Mazmur 64:7

64:7 But God will shoot ¹  at them;

suddenly they will be ²  wounded by an arrow. ³ 

Mazmur 64:3-4

64:3 They ⁴  sharpen their tongues like a sword;

they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge, ⁵ 

64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent ⁶  in secluded places.

They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. ⁷ 

[64:7]  ¹ tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive is normally used in narrative contexts to describe completed past actions. It is possible that the conclusion to the psalm (vv. 7-10) was added to the lament after God’s judgment of the wicked in response to the psalmist’s lament (vv. 1-6). The translation assumes that these verses are anticipatory and express the psalmist’s confidence that God would eventually judge the wicked. The psalmist uses a narrative style as a rhetorical device to emphasize his certitude. See GKC 329-30 §111.w.

[64:7]  ² tn The perfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s certitude about the coming demise of the wicked.

[64:7]  ³ tn The translation follows the traditional accentuation of the MT. Another option is to translate, “But God will shoot them down with an arrow, suddenly they will be wounded” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[64:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[64:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “a bitter word.”

[64:4]  ⁶ tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here as representative of a larger group.

[64:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are supplied in the translation for clarification.