Psalms 137:9

137:9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies

and smashes them on a rock! ¹ 

Psalms 8:2

8:2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies

you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, ² 

so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy. ³ 

Psalms 17:14

17:14 Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, ⁴ 

from the murderers of this world! ⁵ 

They enjoy prosperity; ⁶ 

you overwhelm them with the riches they desire. ⁷ 

They have many children,

and leave their wealth to their offspring. ⁸ 

[137:9]  ¹ sn For other references to the wholesale slaughter of babies in the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare, see 2 Kgs 8:12; Isa 13:16; Hos 13:16; Nah 3:10.

[8:2]  ² tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation follows the reading of the LXX which has “praise” (αἶνος, ainos) in place of “strength” (עֹז, ’oz); cf. NIV, NCV, NLT.

[8:2]  ³ tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The Hitpael participle of נָקַם (naqam) also occurs in Ps 44:16.

[17:14]  ³ tc Heb “from men [by] your hand, Lord.” The translation assumes an emendation (both here and in the following line) of מִמְתִים (mimtim, “from men”) to מִמְמִתִים (mimmitim, “from those who kill”). For other uses of the plural form of the Hiphil participle of מוּת (mut, “die”), see 2 Kgs 17:26 (used with lions as subject), Job 33:22 (apparently referring to the agents of death), and Jer 26:15 (used of those seeking Jeremiah’s life).

[17:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “from men, from [the] world.” On the emendation of “men” to “murderers,” see the preceding note on the word “murderers.”

[17:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “their portion, in life.”

[17:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “and [with] your treasures you fill their belly.”

[17:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] sons and leave their abundance to their children.”