Text -- Psalms 64:1-5 (NET)

Psalm 64

64:1 For the music director; a psalm of David. Listen to me, O God, as I offer my lament! Protect my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks. 64:2 Hide me from the plots of evil men, from the crowd of evildoers. 64:3 They sharpen their tongues like a sword; they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge, 64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent in secluded places. They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. 64:5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. They plan how to hide snares, and boast, “Who will see them?”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Psa 64:1

¹ sn Psalm 64. The psalmist asks God to protect him from his dangerous enemies and then confidently affirms that God will destroy his enemies and demonstrate his justice in the sight of all observers.

² tn Heb “my voice.”

³ tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s request.

⁴ tn Heb “from the terror of [the] enemy.” “Terror” is used here metonymically for the enemy’s attacks that produce fear because they threaten the psalmist’s life.

NET Notes: Psa 64:2

¹ tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”

NET Notes: Psa 64:3

¹ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

² tn Heb “a bitter word.”

NET Notes: Psa 64:4

¹ tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here as representative of a larger group.

² tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

NET Notes: Psa 64:5

¹ tn Heb “they give strength to themselves, an evil matter [or “word”].”

² tn Heb “they report about hiding.”

³ tn Heb “they say.”

⁴ tn If this is a direct quotation (cf. NASB, NIV), the pronoun “them” refers to the snares mentioned in the previous line. If it is an indirect quotation, then the pronoun may refer to the enemies themselves (cf. NEB, which is ambiguous). Some translations retain the direct quotation but alter the pronoun to “us,” referring clearly to the enemies (cf. NRSV).