Psalms 10:15

10:15 Break the arm ¹  of the wicked and evil man!

Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, ² 

which he thought you would not discover. ³ 

Psalms 36:2

36:2 for he is too proud

to recognize and give up his sin. ⁴ 

Psalms 89:20

89:20 I have discovered David, my servant.

With my holy oil I have anointed him as king. ⁵ 

Psalms 107:4

107:4 They wandered through the wilderness on a desert road;

they found no city in which to live.

Psalms 119:162

119:162 I rejoice in your instructions,

like one who finds much plunder. ⁶ 

Psalms 132:5

132:5 until I find a place for the Lord,

a fine dwelling place ⁷  for the powerful ruler of Jacob.” ⁸ 

[10:15]  ¹ sn The arm symbolizes the strength of the wicked, which they use to oppress and exploit the weak.

[10:15]  ² tn Heb “you seek his wickedness.” As in v. 13, the verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as describing a fact, “you hold him accountable,” or as anticipating divine judgment, “you will hold him accountable.” However, since the verb is in apparent parallelism with the preceding imperative (“break”), it is better to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s desire or request.

[10:15]  ³ tn Heb “you will not find.” It is uncertain how this statement relates to what precedes. Some take בַל (bal), which is used as a negative particle in vv. 4, 6, 11, 18, as asseverative here, “Indeed find (i.e., judge his wickedness).” The translation assumes that the final words are an asyndetic relative clause which refers back to what the wicked man boasted in God’s face (“you will not find [i.e., my wickedness]”). See v. 13.

[36:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “for it causes to be smooth to him in his eyes to find his sin to hate.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Perhaps the point is this: His rebellious attitude makes him reject any notion that God will hold him accountable. His attitude also prevents him from recognizing and repudiating his sinful ways.

[89:20]  ⁷ tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.

[119:162]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “like one who finds great plunder.” See Judg 5:30. The image is that of a victorious warrior who finds a large amount of plunder on the field of battle.

[132:5]  ¹³ tn The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; David envisions a special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 84:1).

[132:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.”