Mazmur 139:21-22

139:21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,

and despise those who oppose you? ¹ 

139:22 I absolutely hate them, ² 

they have become my enemies!

Mazmur 129:5

129:5 May all who hate Zion

be humiliated and turned back!

Mazmur 25:19

25:19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me;

they hate me and want to harm me. ³ 

Mazmur 120:6

120:6 For too long I have had to reside

with those who hate ⁴  peace.

Mazmur 21:8

21:8 You ⁵  prevail over ⁶  all your enemies;

your power is too great for those who hate you. ⁷ 

Mazmur 109:3

109:3 They surround me and say hateful things; ⁸ 

they attack me for no reason.

Mazmur 109:5

109:5 They repay me evil for good, ⁹ 

and hate for love.

Mazmur 18:40

18:40 You make my enemies retreat; ¹⁰ 

I destroy those who hate me. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 26:5

26:5 I hate the mob ¹²  of evil men,

and do not associate ¹³  with the wicked.

Mazmur 89:23

89:23 I will crush his enemies before him;

I will strike down those who hate him.

Mazmur 119:163

119:163 I hate and despise deceit;

I love your law.

Mazmur 31:6

31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, ¹⁴ 

but I trust in the Lord.

Mazmur 41:7

41:7 All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another; ¹⁵ 

they plan ways to harm me.

Mazmur 106:41

106:41 He handed them over to ¹⁶  the nations,

and those who hated them ruled over them.

Mazmur 118:7

118:7 The Lord is on my side ¹⁷  as my helper. ¹⁸ 

I look in triumph on those who hate me.

Mazmur 119:113

ס (Samek)

119:113 I hate people with divided loyalties, ¹⁹ 

but I love your law.

Mazmur 5:5

5:5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; ²⁰ 

you hate ²¹  all who behave wickedly. ²² 

Mazmur 11:5

11:5 The Lord approves of ²³  the godly, ²⁴ 

but he ²⁵  hates ²⁶  the wicked and those who love to do violence. ²⁷ 

Mazmur 81:15

81:15 (May those who hate the Lord ²⁸  cower in fear ²⁹  before him!

May they be permanently humiliated!) ³⁰ 

Mazmur 83:2

83:2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion;

those who hate you are hostile. ³¹ 

Mazmur 105:25

105:25 He caused them ³²  to hate his people,

and to mistreat ³³  his servants.

Mazmur 119:104

119:104 Your precepts give me discernment.

Therefore I hate all deceitful actions. ³⁴ 

Mazmur 119:128

119:128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. ³⁵ 

I hate all deceitful actions. ³⁶ 

Mazmur 86:17

86:17 Show me evidence of your favor! ³⁷ 

Then those who hate me will see it and be ashamed, ³⁸ 

for you, O Lord, will help me and comfort me. ³⁹ 

Mazmur 106:10

106:10 He delivered them from the power ⁴⁰  of the one who hated them,

and rescued ⁴¹  them from the power ⁴²  of the enemy.

Mazmur 38:19

38:19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous; ⁴³ 

those who hate me without cause outnumber me. ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 101:3

101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. ⁴⁵ 

I hate doing evil; ⁴⁶ 

I will have no part of it. ⁴⁷ 

Mazmur 36:2

36:2 for he is too proud

to recognize and give up his sin. ⁴⁸ 

Mazmur 18:17

18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, ⁴⁹ 

from those who hate me,

for they were too strong for me.

Mazmur 34:21

34:21 Evil people self-destruct; ⁵⁰ 

those who hate the godly are punished. ⁵¹ 

Mazmur 44:7

44:7 For you deliver ⁵²  us from our enemies;

you humiliate ⁵³  those who hate us.

Mazmur 97:10

97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!

He protects ⁵⁴  the lives of his faithful followers;

he delivers them from the power ⁵⁵  of the wicked.

Mazmur 44:10

44:10 You made us retreat ⁵⁶  from the enemy.

Those who hate us take whatever they want from us. ⁵⁷ 

Mazmur 45:7

45:7 You love ⁵⁸  justice and hate evil. ⁵⁹ 

For this reason God, your God ⁶⁰  has anointed you ⁶¹ 

with the oil of joy, ⁶²  elevating you above your companions. ⁶³ 

Mazmur 69:14

69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink!

