18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, 1
from those who hate me,
for they were too strong for me.
18:40 You make my enemies retreat; 2
I destroy those who hate me. 3
1 tn The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist’s enemies. The following line, which refers to “those [plural] who hate me,” favors the latter.
2 tn Heb “and [as for] my enemies, you give to me [the] back [or “neck”].” The idiom “give [the] back” means “to cause [one] to turn the back and run away.” Cf. Exod 23:27.
3 sn Those who hate me. See v. 17, where it is the