Psalms 58:10-11

58:10 The godly ¹  will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out;

they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

58:11 Then ²  observers ³  will say,

“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded! ⁴ 

Yes indeed, there is a God who judges ⁵  in the earth!”

[58:10]  ¹ tn The singular is representative here, as is the singular from “wicked” in the next line.

[58:11]  ² tn Following the imperfects of v. 10, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates a result or consequence of what precedes.

[58:11]  ³ tn Heb “man.” The singular is representative here.

[58:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “surely [there] is fruit for the godly.”

[58:11]  ⁵ tn The plural participle is unusual here if the preceding אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a plural of majesty, referring to the one true God. Occasionally the plural of majesty does take a plural attributive (see GKC 428-29 §132.h). It is possible that the final mem (ם) on the participle is enclitic, and that it was later misunderstood as a plural ending. Another option is to translate, “Yes indeed, there are gods who judge in the earth.” In this case, the statement reflects the polytheistic mindset of pagan observers who, despite their theological ignorance, nevertheless recognize divine retribution when they see it.