Deliver me ⁶⁴  from those who hate me,

from the deep water!

Mazmur 35:19

35:19 Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason ⁶⁵  gloat ⁶⁶  over me!

Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes! ⁶⁷ 

Mazmur 68:1

Psalm 68 ⁶⁸ 

For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.

68:1 God springs into action! ⁶⁹ 

His enemies scatter;

his adversaries ⁷⁰  run from him. ⁷¹ 

Mazmur 55:12

55:12 Indeed, ⁷²  it is not an enemy who insults me,

or else I could bear it;

it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me, ⁷³ 

or else I could hide from him.

Mazmur 69:4

69:4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.

Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, ⁷⁴  outnumber me. ⁷⁵ 

They make me repay what I did not steal! ⁷⁶ 

Mazmur 50:17

50:17 For you hate instruction

and reject my words. ⁷⁷ 

Mazmur 9:13

9:13 when they prayed: ⁷⁸ 

“Have mercy on me, ⁷⁹  Lord!

See how I am oppressed by those who hate me, ⁸⁰ 

O one who can snatch me away ⁸¹  from the gates of death!

Mazmur 5:6

5:6 You destroy ⁸²  liars; ⁸³ 

the Lord despises ⁸⁴  violent and deceitful people. ⁸⁵ 

Mazmur 88:8

88:8 You cause those who know me to keep their distance;

you make me an appalling sight to them.

I am trapped and cannot get free. ⁸⁶ 

Mazmur 119:158

119:158 I take note of the treacherous and despise them,

because they do not keep your instructions. ⁸⁷ 

Mazmur 55:3

55:3 because of what the enemy says, ⁸⁸ 

and because of how the wicked ⁸⁹  pressure me, ⁹⁰ 

for they hurl trouble ⁹¹  down upon me ⁹² 

and angrily attack me.

Mazmur 120:5

120:5 How miserable I am! ⁹³ 

For I have lived temporarily ⁹⁴  in Meshech;

I have resided among the tents of Kedar. ⁹⁵ 

Mazmur 35:16

35:16 When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, ⁹⁶ 

and tried to bite me. ⁹⁷ 

Mazmur 73:16

73:16 When I tried to make sense of this,

it was troubling to me. ⁹⁸ 

Mazmur 119:141

119:141 I am insignificant and despised,

yet I do not forget your precepts.

Mazmur 10:7

10:7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; ⁹⁹ 

his tongue injures and destroys. ¹⁰⁰ 

Mazmur 37:12

37:12 Evil men plot against the godly ¹⁰¹ 

and viciously attack them. ¹⁰² 

Mazmur 44:14

44:14 You made us ¹⁰³  an object of ridicule ¹⁰⁴  among the nations;

foreigners treat us with contempt. ¹⁰⁵ 

Mazmur 55:11

55:11 Disaster is within it;

violence ¹⁰⁶  and deceit do not depart from its public square.

Mazmur 58:2

58:2 No! ¹⁰⁷  You plan how to do what is unjust; ¹⁰⁸ 

you deal out violence in the earth. ¹⁰⁹ 

Mazmur 78:59

78:59 God heard and was angry;

he completely rejected Israel.

Mazmur 79:4

79:4 We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors;

those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. ¹¹⁰ 

Mazmur 106:40

106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people ¹¹¹ 

and despised the people who belong to him. ¹¹² 

Mazmur 109:29

109:29 My accusers will be covered ¹¹³  with shame,

and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.

Mazmur 119:51

119:51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me. ¹¹⁴ 

Yet I do not turn aside from your law.

Mazmur 5:4

5:4 Certainly ¹¹⁵  you are not a God who approves of evil; ¹¹⁶ 

evil people ¹¹⁷  cannot dwell with you. ¹¹⁸ 

Mazmur 10:3

10:3 Yes, ¹¹⁹  the wicked man ¹²⁰  boasts because he gets what he wants; ¹²¹ 

the one who robs others ¹²²  curses ¹²³  and ¹²⁴  rejects the Lord. ¹²⁵ 

Mazmur 22:6

22:6 But I ¹²⁶  am a worm, ¹²⁷  not a man; ¹²⁸ 

people insult me and despise me. ¹²⁹ 

Mazmur 31:5

31:5 Into your hand I entrust my life; ¹³⁰ 

you will rescue ¹³¹  me, O Lord, the faithful God.

