Psalms 27:12

27:12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, ¹ 

for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. ² 

Psalms 41:11

41:11 By this ³  I know that you are pleased with me,

for my enemy does ⁴  not triumph ⁵  over me.

Psalms 101:3

101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. ⁶ 

I hate doing evil; ⁷ 

I will have no part of it. ⁸ 

[27:12]  ¹ tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”

[27:12]  ² tn Heb “for they have risen up against me, lying witnesses and a testifier of violence.” The form יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) is traditionally understood as a verb meaning “snort, breathe out”: “for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty” (KJV; cf. BDB 422 s.v.). A better option is to take the form as a noun meaning “a witness” (or “testifier”). See Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3.

[41:11]  ³ sn By this. Having recalled his former lament and petition, the psalmist returns to the confident mood of vv. 1-3. The basis for his confidence may be a divine oracle of deliverance, assuring him that God would intervene and vindicate him. The demonstrative pronoun “this” may refer to such an oracle, which is assumed here, though its contents are not included. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 319, 321.

[41:11]  ⁴ tn Or “will.” One may translate the imperfect verbal form as descriptive (present, cf. NIV) or as anticipatory (future, cf. NEB).

[41:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “shout.”

[101:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”

[101:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “the doing of swerving [deeds] I hate.” The Hebrew term סֵטִים (setim) is probably an alternate spelling of שֵׂטִים (setim), which appears in many medieval Hebrew mss. The form appears to be derived from a verbal root שׂוּט (sut, “to fall away; to swerve”; see Ps 40:4).

[101:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”