40:14 May those who are trying to snatch away my life
be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 1
May those who want to harm me
be turned back and ashamed! 2
40:15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be humiliated 3 and disgraced! 4
40:16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!
May those who love to experience 5 your deliverance say continually, 6
“May the Lord be praised!” 7
40:17 I am oppressed and needy! 8
May the Lord pay attention to me! 9
You are my helper and my deliverer!
O my God, do not delay!
1 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones seeking my life to snatch it away.”
2 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse (“may those…be…embarrassed and ashamed…may those…be turned back and ashamed”) are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
3 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
4 tn Heb “May they be humiliated according to their shame, those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’”
5 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the
6 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.
7 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
8 sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
9 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The