For the music director; a well-written song 2 by David. It was written when Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul: “David has arrived at the home of Ahimelech.” 3
52:1 Why do you boast about your evil plans, 4 O powerful man?
God’s loyal love protects me all day long! 5
For the music director; a well-written song 7 by David. It was written when Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul: “David has arrived at the home of Ahimelech.” 8
52:1 Why do you boast about your evil plans, 9 O powerful man?
God’s loyal love protects me all day long! 10
52:2 Your tongue carries out your destructive plans; 11
it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver. 12
52:3 You love evil more than good,
lies more than speaking the truth. 13 (Selah)
52:4 You love to use all the words that destroy, 14
and the tongue that deceives.
52:5 Yet 15 God will make you a permanent heap of ruins. 16
He will scoop you up 17 and remove you from your home; 18
he will uproot you from the land of the living. (Selah)
19:5 A false witness 19 will not go unpunished,
and the one who spouts out 20 lies will not escape punishment. 21
29:12 If a ruler listens to 22 lies, 23
all his ministers 24 will be wicked. 25
1 sn Psalm 52. The psalmist confidently confronts his enemy and affirms that God will destroy evildoers and vindicate the godly.
2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
3 tn Heb “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’”
4 tn Heb “Why do you boast in evil?”
5 tn Heb “the loyal love of God [is] all the day.” In this context, where the psalmist is threatened by his enemy, the point seems to be that the psalmist is protected by God’s loyal love at all times.
6 sn Psalm 52. The psalmist confidently confronts his enemy and affirms that God will destroy evildoers and vindicate the godly.
7 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
8 tn Heb “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’”
9 tn Heb “Why do you boast in evil?”
10 tn Heb “the loyal love of God [is] all the day.” In this context, where the psalmist is threatened by his enemy, the point seems to be that the psalmist is protected by God’s loyal love at all times.
11 tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”
12 tn Heb “like a sharpened razor, doer of deceit.” The masculine participle עָשָׂה (’asah) is understood as a substantival vocative, addressed to the powerful man.
13 tn Or “deceit more than speaking what is right.”
14 tn Heb “you love all the words of swallowing.” Traditionally בַּלַּע (bala’) has been taken to mean “swallowing” in the sense of “devouring” or “destructive” (see BDB 118 s.v. בָּלַע). HALOT 135 s.v. III *בֶּלַע proposes a homonym here, meaning “confusion.” This would fit the immediate context nicely and provide a close parallel to the following line, which refers to deceptive words.
15 tn The adverb גַּם (gam, “also; even”) is translated here in an adversative sense (“yet”). It highlights the contrastive correspondence between the evildoer’s behavior and God’s response.
16 tn Heb “will tear you down forever.”
17 tn This rare verb (חָתָה, khatah) occurs only here and in Prov 6:27; 25:22; Isa 30:14.
18 tn Heb “from [your] tent.”
19 tn Heb “a witness of lies.” This expression is an attributive genitive: “a lying witness” (cf. CEV “dishonest witnesses”). This is paralleled by “the one who pours out lies.”
20 tn Heb “breathes out”; NAB “utters”; NIV “pours out.”
21 tn Heb “will not escape” (so NAB, NASB); NIV “will not go free.” Here “punishment” is implied, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
22 tn The Hiphil participle מַקְשִׁיב (maqshiv) means “to give attention to; to regard; to heed.” Cf. NASB, NCV, TEV “pays attention to.”
23 tn Heb “word of falsehood” or “lying word.” Cf. TEV “false information.”
24 tn The verb שָׁרַת (sharat) means “to minister; to serve.” The Piel plural participle here refers to servants of the king who attend to him – courtiers and ministers (cf. NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV “officials”; NLT “advisers”). This, his entourage, will have to resort to evil practices to gain his favor if he is swayed by such lies.
25 sn The servants of the monarch adjust to their ruler; when they see that court flattery and deception are effective, they will begin to practice it and in the end become wicked (e.g., Prov 16:10; 20:8; 25:2).
26 tn Heb “men of slander are in you in order to shed blood.”
27 tn Heb “and on the mountains they eat within you.” The mountains mentioned here were the site of pagan sacrifices. See 18:6.
28 sn This statement introduces vv. 10-11 and refers in general terms to the sexual sins described there. For the legal background of vv. 10-11, see Lev 18:7-20; 20:10-21; Deut 22:22-23, 30; 27:22.
29 tn Grk “Now the.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
30 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
31 tn Grk “This one.”