Mazmur 36:4

36:4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;

he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; ¹³² 

he does not reject what is evil. ¹³³ 

Mazmur 38:20

38:20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;

though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me. ¹³⁴ 

Mazmur 41:6

41:6 When someone comes to visit, ¹³⁵  he pretends to be friendly; ¹³⁶ 

he thinks of ways to defame me, ¹³⁷ 

and when he leaves he slanders me. ¹³⁸ 

Mazmur 55:21

55:21 His words are as smooth as butter, ¹³⁹ 

but he harbors animosity in his heart. ¹⁴⁰ 

His words seem softer than oil,

but they are really like sharp swords. ¹⁴¹ 

Mazmur 74:4

74:4 Your enemies roar ¹⁴²  in the middle of your sanctuary; ¹⁴³ 

they set up their battle flags. ¹⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 79:12

79:12 Pay back our neighbors in full! ¹⁴⁵ 

May they be insulted the same way they insulted you, O Lord! ¹⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 89:39

89:39 You have repudiated ¹⁴⁷  your covenant with your servant; ¹⁴⁸ 

you have thrown his crown to the ground. ¹⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 89:50

89:50 Take note, O Lord, ¹⁵⁰  of the way your servants are taunted, ¹⁵¹ 

and of how I must bear so many insults from people! ¹⁵² 

Mazmur 107:40

107:40 He would pour ¹⁵³  contempt upon princes,

and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road.

Mazmur 112:10

112:10 When the wicked ¹⁵⁴  see this, they will worry;

they will grind their teeth in frustration ¹⁵⁵  and melt away;

the desire of the wicked will perish. ¹⁵⁶ 

Mazmur 119:85

119:85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me, ¹⁵⁷ 

which violates your law. ¹⁵⁸ 

Mazmur 129:6

129:6 May they be like the grass on the rooftops

which withers before one can even pull it up, ¹⁵⁹ 

Mazmur 52:7

52:7 “Look, here is the man who would not make ¹⁶⁰  God his protector!

He trusted in his great wealth

and was confident about his plans to destroy others.” ¹⁶¹ 

Mazmur 55:15

55:15 May death destroy them! ¹⁶² 

May they go down alive into Sheol! ¹⁶³ 

For evil is in their dwelling place and in their midst.

Mazmur 69:20

69:20 Their insults are painful ¹⁶⁴  and make me lose heart; ¹⁶⁵ 

I look ¹⁶⁶  for sympathy, but receive none, ¹⁶⁷ 

for comforters, but find none.

[139:21]  ¹ tc Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvitqomÿmekha) should be emended to וּבְמִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvÿmitqomÿmekha), a Hitpolel participle (the prefixed mem [מ] of the participle is accidentally omitted in the MT, though a few medieval Hebrew mss have it).

[139:22]  ² tn Heb “[with] completeness of hatred I hate them.”

[25:19]  ³ tn Heb “see my enemies for they are numerous, and [with] violent hatred they hate me.”

[120:6]  ⁴ tn The singular participial form probably has a representative function here. The psalmist envisions the typical hater of peace who represents the entire category of such individuals.

[21:8]  ⁵ tn The king is now addressed. One could argue that the Lord is still being addressed, but v. 9 militates against this proposal, for there the Lord is mentioned in the third person and appears to be distinct from the addressee (unless, of course, one takes “Lord” in v. 9 as vocative; see the note on “them” in v. 9b). Verse 7 begins this transition to a new addressee by referring to both the king and the Lord in the third person (in vv. 1-6 the Lord is addressed and only the king referred to in the third person).

[21:8]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “your right hand finds those who hate you.”

[109:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “and [with] words of hatred they surround me.”

[109:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “and they set upon me evil in place of good.”

[18:40]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and [as for] my enemies, you give to me [the] back [or “neck”].” The idiom “give [the] back” means “to cause [one] to turn the back and run away.” Cf. Exod 23:27.

[18:40]  ¹¹ sn Those who hate me. See v. 17, where it is the Lord who delivered the psalmist from those who hated him.

[26:5]  ¹² tn Heb “assembly, company.”

