8:22 Those who hate you 2 will be clothed with shame, 3
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 4
May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! 5
109:18 He made cursing a way of life, 6
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil. 7
109:29 My accusers will be covered 8 with shame,
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
132:18 I will humiliate his enemies, 9
and his crown will shine.
A song of ascents. 11
132:1 O Lord, for David’s sake remember
all his strenuous effort, 12
5:5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; 13
you hate 14 all who behave wickedly. 15
1 tn The expression “to pour out rage” also occurs in Ezek 9:8; 14:19; 20:8, 13, 21; 22:31; 30:15; 36:18.
2 sn These verses show several points of similarity with the style of the Book of Psalms. “Those who hate you” and the “evil-doers” are fairly common words to describe the ungodly in the Psalms. “Those who hate you” are enemies of the righteous man because of the parallelism in the verse. By this line Bildad is showing Job that he and his friends are not among those who are his enemies, and that Job himself is really among the righteous. It is an appealing way to end the discourse. See further G. W. Anderson, “Enemies and Evil-doers in the Book of Psalms,” BJRL 48 (1965/66): 18-29.
3 tn “Shame” is compared to a garment that can be worn. The “shame” envisioned here is much more than embarrassment or disgrace – it is utter destruction. For parallels in the Psalms, see Pss 35:26; 132:18; 109:29.
4 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”
5 tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle אַל (’al) appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.
6 tn Heb “he put on a curse as [if it were] his garment.”
7 tn Heb “and it came like water into his inner being, and like oil into his bones.” This may refer to this individual’s appetite for cursing. For him cursing was as refreshing as drinking water or massaging oneself with oil. Another option is that the destructive effects of a curse are in view. In this case a destructive curse invades his very being, like water or oil. Some who interpret the verse this way prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” to a conjunctive vav and interpret the prefixed verb as a jussive, “may it come!”
8 tn Heb “clothed.” Another option is to translate the prefixed verbal forms in this line and the next as jussives (“may my accusers be covered with shame”).
9 tn Heb “his enemies I will clothe [with] shame.”
10 sn Psalm 132. The psalmist reminds God of David’s devotion and of his promises concerning David’s dynasty and Zion.
11 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
12 tn Heb “all his affliction.” This may refer to David’s strenuous and tireless efforts to make provision for the building of the temple (see 1 Chr 22:14). Some prefer to revocalize the text as עַנַוָתוֹ (’anavato, “his humility”).
13 tn Heb “before your eyes.”
14 sn You hate. The
15 tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.”