7:2 Otherwise they will rip 1 me 2 to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. 3
17:12 He 4 is like a lion 5 that wants to tear its prey to bits, 6
like a young lion crouching 7 in hidden places.
10:9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; 8
he lies in ambush, waiting to catch 9 the oppressed;
he catches the oppressed 10 by pulling in his net. 11
1 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.
2 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
3 tn Heb “tearing and there is no one rescuing.” The verbal form translated “tearing” is a singular active participle.
4 tn Here the psalmist switches to the singular pronoun; he views his enemies collectively, or singles out a representative of the group, perhaps its leader.
5 tn Heb “his likeness [is] like a lion.”
6 tn Heb “[that] longs to tear.”
7 tn Heb “sitting.”
7 tn Or “in its den.”
8 tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.
9 tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.
10 tn Or “when he [i.e., the wicked man] pulls in his net.”