20:9 Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” With his right hand Joab took hold of Amasa’s beard as if to greet him with a kiss. 20:10 Amasa did not protect himself from the knife in Joab’s other hand, and Joab 1 stabbed him in the abdomen, causing Amasa’s 2 intestines to spill out on the ground. There was no need to stab him again; the first blow was fatal. 3 Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bicri.
55:20 He 4 attacks 5 his friends; 6
he breaks his solemn promises to them. 7
55:21 His words are as smooth as butter, 8
but he harbors animosity in his heart. 9
His words seem softer than oil,
but they are really like sharp swords. 10
27:6 Faithful 11 are the wounds of a friend,
but the kisses 12 of an enemy are excessive. 13
1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Heb “and he did not repeat concerning him, and he died.”
4 sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed previously in vv. 12-14.
5 tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”
6 tc The form should probably be emended to an active participle (שֹׁלְמָיו, sholÿmayv) from the verbal root שָׁלַם (shalam, “be in a covenant of peace with”). Perhaps the translation “his friends” suggests too intimate a relationship. Another option is to translate, “he attacks those who made agreements with him.”
7 tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”
8 tn Heb “the butter-like [words] of his mouth are smooth.” The noun מַחְמָאֹת (makhma’ot, “butter-like [words]”) occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to מֵחֶמְאָה (mekhem’ah, from [i.e., “than”] butter”), cf. NEB, NRSV “smoother than butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb חָלְקוּ (kholqu, “they are smooth”). Therefore some further propose an emendation of פִּיו (piv, “his mouth”) to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”). In any case, the point seems to that the psalmist’s former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.
9 tn Heb “and war [is in] his heart.”
10 tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”
11 tn The Niphal participle of אָמַן (’aman) means “faithful; reliable; sure; trustworthy.” The word indicates that the wounds from a friend “can be trusted” (so NIV, NCV) because they are meant to correct and not to destroy (e.g., 25:12; Deut 7:9; Job 12:20).
12 sn “Kisses” probably represents a metonymy of adjunct; the term describes any expressions or indications of affection. But coming from an enemy, they will be insincere – as indicated by their excessive number.
13 tn The form is נַעְתָּרוֹת (na’tarot), the Niphal participle of עָתַר (’atar, “to be abundant”). Contemporary translations render this rare form in a number of different ways: “deceitful” (NASB, NKJV); “profuse” (NRSV); “many” (NLT). But the idea of “excessive” or “numerous” fits very well. The kisses of an enemy cannot be trusted, no matter how often they are presented.
14 tn Grk “the one who betrays him.”
15 tn Grk “The one I kiss is he.”
16 sn This remark is parenthetical within the narrative and has thus been placed in parentheses.
17 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
18 sn Judas’ act of betrayal when he kissed Jesus is especially sinister when it is realized that it was common in the culture of the times for a disciple to kiss his master when greeting him.
19 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
20 tn Grk “and put their hands on Jesus.”