Mazmur 56:2-3

56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat ¹  attack me all day long.

Indeed, ²  many are fighting against me, O Exalted One. ³ 

56:3 When ⁴  I am afraid,

I trust in you.

Mazmur 56:6-7

56:6 They stalk ⁵  and lurk; ⁶ 

they watch my every step, ⁷ 

as ⁸  they prepare to take my life. ⁹ 

56:7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape! ¹⁰ 

In your anger ¹¹  bring down the nations, ¹²  O God!

[56:2]  ¹ tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.

[56:2]  ² tn Or “for.”

[56:2]  ³ tn Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The Lord is pictured as enthroned “on high” in Ps 92:8. (Note the substantival use of the term in Isa 24:4 and see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:34), who prefer to place the term at the beginning of the next verse.)

[56:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “[in] a day.”

[56:6]  ⁵ tn The verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 59:3.

[56:6]  ⁶ tn Or “hide.”

[56:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “my heels.”

[56:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “according to,” in the sense of “inasmuch as; since,” or “when; while.”

[56:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “they wait [for] my life.”

[56:7]  ¹⁰ tc Heb “because of wickedness, deliverance to them.” As it stands, the MT makes no sense. The negative particle אַיִן (’ayin, “there is not,” which is due to dittography of the immediately preceding אָוֶן, ’aven, “wickedness”), should probably be added before “deliverance” (see BHS, note a). The presence of an imperative in the next line (note “bring down”) suggests that this line should be translated as a prayer as well, “may there not be deliverance to them.”

[56:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in anger.” The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[56:7]  ¹² tn Or perhaps “people” in a general sense.