10] 91 tn Heb “they were manure.” In addition to this passage, corpses are compared to manure in 2 Kgs 9:37; Jer 8:2; 9:21; 16:4; 25:33.
[83:11] 92 sn Oreb and Zeeb were the generals of the Midianite army that was defeated by Gideon. The Ephraimites captured and executed both of them and sent their heads to Gideon (Judg 7:24-25).
[83:11] 93 sn Zebah and Zalmunna were the Midianite kings. Gideon captured them and executed them (Judg 8:1-21).
[83:12] 94 tn The translation assumes that “Zebah and Zalmunna” are the antecedents of the relative pronoun (“who [said]”). Another option is to take “their nobles…all their rulers” as the antecedent and to translate, “those who say.”
[83:12] 95 tn Heb “let’s take possession for ourselves.”
[83:13] 96 tn Or “tumbleweed.” The Hebrew noun גַּלְגַּל (galgal) refers to a “wheel” or, metaphorically, to a whirling wind (see Ps 77:18). If taken in the latter sense here, one could understand the term as a metonymical reference to dust blown by a whirlwind (cf. NRSV “like whirling dust”). However, HALOT 190 s.v. II גַּלְגַּל understands the noun as a homonym referring to a “dead thistle” here and in Isa 17:13. The parallel line, which refers to קַשׁ (qash, “chaff”), favors this interpretation.
[83:14] 98 sn The imagery of fire and flames suggests unrelenting, destructive judgment.
[83:15] 99 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 15 express the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
[83:16] 101 tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose or result (“then they will seek”).
[83:16] 102 tn Heb “your name,” which stands here for God’s person.
[83:17] 103 tn Heb “and may they be terrified to perpetuity.” The Hebrew expression עֲדֵי־עַד (’adey-’ad, “to perpetuity”) can mean “forevermore” (see Pss 92:7; 132:12, 14), but here it may be used hyperbolically, for the psalmist asks that the experience of judgment might lead the nations to recognize (v. 18) and even to seek (v. 16) God.
[83:17] 104 tn Heb “may they be ashamed and perish.” The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling severe judgment down on his enemies. The strong language of the imprecation seems to run contrary to the positive outcome of divine judgment envisioned in v. 16b. Perhaps the language of v. 17 is overstated for effect. Another option is that v. 16b expresses an ideal, while the strong imprecation of vv. 17-18 anticipates reality. It would be nice if the defeated nations actually pursued a relationship with God, but if judgment does not bring them to that point, the psalmist asks that they be annihilated so that they might at least be forced to acknowledge God’s power.
[83:18] 105 tn After the preceding jussives (v. 17), the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose (“so that they may know”) or result.
[83:18] 106 tn Heb “that you, your name [is] the
[83:18] 107 tn Traditionally “the Most High.”
[109:6] 108 sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse on him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the
[109:6] 109 tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”
[109:6] 110 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).
[109:7] 111 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as a jussive, but the use of the imperfect form in the following line suggests that v. 7 anticipates the outcome of the accusation envisioned in v. 6.
[109:7] 112 tn Heb “he will go out [as] a criminal” (that is, guilty).
[109:8] 113 tn The prefixed verbal forms (except those with vav [ו] consecutive) in vv. 8-20 are taken as jussives of prayer. Note the distinct jussive forms used in vv. 12-13, 15, 19.
[109:8] 114 tn The Hebrew noun פְּקֻדָּה (pÿquddah) can mean “charge” or “office,” though BDB 824 s.v. suggests that here it refers to his possessions.
[109:10] 117 tn Heb “and roaming, may his children roam and beg, and seek from their ruins.” Some, following the LXX, emend the term וְדָרְשׁוּ (vÿdoreshu, “and seek”) to יְגֹרְשׁוּ (yÿgoreshu; a Pual jussive, “may they be driven away” [see Job 30:5; cf. NIV, NRSV]), but דָּרַשׁ (darash) nicely parallels שִׁאֵלוּ (shi’elu, “and beg”) in the preceding line.
[109:11] 118 tn Heb “lay snares for” (see Ps 38:12).
[109:11] 119 tn Heb “the product of his labor.”
[109:12] 120 tn Heb “may there not be for him one who extends loyal love.”
[109:12] 121 tn Perhaps this refers to being generous (see Ps 37:21).
