Psalms 35:21

35:21 They are ready to devour me; ¹ 

they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!” ² 

Psalms 35:25

35:25 Do not let them say to themselves, ³  “Aha! We have what we wanted!” ⁴ 

Do not let them say, “We have devoured him!”

Proverbs 24:17-18

24:17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, ⁵ 

and when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice,

24:18 lest the Lord see it, and be displeased, ⁶ 

and turn his wrath away from him. ⁷ 

Ezekiel 25:3

25:3 Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the sovereign Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: You said “Aha!” about my sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile.

Ezekiel 26:2

26:2 “Son of man, because Tyre ⁸  has said about Jerusalem, ⁹  ‘Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I will become rich, ¹⁰  now that she ¹¹  has been destroyed,’

Ezekiel 36:2

36:2 This is what the sovereign Lord says: The enemy has spoken against you, saying “Aha!” and, “The ancient heights ¹²  have become our property!”’

[35:21]  ¹ tn Heb “and they cause their mouth to be wide against me.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the generalizing mood of the previous verse. For other examples of this use of the prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive, see GKC 329 §111.t.

[35:21]  ² tn Heb “our eye sees.” Apparently this is an idiom meaning to “look in triumph” or “gloat over” (see Ps 54:7).

[35:25]  ³ tn Heb “in their heart[s].”

[35:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “Aha! Our desire!” The “desire” of the psalmist’s enemies is to triumph over him.

[24:17]  ⁵ sn The saying (vv. 17, 18) warns against gloating over the misfortune of one’s enemies. The prohibition is formed with two negated jussives “do not rejoice” and “let not be glad,” the second qualified by “your heart” as the subject, signifying the inner satisfaction of such a defeat.

[24:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “and [it is] evil in his eyes.”

[24:18]  ⁷ sn The judgment of God should strike a note of fear in the heart of people (e.g., Lev 19:17-18). His judgment is not to be taken lightly, or personalized as a victory. If that were to happen, then the Lord might take pity on the enemies in their calamity, for he champions the downtrodden and defeated. These are probably personal enemies; the imprecatory psalms and the prophetic oracles present a different set of circumstances for the downfall of God’s enemies – even the book of Proverbs says that brings joy to the community.

[26:2]  ⁸ sn Tyre was located on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel.

[26:2]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I will be filled.”

[26:2]  ¹¹ sn That is, Jerusalem.

[36:2]  ¹² tn Or “high places.”