2 Samuel 22:41

22:41 You make my enemies retreat; ¹ 

I destroy those who hate me.

2 Samuel 22:18

22:18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, ² 

from those who hate me,

for they were too strong for me.

[22:41]  ¹ tn Heb “and [as for] my enemies, you give to me [the] back [or “neck” ].” The idiom “give [the] back” means “to cause [one] to turn the back and run away.” See Exod 23:27 and HALOT 888 s.v. II ערף.

[22:18]  ² tn The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist’s enemies. The following line, which refers to “those [plural] who hate me,” favors the latter.