Psalms 17:4

17:4 As for the actions of people ¹  –

just as you have commanded,

I have not followed in the footsteps of violent men. ² 

Psalms 28:5

28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,

or the way he carries out justice. ³ 

The Lord ⁴  will permanently demolish them. ⁵ 

Psalms 109:20

109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, ⁶ 

those who say evil things about ⁷  me! ⁸ 

[17:4]  ¹ tn Heb “with regard to the deeds of man[kind].”

[17:4]  ² tn Heb “by the word of your lips, I, I have watched the paths of the violent” (i.e., “watched” in the sense of “watched for the purpose of avoiding”).

[28:5]  ³ tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the Lord’s actions” and “the work of his hands” probably refer to the way he carries out justice by vindicating the godly and punishing the wicked. (Note the final line of the verse, which refers to divine judgment. See also Ps 92:4-7.) Evil men do not “understand” God’s just ways; they fail to realize he will protect the innocent. Consequently they seek to harm the godly, as if they believe they will never be held accountable for their actions.

[28:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord, who is referred to in the two immediately preceding lines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.

[109:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the Lord.”

[109:20]  ⁶ tn Or “against.”

[109:20]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).