[26:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “sit.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.

[31:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.

[41:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “together against me they whisper, all those who hate me.” The Hitpael of לָחַשׁ (lakhash) refers here to whispering to one another (see 2 Sam 12:19).

[106:41]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”

[118:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “for me.”

[118:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect.

[119:113]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “divided ones.” The word occurs only here; it appears to be derived from a verbal root, attested in Arabic, meaning “to split” (see HALOT 762 s.v. *סֵעֵף). Since the psalmist is emphasizing his unswerving allegiance to God and his law, the term probably refers to those who lack such loyalty. The translation is similar to that suggested by L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 131.

[5:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “before your eyes.”

[5:5]  ²¹ sn You hate. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 11:5.

[5:5]  ²² tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.”

[11:5]  ²³ tn Heb “examines,” the same verb used in v. 4b. But here it is used in a metonymic sense of “examine and approve” (see Jer 20:12).

[11:5]  ²⁴ tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure (of heart)” in v. 2.

[11:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “his [very] being.” A נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, soul”) is also attributed to the Lord in Isa 1:14, where a suffixed form of the noun appears as the subject of the verb “hate.” Both there and here the term is used of the seat of one’s emotions and passions.

[11:5]  ²⁶ sn He hates the wicked. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds, and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 5:5.

[11:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the wicked [one] and the lover of violence.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked [ones]”) in vv. 2 and 6.

[81:15]  ²⁸ tn “Those who hate the Lord” are also mentioned in 2 Chr 19:2 and Ps 139:21.

[81:15]  ²⁹ tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 66:3 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “to be weak; to be powerless” (see also Ps 109:24). The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, parallel to the jussive form in the next line.

[81:15]  ³⁰ tc Heb “and may their time be forever.” The Hebrew term עִתָּם (’ittam, “their time”) must refer here to the “time” of the demise and humiliation of those who hate the Lord. Some propose an emendation to בַּעֲתָתָם (ba’atatam) or בִּעֻתָם (bi’utam; “their terror”; i.e., “may their terror last forever”), but the omission of bet (ב) in the present Hebrew text is difficult to explain, making the proposed emendation unlikely.

[81:15]  tn The verb form at the beginning of the line is jussive, indicating that this is a prayer. The translation assumes that v. 15 is a parenthetical “curse” offered by the psalmist. Having heard the reference to Israel’s enemies (v. 14), the psalmist inserts this prayer, reminding the Lord that they are God’s enemies as well.

[83:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “lift up [their] head[s].” The phrase “lift up [the] head” here means “to threaten; to be hostile,” as in Judg 8:28.

[105:25]  ³² tn Heb “their heart.”

[105:25]  ³³ tn Or “to deal deceptively.” The Hitpael of נָכַל (nakhal) occurs only here and in Gen 37:18, where it is used of Joseph’s brothers “plotting” to kill him.

[119:104]  ³⁴ tn Heb “every false path.”

[119:128]  ³⁵ tn Heb “for this reason all the precepts of everything I regard as right.” The phrase “precepts of everything” is odd. It is preferable to take the kaf (כ) on כֹּל (kol, “everything) with the preceding form as a pronominal suffix, “your precepts,” and the lamed (ל) with the following verb as an emphatic particle. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 138.

[119:128]  ³⁶ tn Heb “every false path.”

[86:17]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Work with me a sign for good.” The expression “work a sign” also occurs in Judg 6:17.

[86:17]  ³⁸ tn After the imperative in the preceding line (“work”), the prefixed verb forms with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose or result.

[86:17]  ³⁹ tn The perfect verbal forms are understood here as dramatic/rhetorical, expressing the psalmist’s certitude that such a sign from the Lord will be followed by his intervention. Another option is to understand the forms as future perfects (“for you, O Lord, will have helped me and comforted me”).

[106:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “hand.”

[106:10]  ⁴¹ tn Or “redeemed.”

[106:10]  ⁴² tn Heb “hand.”

[38:19]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and my enemies, life, are many.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “life”) fits very awkwardly here. The translation assumes an emendation to חִנָּם (khinam, “without reason”; note the parallelism with שֶׁקֶר [sheqer, “falsely”] and see Pss 35:19; 69:4; Lam 3:52). The verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb רָבַב, ravav, “be many”).

