Psalms 35:4

35:4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!

May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed! ¹ 

Psalms 35:26

35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! ² 

May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! ³ 

Psalms 40:14-15

40:14 May those who are trying to snatch away my life

be totally embarrassed and ashamed! ⁴ 

May those who want to harm me

be turned back and ashamed! ⁵ 

40:15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”

be humiliated ⁶  and disgraced! ⁷ 

Psalms 109:29

109:29 My accusers will be covered ⁸  with shame,

and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.

[35:4]  ¹ tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.

[35:26]  ² tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”

[35:26]  ³ tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle אַל (’al) appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.

[40:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones seeking my life to snatch it away.”

[40:14]  ⁵ tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse (“may those…be…embarrassed and ashamed…may those…be turned back and ashamed”) are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.

[40:15]  ⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.

[40:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “May they be humiliated according to their shame, those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’”

[109:29]  ⁸ tn Heb “clothed.” Another option is to translate the prefixed verbal forms in this line and the next as jussives (“may my accusers be covered with shame”).