Discovery BoxPsalms 68:7
Context68:7 O God, when you lead your people into battle, 1
when you march through the desert, 2 (Selah)
Psalms 68:1
ContextFor the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.
68:1 God springs into action! 4
His enemies scatter;
his adversaries 5 run from him. 6
Psalms 4:1-8
ContextFor the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4:1 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me! 8
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. 9
Have mercy on me 10 and respond to 11 my prayer!
4:2 You men, 12 how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? 13
How long 14 will you love what is worthless 15
and search for what is deceptive? 16 (Selah)
4:3 Realize that 17 the Lord shows the godly special favor; 18
the Lord responds 19 when I cry out to him.
4:4 Tremble with fear and do not sin! 20
Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways! 21 (Selah)
4:5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices 22
and trust in the Lord! 23
4:6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”
Smile upon us, Lord! 24
than those who have abundant grain and wine. 26
4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, 27
for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. 28
Psalms 7:1-17
ContextA musical composition 30 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning 31 a Benjaminite named Cush. 32
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. 33
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
7:2 Otherwise they will rip 34 me 35 to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. 36
7:3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say, 37
or am guilty of unjust actions, 38
7:4 or have wronged my ally, 39
or helped his lawless enemy, 40
7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase 41 me 42 and catch me; 43
may he trample me to death 44
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. 45 (Selah)
7:6 Stand up angrily, 46 Lord!
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! 47
Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! 48
7:7 The countries are assembled all around you; 49
take once more your rightful place over them! 50
7:8 The Lord judges the nations. 51
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent, 52
because I am blameless, 53 O Exalted One! 54
7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked 55 come to an end! 56
But make the innocent 57 secure, 58
O righteous God,
you who examine 59 inner thoughts and motives! 60
7:10 The Exalted God is my shield, 61
the one who delivers the morally upright. 62
7:11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day. 63
7:12 If a person 64 does not repent, God sharpens his sword 65
and prepares to shoot his bow. 66
7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; 67
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 68
7:14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies – 69
and then falls into the hole he has made. 71
7:16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans 72
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head. 73
7:17 I will thank the Lord for 74 his justice;
I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! 75
[68:7] 1 tn Heb “when you go out before your people.” The Hebrew idiom “go out before” is used here in a militaristic sense of leading troops into battle (see Judg 4:14; 9:39; 2 Sam 5:24).
[68:7] 2 sn When you march through the desert. Some interpreters think that v. 7 alludes to Israel’s exodus from Egypt and its subsequent travels in the desert. Another option is that v. 7, like v. 8, echoes Judg 5:4, which describes how the God of Sinai marched across the desert regions to do battle with Sisera and his Canaanite army.
[68:1] 3 sn Psalm 68. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.
[68:1] 4 tn Or “rises up.” The verb form is an imperfect, not a jussive. The psalmist is describing God’s appearance in battle in a dramatic fashion.
[68:1] 5 tn Heb “those who hate him.”
[68:1] 6 sn The wording of v. 1 echoes the prayer in Num 10:35: “Spring into action,
[4:1] 5 sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.
[4:1] 6 tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”
[4:1] 7 tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[4:1] 8 tn Or “show me favor.”
[4:2] 8 tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”
[4:2] 9 tn The interrogative construction עַד־מֶה (’ad-meh, “how long?”), is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
[4:2] 11 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.
[4:3] 9 tn Heb “and know that.”
[4:3] 10 tn Heb “that the
[4:4] 11 sn The psalmist warns his enemies that they need to tremble with fear before God and repudiate their sinful ways.
[4:4] 12 tn Heb “say in your heart(s) on your bed(s) and wail/lament.” The verb דֹמּוּ (dommu) is understood as a form of דָמָם (“wail, lament”) in sorrow and repentance. Another option is to take the verb from II דָמָם (damam, “be quiet”); cf. NIV, NRSV “be silent.”