[38:19]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “are many.”

[101:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”

[101:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “the doing of swerving [deeds] I hate.” The Hebrew term סֵטִים (setim) is probably an alternate spelling of שֵׂטִים (setim), which appears in many medieval Hebrew mss. The form appears to be derived from a verbal root שׂוּט (sut, “to fall away; to swerve”; see Ps 40:4).

[101:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”

[36:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “for it causes to be smooth to him in his eyes to find his sin to hate.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Perhaps the point is this: His rebellious attitude makes him reject any notion that God will hold him accountable. His attitude also prevents him from recognizing and repudiating his sinful ways.

[18:17]  ⁴⁹ tn The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist’s enemies. The following line, which refers to “those [plural] who hate me,” favors the latter.

[34:21]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.

[34:21]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.

[44:7]  ⁵² tn Or “have delivered,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).

[44:7]  ⁵³ tn Or “have humiliated,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).

[97:10]  ⁵⁴ tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the Lord.” In this case one could translate, “Hate evil, you who love the Lord, the one who protects the lives…and delivers them.”

[97:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

[44:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “you caused us to turn backward.”

[44:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “plunder for themselves.” The prepositional phrase לָמוֹ (lamo, “for themselves”) here has the nuance “at their will” or “as they please” (see Ps 80:6).

[45:7]  ⁵⁸ sn To love justice means to actively promote it.

[45:7]  ⁵⁹ sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.

[45:7]  ⁶⁰ tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“Lord”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the Lord my/your/our God.”

[45:7]  ⁶¹ sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.

[45:7]  ⁶² sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.

[45:7]  ⁶³ tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.

[45:7]  sn Verses 6-7 are quoted in Heb 1:8-9, where they are applied to Jesus.

[69:14]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “let me be delivered.”

[35:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).

[35:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “rejoice.”

[35:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “[do not let] those who hate me without cause pinch [i.e., wink] an eye.” The negative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (see the preceding line). In the Book of Proverbs “winking an eye” is associated with deceit and trickery (see 6:13; 10:10; 16:30).

[68:1]  ⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “those who hate him.”

[68:1]  ⁷¹ sn The wording of v. 1 echoes the prayer in Num 10:35: “Spring into action, Lord! Then your enemies will be scattered and your adversaries will run from you.”

[55:12]  ⁷² tn Or “for.”

[55:12]  ⁷³ tn Heb “[who] magnifies against me.” See Pss 35:26; 38:16.

[69:4]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Pss 35:19; 38:19).

[69:4]  ⁷⁵ tn The Hebrew verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority; note the parallel verb רָבַב (ravav, “be many”).

[69:4]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “that which I did not steal, then I restore.” Apparently אָז (’az, “then”) is used here to emphasize the verb that follows.

[69:4]  sn They make me repay what I did not steal. The psalmist’s enemies falsely accuse him and hold him accountable for alleged crimes he did not even commit.

[50:17]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and throw my words behind you.”

[9:13]  ⁷⁸ tn The words “when they prayed,” though not represented in the Hebrew text, are supplied in the translation for clarification. The petition in vv. 13-14 is best understood as the cry for help which the oppressed offered to God when the nations threatened. The Lord answered this request, prompting the present song of thanksgiving.

[9:13]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “show me favor.”

[9:13]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “see my misery from the ones who hate me.”

[9:13]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “one who lifts me up.”

[5:6]  ⁸² tn The imperfect verbal form indicates God’s typical response to such individuals. Another option is to translate the verb as future (“You will destroy”); the psalmist may be envisioning a time of judgment when God will remove the wicked from the scene.

[5:6]  ⁸³ tn Heb “those who speak a lie.” In the OT a “lie” does not refer in a general philosophical sense to any statement that fails to correspond to reality. Instead it refers more specifically to a slanderous and/or deceitful statement that promotes one’s own selfish, sinful interests and/or exploits or harms those who are innocent. Note the emphasis on violence and deceit in the following line.

[5:6]  ⁸⁴ tn The imperfect verbal form highlights the Lord’s characteristic attitude toward such individuals.

[5:6]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “a man of bloodshed and deceit.” The singular אִישׁ (’ish, “man”) is used here in a collective or representative sense; thus the translation “people” is appropriate here. Note the plural forms in vv. 5-6a.

