Psalms 10:2

10:2 The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed; ¹ 

the oppressed are trapped ²  by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up. ³ 

Psalms 46:3

46:3 when its waves ⁴  crash ⁵  and foam,

and the mountains shake ⁶  before the surging sea. ⁷  (Selah)

Psalms 73:6

73:6 Arrogance is their necklace, ⁸ 

and violence their clothing. ⁹ 

Psalms 31:18

31:18 May lying lips be silenced –

lips ¹⁰  that speak defiantly against the innocent ¹¹ 

with arrogance and contempt!

Psalms 36:11

36:11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,

or let evil men make me homeless! ¹² 

Psalms 68:34

68:34 Acknowledge God’s power, ¹³ 

his sovereignty over Israel,

and the power he reveals in the skies! ¹⁴ 

Psalms 31:23

31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers ¹⁵  of his!

The Lord protects those who have integrity,

but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. ¹⁶ 

[10:2]  ¹ tn Heb “because of the pride of [the] wicked he burns [i.e. hotly pursues] [the] oppressed.” The singular forms רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) and עָנִי (’aniy, “oppressed”) are collective and representative, as indicated in the next line, which uses plural verb forms to describe the actions of both.

[10:2]  ² tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 describe either what typically happens (from the psalmist’s perspective) or what the psalmist was experiencing at the time he offered this prayer.

[10:2]  ³ tn Heb “they are trapped in the schemes which they have thought up.” The referents of the two pronominal suffixes on the verbs have been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent of the first suffix (“they”) is taken as the oppressed, while the referent of the second (“they”) is taken to be the wicked (cf. NIV, which renders “wicked” in the previous line as a collective singular). Others take the referent of both occurrences of “they” in the line to be the wicked (cf. NRSV, “let them be caught in the schemes they have devised”).

[46:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “its waters.”

[46:3]  ⁵ tn Or “roar.”

[46:3]  ⁶ tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the characteristic nature of the activity described.

[46:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “at its swelling.” The Hebrew word often means “pride.” If the sea is symbolic of hostile nations, then this may be a case of double entendre. The surging, swelling sea symbolizes the proud, hostile nations. On the surface the psalmist appears to be depicting a major natural catastrophe, perhaps a tidal wave. If so, then the situation would be hypothetical. However, the repetition of the verbs הָמָה (hamah, “crash; roar,” v. 3) and מוֹט (mot, “shake,” v. 2) in v. 6, where nations/kingdoms “roar” and “shake,” suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).

[73:6]  ⁷ sn Arrogance is their necklace. The metaphor suggests that their arrogance is something the wicked “wear” proudly. It draws attention to them, just as a beautiful necklace does to its owner.

[73:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “a garment of violence covers them.” The metaphor suggests that violence is habitual for the wicked. They “wear” it like clothing; when one looks at them, violence is what one sees.

[31:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the [ones which].”

[31:18]  ¹¹ tn Or “godly.”

[36:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “let not a foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the evil ones cause me to wander as a fugitive.”

[68:34]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “give strength to God.”

[68:34]  ¹⁷ sn The language of v. 34 echoes that of Deut 33:26.

[31:23]  ¹⁹ tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[31:23]  ²⁰ tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.