Psalms 4:2

4:2 You men, ¹  how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? ² 

How long ³  will you love what is worthless ⁴ 

and search for what is deceptive? ⁵  (Selah)

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! ⁶ 

Psalms 37:25

37:25 I was once young, now I am old.

I have never seen a godly man abandoned,

or his children ⁷  forced to search for food. ⁸ 

Psalms 38:12

38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; ⁹ 

those who want to harm me speak destructive words;

all day long they say deceitful things.

Psalms 40:14

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

be totally embarrassed and ashamed! ¹⁰ 

May those who want to harm me

be turned back and ashamed! ¹¹ 

Psalms 40:16

40:16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!

May those who love to experience ¹²  your deliverance say continually, ¹³ 

“May the Lord be praised!” ¹⁴ 

Psalms 70:2

70:2 May those who are trying to take my life

be embarrassed and ashamed! ¹⁵ 

May those who want to harm me

be turned back and ashamed! ¹⁶ 

Psalms 70:4

70:4 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!

May those who love to experience ¹⁷  your deliverance say continually, ¹⁸ 

“May God ¹⁹  be praised!” ²⁰ 

Psalms 71:13

71:13 May my accusers be humiliated and defeated!

May those who want to harm me ²¹  be covered with scorn and disgrace!

Psalms 71:24

71:24 All day long my tongue will also tell about your justice,

for those who want to harm me ²²  will be embarrassed and ashamed. ²³ 

Psalms 86:14

86:14 O God, arrogant men attack me; ²⁴ 

a gang ²⁵  of ruthless men, who do not respect you, seek my life. ²⁶ 

Psalms 119:176

119:176 I have wandered off like a lost sheep. ²⁷ 

Come looking for your servant,

for I do not forget your commands.

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “sons of man.”

[4:2]  ² tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”

[4:2]  ³ tn The interrogative construction עַד־מֶה (’ad-meh, “how long?”), is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[4:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “emptiness.”

[4:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “a lie.” Some see the metonymic language of v. 2b (“emptiness, lie”) as referring to idols or false gods. However, there is no solid immediate contextual evidence for such an interpretation. It is more likely that the psalmist addresses those who threaten him (see v. 1) and refers in a general way to their sinful lifestyle. (See R. Mosis, TDOT 7:121.) The two terms allude to the fact that sinful behavior is ultimately fruitless and self-destructive.

[35:4]  ⁶ 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.

[37:25]  ¹¹ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:25]  ¹² tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.

[38:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “lay snares.”

[40:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones seeking my life to snatch it away.”

[40:14]  ²² 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.

[40:16]  ²⁶ tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the Lord.

[40:16]  ²⁷ tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.

[40:16]  ²⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the Lord be magnified [in praise].” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the Lord is great” (cf. NRSV). See Ps 35:27.

[70:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed, the ones seeking my life.” Ps 40:14 has “together” after “ashamed,” and “to snatch it away” after “my life.”

[70:2]  ³² tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.

[70:4]  ³⁶ tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by God.

[70:4]  ³⁷ tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing on the godly.

[70:4]  ³⁸ tn Ps 40:16 uses the divine name “Lord” here instead of “God.”

[70:4]  ³⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the Lord be magnified [in praise].” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the Lord is great.” See Ps 35:27.

[71:13]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “those who seek my harm.”

[71:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “those who seek my harm.”

[71:24]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “will have become embarrassed and ashamed.” The perfect verbal forms function here as future perfects, indicating future actions which will precede chronologically the action expressed by the main verb in the preceding line.

[86:14]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “rise up against me.”

[86:14]  ⁵² tn Or “assembly.”

[86:14]  ⁵³ tn Heb “seek my life and do not set you before them.” See Ps 54:3.

[119:176]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “I stray like a lost sheep.” It is possible that the point of the metaphor is vulnerability: The psalmist, who is threatened by his enemies, feels as vulnerable as a straying, lost sheep. This would not suggest, however, that he has wandered from God’s path (see the second half of the verse, as well as v. 110).