[88:8]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “[I am] confined and I cannot go out.”

[119:158]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “your word.”

[55:3]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “because of [the] voice of [the] enemy.”

[55:3]  ⁸⁹ tn The singular forms “enemy” and “wicked” are collective or representative, as the plural verb forms in the second half of the verse indicate.

[55:3]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “from before the pressure of the wicked.” Some suggest the meaning “screech” (note the parallel “voice”; cf. NEB “shrill clamour”; NRSV “clamor”) for the rare noun עָקָה (’aqah, “pressure”).

[55:3]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “wickedness,” but here the term refers to the destructive effects of their wicked acts.

[55:3]  ⁹² tc The verb form in the MT appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוֹט (mot, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in the Kethib (consonantal text) of Ps 140:10, where the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read. Here in Ps 55:3 it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). It is odd for “rain down” to be used with an abstract object like “wickedness,” but in Job 20:23 God “rains down” anger (unless one emends the text there; see BHS).

[120:5]  ⁹³ tn Or “woe to me.” The Hebrew term אוֹיָה (’oyah, “woe”) which occurs only here, is an alternate form of אוֹי (’oy).

[120:5]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “I live as a resident alien.”

[120:5]  ⁹⁵ sn Meshech was located in central Anatolia (modern Turkey). Kedar was located in the desert to east-southeast of Israel. Because of the reference to Kedar, it is possible that Ps 120:5 refers to a different Meshech, perhaps one associated with the individual mentioned as a descendant of Aram in 1 Chr 1:17. (However, the LXX in 1 Chr 1:17 follows the parallel text in Gen 10:23, which reads “Mash,” not Meshech.) It is, of course, impossible that the psalmist could have been living in both the far north and the east at the same time. For this reason one must assume that he is recalling his experience as a wanderer among the nations or that he is using the geographical terms metaphorically and sarcastically to suggest that the enemies who surround him are like the barbarians who live in these distant regions. For a discussion of the problem, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 146.

[35:16]  ⁹⁶ tc The MT reads “as profane [ones] of mockers of food,” which is nonsensical. The present translation assumes (1) an emendation of בְּחַנְפֵי (bÿkhanfey, “as profane men”) to בְּחַנְפִי (bekhanfiy, “when I tripped”; preposition + Qal infinitive construct from II חָנַף [“limp”] + first common singular pronominal suffix) and (2) an emendation of לַעֲגֵי מָעוֹג (la’agey ma’og, “mockers of food”) to עָגוּ[ם]לַעְגָּ (la’gam ’agu, “[with] taunting they taunted”; masculine plural noun with enclitic mem + Qal perfect third common plural from לַּעַג [la’ag, “taunt”]).

[35:16]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “gnashing at me with their teeth.” The infinitive absolute adds a complementary action – they gnashed with their teeth as they taunted.

[73:16]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “and [when] I pondered to understand this, troubling it [was] in my eyes.”

[10:7]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “[with] a curse his mouth is full, and lies and injury.”

[10:7]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “under his tongue are destruction and wickedness.” The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 90:10. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10.

[37:12]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and the typical godly individual are in view.

[37:12]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see Ps 35:16). The language may picture the evil men as wild animals. The active participles in v. 12 are used for purposes of dramatic description.

[44:14]  ¹⁰³ tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:14]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “a proverb,” or “[the subject of] a mocking song.”

[44:14]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “a shaking of the head among the peoples.” Shaking the head was a derisive gesture (see Jer 18:16; Lam 2:15).

[55:11]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “injury, harm.”

[58:2]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The particle אַף (’af, “no”) is used here as a strong adversative emphasizing the following statement, which contrasts reality with the rulers’ claim alluded to in the rhetorical questions (see Ps 44:9).

[58:2]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “in the heart unjust deeds you do.” The phrase “in the heart” (i.e., “mind”) seems to refer to their plans and motives. The Hebrew noun עַוְלָה (’avlah, “injustice”) is collocated with פָּעַל (pa’al, “do”) here and in Job 36:23 and Ps 119:3. Some emend the plural form עוֹלֹת (’olot, “unjust deeds”; see Ps 64:6) to the singular עָוֶל (’avel, “injustice”; see Job 34:32), taking the final tav (ת) as dittographic (note that the following verbal form begins with tav). Some then understand עָוֶל (’avel, “injustice”) as a genitive modifying “heart” and translate, “with a heart of injustice you act.”