[109:13] 122 tn Or “offspring.”
[109:13] 123 sn On the expression cut off see Ps 37:28.
[109:13] 124 tn Heb “in another generation may their name be wiped out.”
[109:14] 125 tn Or “fathers’ sins.”
[109:14] 126 tn Heb “not be wiped out.”
[109:14] sn According to ancient Israelite theology and its doctrine of corporate solidarity and responsibility, children could be and often were punished for the sins of their parents. For a discussion of this issue see J. Kaminsky, Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible (JSOTSup). (Kaminsky, however, does not deal with Ps 109.)
[109:15] 127 tn Heb “may they [that is, the sins mentioned in v. 14] be before the
[109:15] 128 tn Heb “their memory.” The plural pronominal suffix probably refers back to the children mentioned in v. 13, and for clarity this has been specified in the translation.
[109:16] 129 tn Heb “he did not remember to do loyal love.”
[109:16] 130 tn Heb “and he chased an oppressed and needy man, and one timid of heart to put [him] to death.”
[109:17] 131 sn A curse in OT times consists of a formal appeal to God to bring judgment down upon another. Curses were sometimes justified (such as the one spoken by the psalmist here in vv. 6-19), but when they were not, the one pronouncing the curse was in danger of bringing the anticipated judgment down upon himself.
[109:17] 132 tn Heb “and he loved a curse and it came [upon] him.” A reference to the evil man experiencing a curse seems premature here, for the psalmist is asking God to bring judgment on his enemies. For this reason some (cf. NIV, NRSV) prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” as conjunctive and translate the verb as a jussive of prayer (“may it come upon him!”). The prefixed form with vav consecutive in the next line is emended in the same way and translated, “may it be far from him.” However, the psalmist may be indicating that the evil man’s lifestyle has already begun to yield its destructive fruit.
[109:17] 133 tn Heb “and he did not delight in a blessing and it is far from him.”
[109:18] 134 tn Heb “he put on a curse as [if it were] his garment.”
[109:18] 135 tn Heb “and it came like water into his inner being, and like oil into his bones.” This may refer to this individual’s appetite for cursing. For him cursing was as refreshing as drinking water or massaging oneself with oil. Another option is that the destructive effects of a curse are in view. In this case a destructive curse invades his very being, like water or oil. Some who interpret the verse this way prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” to a conjunctive vav and interpret the prefixed verb as a jussive, “may it come!”
[109:19] 136 tn Heb “may it be for him like a garment one puts on.”
[109:19] 137 tn The Hebrew noun מֵזַח (mezakh, “belt; waistband”) occurs only here in the OT. The form apparently occurs in Isa 23:10 as well, but an emendation is necessary there.
[109:20] 138 tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the
[109:20] 140 tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[137:7] 141 tn Heb “remember, O
[137:7] 142 tn Heb “lay [it] bare, lay [it] bare.”
[137:8] 143 tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.
[137:8] 144 tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”
[137:9] 145 sn For other references to the wholesale slaughter of babies in the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare, see 2 Kgs 8:12; Isa 13:16; Hos 13:16; Nah 3:10.
[140:9] 146 tn Heb “harm of their lips.” The genitive here indicates the source or agent of the harm.
[140:10] 147 tn The verb form in the Kethib (consonantal Hebrew text) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוּט (mut, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in Ps 55:3, where it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). In Ps 140:10 the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read.
[140:10] 148 tn Heb “into bottomless pits, they will not arise.” The translation assumes that the preposition -בְּ (bet) has the nuance “from” here. Another option is to connect the line with what precedes, take the final clause as an asyndetic relative clause, and translate, “into bottomless pits [from which] they cannot arise.” The Hebrew noun מַהֲמֹרָה (mahamorah, “bottomless pit”) occurs only here in the OT.
[144:6] 149 sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 18:14; 77:17-18; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).
[144:7] 150 tn Heb “stretch out your hands.”
[144:7] 151 tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful foreign enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see the next line and Ps 18:16-17).
[144:7] 152 tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
[2:30] 153 tc The translation follows the LXX in reading the first person pronoun. The MT, followed by many English versions, has a second person masculine singular pronoun, “your.”
[2:30] 154 tn Heb “hardened his spirit” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “made his spirit stubborn.”
[2:30] 155 tn Heb “made his heart obstinate” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “made his heart defiant.”
