80:12 Why did you break down its walls, 1
so that all who pass by pluck its fruit? 2
62:3 How long will you threaten 3 a man?
All of you are murderers, 4
as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence. 5
1 sn The protective walls of the metaphorical vineyard are in view here (see Isa 5:5).
2 tn Heb “pluck it.”
3 tn The verb form is plural; the psalmist addresses his enemies. The verb הוּת occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “shout at.”
4 tn The Hebrew text has a Pual (passive) form, but the verb form should be vocalized as a Piel (active) form. See BDB 953-54 s.v. רָצַח.
5 tn Heb “like a bent wall and a broken fence.” The point of the comparison is not entirely clear. Perhaps the enemies are depicted as dangerous, like a leaning wall or broken fence that is in danger of falling on someone (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:69).