119:24 Yes, I find delight in your rules;
they give me guidance. 1
26:9 Do not sweep me away 2 with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people, 3
76:5 The bravehearted 4 were plundered; 5
they “fell asleep.” 6
All the warriors were helpless. 7
55:23 But you, O God, will bring them 8 down to the deep Pit. 9
Violent and deceitful people 10 will not live even half a normal lifespan. 11
But as for me, I trust in you.
1 tn Heb “men of my counsel.” That is, God’s rules are like advisers to the psalmist, for they teach him how to live in a godly manner that refutes the accusations of his enemies.
2 tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”
3 tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
3 tn Heb “strong of heart.” In Isa 46:12, the only other text where this phrase appears, it refers to those who are stubborn, but here it seems to describe brave warriors (see the next line).
4 tn The verb is a rare Aramaized form of the Hitpolel (see GKC 149 §54.a, n. 2); the root is שָׁלַל (shalal, “to plunder”).
5 tn Heb “they slept [in] their sleep.” “Sleep” here refers to the “sleep” of death. A number of modern translations take the phrase to refer to something less than death, however: NASB “cast into a deep sleep”; NEB “fall senseless”; NIV “lie still”; NRSV “lay stunned.”
6 tn Heb “and all the men of strength did not find their hands.”
4 tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).
5 tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).
6 tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”
7 tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”