Psalms 59:3

59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me; ¹ 

powerful men stalk ²  me,

but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord. ³ 

Psalms 59:6-7

59:6 They return in the evening;

they growl ⁴  like a dog

and prowl around outside ⁵  the city.

59:7 Look, they hurl insults at me

and openly threaten to kill me, ⁶ 

for they say, ⁷ 

“Who hears?”

[59:3]  ¹ tn Heb “my life.”

[59:3]  ² tn The Hebrew verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.

[59:3]  ³ sn The point is that the psalmist’s enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against the Lord.

[59:6]  ⁴ tn Or “howl”; or “bark.”

[59:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “go around.”

[59:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “look, they gush forth with their mouth, swords [are] in their lips.”

[59:7]  ⁸ tn The words “for they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The following question (“Who hears?”) is spoken by the psalmist’s enemies, who are confident that no one else can hear their threats against the psalmist. They are aggressive because they feel the psalmist is vulnerable and has no one to help him.