Mazmur 9:12
Konteks9:12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; 1
he did not overlook 2 their cry for help 3
Mazmur 11:6
Konteks11:6 May the Lord rain down 4 burning coals 5 and brimstone 6 on the wicked!
A whirlwind is what they deserve! 7
Mazmur 58:10-11
Konteks58:10 The godly 8 will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out;
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
58:11 Then 9 observers 10 will say,
“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded! 11
Yes indeed, there is a God who judges 12 in the earth!”
Mazmur 94:23
Konteks94:23 He will pay them back for their sin. 13
He will destroy them because of 14 their evil;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
[9:12] 1 tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:12] 2 tn Heb “did not forget.”
[9:12] 3 tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.
[11:6] 4 tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the
[11:6] 5 tc The MT reads “traps, fire, and brimstone,” but the image of God raining traps, or snares, down from the sky is bizarre and does not fit the fire and storm imagery of this verse. The noun פַּחִים (pakhim, “traps, snares”) should be emended to פַּחֲמֵי (pakhamey, “coals of [fire]”). The rare noun פֶּחָם (pekham, “coal”) occurs in Prov 26:21 and Isa 44:12; 54:16.
[11:6] 6 sn The image of God “raining down” brimstone on the objects of his judgment also appears in Gen 19:24 and Ezek 38:22.
[11:6] 7 tn Heb “[may] a wind of rage [be] the portion of their cup.” The precise meaning of the rare noun זִלְעָפוֹת (zil’afot) is uncertain. It may mean “raging heat” (BDB 273 s.v. זַלְעָפָה) or simply “rage” (HALOT 272 s.v. זַלְעָפָה). If one understands the former sense, then one might translate “hot wind” (cf. NEB, NRSV). The present translation assumes the latter nuance, “a wind of rage” (the genitive is attributive) referring to a “whirlwind” symbolic of destructive judgment. In this mixed metaphor, judgment is also compared to an allotted portion of a beverage poured into one’s drinking cup (see Hab 2:15-16).
[58:10] 8 tn The singular is representative here, as is the singular from “wicked” in the next line.
[58:11] 9 tn Following the imperfects of v. 10, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates a result or consequence of what precedes.
[58:11] 10 tn Heb “man.” The singular is representative here.
[58:11] 11 tn Heb “surely [there] is fruit for the godly.”
[58:11] 12 tn The plural participle is unusual here if the preceding אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a plural of majesty, referring to the one true God. Occasionally the plural of majesty does take a plural attributive (see GKC 428-29 §132.h). It is possible that the final mem (ם) on the participle is enclitic, and that it was later misunderstood as a plural ending. Another option is to translate, “Yes indeed, there are gods who judge in the earth.” In this case, the statement reflects the polytheistic mindset of pagan observers who, despite their theological ignorance, nevertheless recognize divine retribution when they see it.
[94:23] 13 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