[58:2]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “in the earth the violence of your hands you weigh out.” The imagery is from the economic realm. The addressees measure out violence, rather than justice, and distribute it like a commodity. This may be ironic, since justice was sometimes viewed as a measuring scale (see Job 31:6).

[79:4]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.” See Ps 44:13.

[106:40]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against his people.”

[106:40]  ¹¹² tn Heb “his inheritance.”

[109:29]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “clothed.” Another option is to translate the prefixed verbal forms in this line and the next as jussives (“may my accusers be covered with shame”).

[119:51]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “scoff at me to excess.”

[5:4]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “for.”

[5:4]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “not a God [who] delights [in] wickedness [are] you.”

[5:4]  ¹¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text has simply the singular form רע, which may be taken as an abstract noun “evil” (the reference to “wickedness” in the preceding line favors this; cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV) or as a substantival adjective “evil one” (the references to evil people in the next two verses favor this; cf. NIV “with you the wicked cannot dwell”).

[5:4]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “cannot dwell as a resident alien [with] you.” The negated imperfect verbal form here indicates incapability or lack of permission. These people are morally incapable of dwelling in God’s presence and are not permitted to do so.

[5:4]  sn Only the godly are allowed to dwell with the Lord. Evil people are excluded. See Ps 15.

[10:3]  ¹¹⁹ tn The translation assumes כִּי (ki) is asseverative: “indeed, certainly.” Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 3 as giving the reason why the wicked so arrogantly seek to destroy the helpless (so NASB, NRSV).

[10:3]  ¹²⁰ tn The representative or typical evildoer is described in vv. 3-11, 13, 15. Since the singular form predominates in these verses, it has been retained in the translation.

[10:3]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “the wicked [one] boasts on account of the desire of his appetite.” The translation assumes that the preposition עַל (’al) introduces the reason why the wicked boasts (cf. this use of עַל with הָלַל (halal) in Ps 119:164 and Ezra 3:11). In this case, the “desire of his appetite” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired.

[10:3]  ¹²² tn The translation assumes the active participle is substantival, referring to the wicked man mentioned in the preceding line. The substantival participle is then understood as the subject of the following verbs. For other examples of the participle of בָּצַע (batsar) used of those who desire and/or acquire wealth through dishonest and/or violent means, see Prov 1:19; 15:27; Jer 6:13; 8:10; Hab 2:9.

[10:3]  ¹²³ tn The verb בָּרַךְ (barakh) normally means “to bless,” but in a few cases it exhibits the polarized meaning “to curse” (1 Kgs 21:10, 13; Job 1:5-11; 2:5-9). (Some regard this use of בָּרַךְ as a mere euphemism.) The verb refers to the act of pronouncing or calling down a formal curse upon the object of one’s anger.

[10:3]  ¹²⁴ tn The conjunction “and” is supplied in the translation; it does not appear in the Hebrew text.

[10:3]  ¹²⁵ tn Another option is to translate, “he blesses one who robs others, [but] he curses the Lord.” In this case the subject of the verbs is “the wicked man” mentioned in the previous line, and “the one who robs others” is the object of the verb בָּרַךְ (barakh), which is understood in its usual sense of “bless.”

[22:6]  ¹²⁶ tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s experience and that of his ancestors. When he considers God’s past reliability, it only heightens his despair and confusion, for God’s present silence stands in stark contrast to his past saving acts.

[22:6]  ¹²⁷ tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).

[22:6]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.

[22:6]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”

[31:5]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.

[31:5]  ¹³¹ tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer that he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”; cf. NIV). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.

[36:4]  ¹³² tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way [that is] not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style.

[36:4]  ¹³³ tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.

[38:20]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”

[41:6]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “to see.”

[41:6]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”

[41:6]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”

[41:6]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”

[55:21]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “the butter-like [words] of his mouth are smooth.” The noun מַחְמָאֹת (makhma’ot, “butter-like [words]”) occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to מֵחֶמְאָה (mekhem’ah, from [i.e., “than”] butter”), cf. NEB, NRSV “smoother than butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb חָלְקוּ (kholqu, “they are smooth”). Therefore some further propose an emendation of פִּיו (piv, “his mouth”) to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”). In any case, the point seems to that the psalmist’s former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.

