Psalms 35:7-12

Context

35:7 I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me

and dug a pit to trap me.¹

35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise!²

Let the net they hid catch them!

Let them fall into destruction!³

35:9 Then I will rejoice in the Lord

and be happy because of his deliverance.⁴

35:10 With all my strength I will say,⁵

“O Lord, who can compare to you?

You rescue⁶ the oppressed from those who try to overpower them;⁷

the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.”⁸

35:11 Violent men perjure themselves,⁹

and falsely accuse me.¹⁰

35:12 They repay me evil for the good I have done;¹¹

I am overwhelmed with sorrow.¹²

Genesis 44:4

Context
44:4 They had not gone very far from the city¹³ when Joseph said¹⁴ to the servant who was over his household, “Pursue the men at once!¹⁵ When you overtake¹⁶ them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?

Proverbs 17:13

Context

17:13 As for the one who repays¹⁷ evil for good,

evil will not leave¹⁸ his house.¹⁹

[35:7] ¹tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).

[35:8] ²tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.

[35:8] ³tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.

[35:9] ⁴tn Heb “then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and be happy in his deliverance.”

[35:10] ⁵tn Heb “all my bones will say.”

[35:10] ⁶tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.

[35:10] ⁷tn Heb “from [the one who is] too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.

[35:10] ⁸tn Heb “the oppressed [one] and needy [one] from [the one who] robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.

[35:11] ⁹tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”

[35:11] ¹⁰tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”

[35:12] ¹¹tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”

[35:12] ¹²tn Heb “[there is] bereavement to my soul.”

[44:4] ¹³tn Heb “they left the city, they were not far,” meaning “they had not gone very far.”

[44:4] ¹⁴tn Heb “and Joseph said.” This clause, like the first one in the verse, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.

[44:4] ¹⁵tn Heb “arise, chase after the men.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

[44:4] ¹⁶tn After the imperative this perfect verbal form with vav consecutive has the same nuance of instruction. In the translation it is subordinated to the verbal form that follows (also a perfect with vav consecutive): “and overtake them and say,” becomes “when you overtake them, say.”

[17:13] ¹⁷tn The sentence begins with the participle מֵשִׁיב (meshiv, “the one who repays”). The whole first colon may be taken as an independent nominative absolute, with the formal sentence to follow. Some English versions have made the first colon a condition by supplying “if” (NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT).

[17:13] ¹⁸tn The verb מוּשׁ (mush) means “to depart; to remove.” The Kethib is a Hiphil, which would yield a meaning of “to take away”; so the Qere, which is the Qal, makes more sense in the line.

[17:13] ¹⁹sn The proverb does not explain whether God will turn evil back on him directly or whether people will begin to treat him as he treated others.