Mazmur 69:22

69:22 May their dining table become a trap before them!

May it be a snare for that group of friends! ¹ 

Mazmur 72:14

72:14 From harm and violence he will defend them; ² 

he will value their lives. ³ 

Mazmur 78:24-25

78:24 He rained down manna for them to eat;

he gave them the grain of heaven. ⁴ 

78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. ⁵ 

He sent them more than enough to eat. ⁶ 

Mazmur 105:38

105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,

for they were afraid of them. ⁷ 

[69:22]  ¹ tc Heb “and to the friends for a snare.” The plural of שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is used in Ps 55:20 of one’s “friends.” If the reading of the MT is retained here, the term depicts the psalmist’s enemies as a close-knit group of friends who are bound together by their hatred for the psalmist. Some prefer to revocalize the text as וּלְשִׁלּוּמִים (ulÿshillumim, “and for retribution”). In this case the noun stands parallel to פַּח (pakh, “trap”) and מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), and one might translate, “may their dining table become a trap before them, [a means of] retribution and a snare” (cf. NIV).

[72:14]  ² tn Or “redeem their lives.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Pss 19:14; 69:18).

[72:14]  ³ tn Heb “their blood will be precious in his eyes.”

[78:24]  ⁴ sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.

[78:25]  ⁵ sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[78:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”

[105:38]  ⁷ tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”