[4:5] 13 tn Or “proper, right.” The phrase also occurs in Deut 33:19 and Ps 51:19.
[4:5] 14 sn Trust in the
[4:6] 15 tn Heb “lift up upon us the light of your face,
[4:7] 17 tn Heb “you place joy in my heart.” Another option is to understand the perfect verbal form as indicating certitude, “you will make me happier.”
[4:7] 18 tn Heb “from (i.e., more than) the time (when) their grain and their wine are abundant.”
[4:8] 19 tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”
[4:8] 20 tn Heb “for you,
[7:1] 21 sn Psalm 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
[7:1] 22 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שִׁגָּיוֹן (shiggayon; translated here “musical composition”) is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root שָׁגָה (shagah, “swerve, reel”) and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB 993 s.v. שִׁגָּיוֹן). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
[7:1] 23 tn Or “on account of.”
[7:1] 24 sn Apparently this individual named Cush was one of David’s enemies.
[7:1] 25 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[7:2] 23 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.
[7:2] 24 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[7:2] 25 tn Heb “tearing and there is no one rescuing.” The verbal form translated “tearing” is a singular active participle.
[7:3] 25 tn Heb “if I have done this.”
[7:3] 26 tn Heb “if there is injustice in my hands.” The “hands” figuratively suggest deeds or actions.
[7:4] 27 tn Heb “if I have repaid the one at peace with me evil.” The form שׁוֹלְמִי (sholÿmi, “the one at peace with me”) probably refers to a close friend or ally, i.e., one with whom the psalmist has made a formal agreement. See BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלוֹם 4.a.
[7:4] 28 tn Heb “or rescued my enemy in vain.” The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive (the verb form is pseudo-cohortative; see IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3) carries on the hypothetical nuance of the perfect in the preceding line. Some regard the statement as a parenthetical assertion that the psalmist is kind to his enemies. Others define חָלַץ (khalats) as “despoil” (cf. NASB, NRSV “plundered”; NIV “robbed”), an otherwise unattested nuance for this verb. Still others emend the verb to לָחַץ (lakhats, “oppress”). Most construe the adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “emptily, vainly”) with “my enemy,” i.e., the one who is my enemy in vain.” The present translation (1) assumes an emendation of צוֹרְרִי (tsorÿriy, “my enemy”) to צוֹרְרוֹ (tsorÿro, “his [i.e., the psalmist’s ally’s] enemy”) following J. Tigay, “Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties,” JBL 89 (1970): 178-86, (2) understands the final mem (ם) on רֵיקָם as enclitic, and (3) takes רִיק (riq) as an adjective modifying “his enemy.” (For other examples of a suffixed noun followed by an attributive adjective without the article, see Pss 18:17 (“my strong enemy”), 99:3 (“your great and awesome name”) and 143:10 (“your good spirit”). The adjective רִיק occurs with the sense “lawless” in Judg 9:4; 11:3; 2 Chr 13:7. In this case the psalmist affirms that he has not wronged his ally, nor has he given aid to his ally’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern treaties typically included such clauses, with one or both parties agreeing not to lend aid to the treaty partner’s enemies.
[7:5] 29 tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of Qal and Piel (see GKC 168 §63.n). The translation assumes the Piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.
[7:5] 30 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[7:5] 31 tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.
[7:5] 32 tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”
[7:5] 33 tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy, “my honor”) to כְבֵדִי (khÿvediy, “my liver” as the seat of life), but the term כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy) is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.
[7:6] 31 tn Heb “in your anger.”
[7:6] 32 tn Heb “Lift yourself up in the angry outbursts of my enemies.” Many understand the preposition prefixed to עַבְרוֹת (’avrot, “angry outbursts”) as adversative, “against,” and the following genitive “enemies” as subjective. In this case one could translate, “rise up against my furious enemies” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The present translation, however, takes the preposition as indicating manner (cf. “in your anger” in the previous line) and understands the plural form of the noun as indicating an abstract quality (“fury”) or excessive degree (“raging fury”). Cf. Job 21:30.
