Mazmur 36:4

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

he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; ¹ 

he does not reject what is evil. ² 

Mazmur 36:12

36:12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen! ³ 

They have been knocked down and are unable to get up! ⁴ 

[36:4]  ¹ 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]  ² tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.

[36:12]  ³ tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the evildoers lying fallen at a spot that is vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.).

[36:12]  ⁴ tn The psalmist uses perfect verbal forms in v. 12 to describe the demise of the wicked as if it has already taken place.