59:2 Deliver me from evildoers! 1
Rescue me from violent men! 2
139:19 If only 3 you would kill the wicked, O God!
Get away from me, you violent men! 4
5:6 You destroy 5 liars; 6
the Lord despises 7 violent and deceitful people. 8
9:12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; 9
he did not overlook 10 their cry for help 11
26:9 Do not sweep me away 12 with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people, 13
55:23 But you, O God, will bring them 14 down to the deep Pit. 15
Violent and deceitful people 16 will not live even half a normal lifespan. 17
But as for me, I trust in you.
1 tn Heb “from the workers of wickedness.”
2 tn Heb “from men of bloodshed.”
3 tn The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).
4 tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”
5 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates God’s typical response to such individuals. Another option is to translate the verb as future (“You will destroy”); the psalmist may be envisioning a time of judgment when God will remove the wicked from the scene.
6 tn Heb “those who speak a lie.” In the OT a “lie” does not refer in a general philosophical sense to any statement that fails to correspond to reality. Instead it refers more specifically to a slanderous and/or deceitful statement that promotes one’s own selfish, sinful interests and/or exploits or harms those who are innocent. Note the emphasis on violence and deceit in the following line.
7 tn The imperfect verbal form highlights the
8 tn Heb “a man of bloodshed and deceit.” The singular אִישׁ (’ish, “man”) is used here in a collective or representative sense; thus the translation “people” is appropriate here. Note the plural forms in vv. 5-6a.
7 tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “did not forget.”
9 tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.
9 tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”
10 tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
11 tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).
12 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).
13 tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”
14 tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”