Psalms 59:2

59:2 Deliver me from evildoers! ¹ 

Rescue me from violent men! ² 

Psalms 139:19

139:19 If only ³  you would kill the wicked, O God!

Get away from me, you violent men! ⁴ 

Psalms 5:6

5:6 You destroy ⁵  liars; ⁶ 

the Lord despises ⁷  violent and deceitful people. ⁸ 

Psalms 9:12

9:12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; ⁹ 

he did not overlook ¹⁰  their cry for help ¹¹ 

Psalms 26:9

26:9 Do not sweep me away ¹²  with sinners,

or execute me along with violent people, ¹³ 

Psalms 55:23

55:23 But you, O God, will bring them ¹⁴  down to the deep Pit. ¹⁵ 

Violent and deceitful people ¹⁶  will not live even half a normal lifespan. ¹⁷ 

But as for me, I trust in you.

[59:2]  ¹ tn Heb “from the workers of wickedness.”

[59:2]  ² tn Heb “from men of bloodshed.”

[139:19]  ³ tn The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).

[139:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”

[5:6]  ⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form indicates God’s typical response to such individuals. Another option is to translate the verb as future (“You will destroy”); the psalmist may be envisioning a time of judgment when God will remove the wicked from the scene.

[5:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “those who speak a lie.” In the OT a “lie” does not refer in a general philosophical sense to any statement that fails to correspond to reality. Instead it refers more specifically to a slanderous and/or deceitful statement that promotes one’s own selfish, sinful interests and/or exploits or harms those who are innocent. Note the emphasis on violence and deceit in the following line.

[5:6]  ⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form highlights the Lord’s characteristic attitude toward such individuals.

[5:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “a man of bloodshed and deceit.” The singular אִישׁ (’ish, “man”) is used here in a collective or representative sense; thus the translation “people” is appropriate here. Note the plural forms in vv. 5-6a.

[9:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “did not forget.”

[9:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.

[26:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”

[26:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

[55:23]  ¹¹ tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).

[55:23]  ¹² tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).

[55:23]  ¹³ tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”

[55:23]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”