[2:30] 156 tn Heb “into your hand.”
[2:1] 157 tn Heb “Reed Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Deut 1:40.
[25:29] 158 tn Cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “bundle”; NLT “treasure pouch.”
[25:39] 159 tn Heb “who has argued the case of my insult from the hand of Nabal.”
[25:39] 160 tn Heb “his servant he has held back from evil, and the evil of Nabal the
[17:23] 162 tn Heb “according to these words.”
[17:2] 163 tn Heb “the men of Israel” (so KJV, NASB); NAB, NIV, NRSV “the Israelites.”
[5:12] 165 tn The Hiphil form מֵפֵר (mefer) is the participle from פָּרַר (parar, “to annul; to frustrate; to break”). It continues the doxological descriptions of God; but because of the numerous verses in this section, it may be clearer to start a new sentence with this form (rather than translating it “who…”).
[5:12] 166 tn The word is related to the verb “to think; to plan; to devise,” and so can mean “thoughts; plans; imagination.” Here it refers to the plan of the crafty that must be frustrated (see also Isa 44:25 for the contrast).
[5:12] 167 tn The word עֲרוּמִים (’arumim) means “crafty” or “shrewd.” It describes the shrewdness of some to achieve their ends (see Gen 3:1, where the serpent is more cunning than all the creatures, that is, he knows where the dangers are and will attempt to bring down the innocent). In the next verse it describes the clever plans of the wise – those who are wise in their own sight.
[5:12] 168 tn The consecutive clause showing result or purpose is simply introduced with the vav and the imperfect/jussive (see GKC 504-5 §166.a).
[5:12] 169 tn The word תּוּשִׁיָּה (tushiyyah) is a technical word from wisdom literature. It has either the idea of the faculty of foresight, or of prudence in general (see 12:6; 26:3). It can be parallel in the texts to “wisdom,” “counsel,” “help,” or “strength.” Here it refers to what has been planned ahead of time.
[5:13] 170 tn The participles continue the description of God. Here he captures or ensnares the wise in their wickedly clever plans. See also Ps 7:16, where the wicked are caught in the pit they have dug – they are only wise in their own eyes.
[5:13] 171 sn This is the only quotation from the Book of Job in the NT (although Rom 11:35 seems to reflect 41:11, and Phil 1:19 is similar to 13:6). Paul cites it in 1 Cor 3:19.
[5:13] 172 tn The etymology of נִפְתָּלִים (niftalim) suggests a meaning of “twisted” (see Prov 8:8) in the sense of tortuous. See Gen 30:8; Ps 18:26 [27].
[5:13] 173 tn The Niphal of מָהַר (mahar) means “to be hasty; to be irresponsible.” The meaning in the line may be understood in this sense: The counsel of the wily is hastened, that is, precipitated before it is ripe, i.e., frustrated (A. B. Davidson, Job, 39).
[5:14] 174 sn God so confuses the crafty that they are unable to fulfill their plans – it is as if they encounter darkness in broad daylight. This is like the Syrians in 2 Kgs 6:18-23.
[5:14] 175 tn The verb מָשַׁשׁ (mashash) expresses the idea of groping about in the darkness. This is part of the fulfillment of Deut 28:29, which says, “and you shall grope at noonday as the blind grope in darkness.” This image is also in Isa 59:10.
[5:14] 176 sn The verse provides a picture of the frustration and bewilderment in the crafty who cannot accomplish their ends because God thwarts them.
[5:1] 177 tn Some commentators transpose this verse with the following paragraph, placing it after v. 7 (see E. Dhorme, Job, 62). But the reasons for this are based on the perceived development of the argument and are not that compelling.
[5:1] sn The imperative is here a challenge for Job. If he makes his appeal against God, who is there who will listen? The rhetorical questions are intended to indicate that no one will respond, not even the angels. Job would do better to realize that he is guilty and his only hope is in God.
[5:1] 178 tn The participle with the suffix could be given a more immediate translation to accompany the imperative: “Call now! Is anyone listening to you?”
[5:1] 179 tn The LXX has rendered “holy ones” as “holy angels” (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT). The LXX has interpreted the verb in the colon too freely: “if you will see.”
[5:1] 180 sn The point being made is that the angels do not represent the cries of people to God as if mediating for them. But if Job appealed to any of them to take his case against God, there would be no response whatsoever for that.