[7:6] 33 tc Heb “Wake up to me [with the] judgment [which] you have commanded.” The LXX understands אֵלִי (’eliy, “my God”) instead of אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”; the LXX reading is followed by NEB, NIV, NRSV.) If the reading of the MT is retained, the preposition probably has the sense of “on account of, for the sake of.” The noun מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “judgment”) is probably an adverbial accusative, modifying the initial imperative, “wake up.” In this case צִוִּיתָ (tsivvita, “[which] you have commanded”) is an asyndetic relative clause. Some take the perfect as precative. In this case one could translate the final line, “Wake up for my sake! Decree judgment!” (cf. NIV). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[7:7] 33 tn Heb “and the assembly of the peoples surrounds you.” Some understand the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may the assembly of the peoples surround you.”
[7:7] 34 tn Heb “over it (the feminine suffix refers back to the feminine noun “assembly” in the preceding line) on high return.” Some emend שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return”) to שֵׁבָה (shevah, “sit [in judgment]”) because they find the implication of “return” problematic. But the psalmist does not mean to imply that God has abandoned his royal throne and needs to regain it. Rather he simply urges God, as sovereign king of the world, to once more occupy his royal seat of judgment and execute judgment, as the OT pictures God doing periodically.
[7:8] 35 sn The
[7:8] 36 tn Heb “judge me, O
[7:8] 37 tn Heb “according to my blamelessness.” The imperative verb translated “vindicate” governs the second line as well.
[7:8] 38 tn The Hebrew form עָלָי (’alay) has been traditionally understood as the preposition עַל (’al, “over”) with a first person suffix. But this is syntactically awkward and meaningless. The form is probably a divine title derived from the verbal root עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”). This relatively rare title appears elsewhere in the OT (see HALOT 824-25 s.v. I עַל, though this text is not listed) and in Ugaritic as an epithet for Baal (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 98). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:44-45, and P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 98.
[7:9] 37 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
[7:9] 38 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.
[7:9] 39 tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.
[7:9] 40 tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.
[7:9] 41 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.
[7:9] 42 tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[7:10] 39 tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God” (cf. NASB). As in v. 8, עַל (’al) should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God” (cf. NIV, “God Most High”). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.
[7:10] 40 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
[7:11] 41 tn Heb “God (the divine name אֵל [’el] is used) is angry during all the day.” The verb זֹעֵם (zo’em) means “be indignant, be angry, curse.” Here God’s angry response to wrongdoing and injustice leads him to prepare to execute judgment as described in the following verses.
[7:12] 43 tn Heb “If he”; the referent (a person who is a sinner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).
[7:12] 44 tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The referent (God) of the pronominal subject of the second verb (“sharpens”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:12] 45 tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.” “Treading the bow” involved stepping on one end of it in order to string it and thus prepare it for battle.
[7:13] 45 tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”
[7:13] 46 tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”
[7:14] 47 tn Heb “and he conceives harm and gives birth to a lie.”
[7:15] 49 tn Heb “a pit he digs and he excavates it.” Apparently the imagery of hunting is employed; the wicked sinner digs this pit to entrap and destroy his intended victim. The redundancy in the Hebrew text has been simplified in the translation.
[7:15] 50 tn The verb forms in vv. 15-16 describe the typical behavior and destiny of those who attempt to destroy others. The image of the evildoer falling into the very trap he set for his intended victim emphasizes the appropriate nature of God’s judgment.
[7:16] 51 tn Heb “his harm [i.e., the harm he conceived for others, see v. 14] returns on his head.”
[7:16] 52 tn Heb “and on his forehead his violence [i.e., the violence he intended to do to others] comes down.”
[7:17] 53 tn Heb “according to.”
[7:17] 54 tn Heb “[to] the name of the
