Mazmur 125:3

125:3 Indeed, ¹  the scepter of a wicked king ²  will not settle ³ 

upon the allotted land of the godly.

Otherwise the godly might

do what is wrong. ⁴ 

Mazmur 143:3

143:3 Certainly ⁵  my enemies ⁶  chase me.

They smash me into the ground. ⁷ 

They force me to live ⁸  in dark regions, ⁹ 

like those who have been dead for ages.

[125:3]  ¹ tn Or “for.”

[125:3]  ² tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.

[125:3]  ³ tn Or “rest.”

[125:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.

[143:3]  ⁵ tn Or “for.”

[143:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).

[143:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”

[143:3]  ⁸ tn Or “sit.”

[143:3]  ⁹ sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).