[55:21]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “and war [is in] his heart.”

[55:21]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”

[74:4]  ¹⁴² tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.

[74:4]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “your meeting place.”

[74:4]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).

[79:12]  ¹⁴⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “their reproach with which they reproached you, O Lord.”

[89:39]  ¹⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew verb appears only here and in Lam 2:7.

[89:39]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “the covenant of your servant.”

[89:39]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “you dishonor [or “desecrate”] on the ground his crown.”

[89:50]  ¹⁵⁰ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read here יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”).

[89:50]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “remember, O Lord, the taunt against your servants.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the singular here, “your servant” (that is, the psalmist).

[89:50]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “my lifting up in my arms [or “against my chest”] all of the many, peoples.” The term רַבִּים (rabbim, “many”) makes no apparent sense here. For this reason some emend the text to רִבֵי (rivey, “attacks by”), a defectively written plural construct form of רִיב (riv, “dispute; quarrel”).

[107:40]  ¹⁵³ tn The active participle is understood as past durative here, drawing attention to typical action in a past time frame. However, it could be taken as generalizing (in which case one should translate using the English present tense), in which case the psalmist moves from narrative to present reality. Perhaps the participial form appears because the statement is lifted from Job 12:21.

[112:10]  ¹⁵⁴ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular; the representative wicked individual is in view as typifying the group (note the use of the plural form in v. 10).

[112:10]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “his teeth he will gnash.” In Pss 35:16 and 37:12 this action is associated with a vicious attack.

[112:10]  ¹⁵⁶ tn This could mean that the desires of the wicked will go unfulfilled. Another possibility is that “desire” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired. In this case the point is that the wicked will lose what they desired so badly and acquired by evil means (see Ps 10:3).

[119:85]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “for me.”

[119:85]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “which [is] not according to your law.”

[129:6]  ¹⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁלַף (shalaf) normally means “to draw [a sword]” or “to pull.” BDB 1025 s.v. suggests the meaning “to shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “to pluck; to pull up,” a nuance attested for this word in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow 1587 s.v. שָׁלַף).

[52:7]  ¹⁶⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action. The evildoer customarily rejected God and trusted in his own abilities. Another option is to take the imperfect as generalizing, “[here is the man who] does not make.”

[52:7]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “he was strong in his destruction.” “Destruction” must refer back to the destructive plans mentioned in v. 2. The verb (derived from the root עָזַז, ’azaz, “be strong”) as it stands is either an imperfect (if so, probably used in a customary sense) or a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive). However the form should probably be emended to וַיָּעָז (vayya’az), a Qal preterite (with vav [ו] consecutive) from עָזַז. Note the preterite form without vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line (וַיִּבְטַח, vayyivtakh, “and he trusted”). The prefixed vav (ו) was likely omitted by haplography (note the suffixed vav [ו] on the preceding עָשְׁרוֹ, ’oshro, “his wealth”).

[55:15]  ¹⁶² 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]  ¹⁶³ sn Go down alive. This curse imagines a swift and sudden death for the psalmist’s enemies.

[69:20]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “break my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the origin of the psalmist’s emotions.

[69:20]  ¹⁶⁵ tn The verb form appears to be a Qal preterite from an otherwise unattested root נוּשׁ (nush), which some consider an alternate form of אָנַשׁ (’anash, “be weak; be sick”; see BDB 60 s.v. I אָנַשׁ). Perhaps the form should be emended to a Niphal, וָאֵאָנְשָׁה (va’e’onshah, “and I am sick”). The Niphal of אָנַשׁ occurs in 2 Sam 12:15, where it is used to describe David’s sick child.

[69:20]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “wait.”

[69:20]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “and I wait for sympathy, but there is none.” The form נוּד (nud) is an infinitive functioning as a verbal noun:, “sympathizing.” Some suggest emending the form to a participle נָד (nad, “one who shows sympathy”). The verb נוּד (nud) also has the nuance “show sympathy” in Job 2:11; 42:11 and Isa 51:19.