34:21 Evil people self-destruct; 1
those who hate the godly are punished. 2
74:3 Hurry and look 3 at the permanent ruins,
and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple! 4
137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! 5
How blessed will be the one who repays you
for what you dished out to us! 6
1 tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.
2 tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.
3 tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”
4 tn Heb “everything [the] enemy has damaged in the holy place.”
5 tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.
6 tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”