Psalms 7:4

7:4 or have wronged my ally, ¹ 

or helped his lawless enemy, ² 

Psalms 35:12

35:12 They repay me evil for the good I have done; ³ 

I am overwhelmed with sorrow. ⁴ 

Psalms 109:3-5

109:3 They surround me and say hateful things; ⁵ 

they attack me for no reason.

109:4 They repay my love with accusations, ⁶ 

but I continue to pray. ⁷ 

109:5 They repay me evil for good, ⁸ 

and hate for love.

Psalms 109:1

Psalm 109 ⁹ 

For the music director, a psalm of David.

109:1 O God whom I praise, do not ignore me! ¹⁰ 

Psalms 19:4-6

19:4 Yet its voice ¹¹  echoes ¹²  throughout the earth;

its ¹³  words carry ¹⁴  to the distant horizon. ¹⁵ 

In the sky ¹⁶  he has pitched a tent for the sun. ¹⁷ 

19:5 Like a bridegroom it emerges ¹⁸  from its chamber; ¹⁹ 

like a strong man it enjoys ²⁰  running its course. ²¹ 

19:6 It emerges from the distant horizon, ²² 

and goes from one end of the sky to the other; ²³ 

nothing can escape ²⁴  its heat.

Psalms 23:5

23:5 You prepare a feast before me ²⁵ 

in plain sight of my enemies.

You refresh ²⁶  my head with oil;

my cup is completely full. ²⁷ 

Psalms 23:1

Psalm 23 ²⁸ 

A psalm of David.

23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, ²⁹ 

I lack nothing. ³⁰ 

Psalms 25:16

25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,

for I am alone ³¹  and oppressed!

Psalms 25:21

25:21 May integrity and godliness protect me,

for I rely on you!

Jeremiah 18:20

18:20 Should good be paid back with evil?

Yet they are virtually digging a pit to kill me. ³² 

Just remember how I stood before you

pleading on their behalf ³³ 

to keep you from venting your anger on them. ³⁴ 

[7:4]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.

[35:12]  ³ tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”

[35:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “[there is] bereavement to my soul.”

[109:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “and [with] words of hatred they surround me.”

[109:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “in place of my love they oppose me.”

[109:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “and I, prayer.”

[109:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “and they set upon me evil in place of good.”

[109:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 109. Appealing to God’s justice, the psalmist asks God to vindicate him and to bring severe judgment down upon his enemies.

[109:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “do not be deaf.”

[19:4]  ¹¹ tc The MT reads, “their measuring line” (קוּם, qum). The noun קַו (qav, “measuring line”) makes no sense in this context. The reading קוֹלָם (qolam, “their voice”) which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.

[19:4]  ¹² tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”

[19:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “their” (see the note on the word “its” in v. 3).

[19:4]  ¹⁴ tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; יָצָא (yatsa’, “goes out”) is understood by ellipsis.

[19:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to the end of the world.”

[19:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).

[19:4]  ¹⁷ sn He has pitched a tent for the sun. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.

[19:5]  ¹⁸ tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.

[19:5]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew noun חֻפָּה (khufah, “chamber”) occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom).

[19:5]  ²⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.

[19:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “[on] a path.”

[19:6]  ²² tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”

[19:6]  ²³ tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”

[19:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “is hidden from.”

[23:5]  ²⁵ sn In v. 5 the metaphor switches. (It would be very odd for a sheep to have its head anointed and be served wine.) The background for the imagery is probably the royal banquet. Ancient Near Eastern texts describe such banquets in similar terms to those employed by the psalmist. (See M. L. Barre and J. S. Kselman, “New Exodus, Covenant, and Restoration in Psalm 23,” The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth, 97-127.) The reality behind the imagery is the Lord’s favor. Through his blessings and protection he demonstrates to everyone, including dangerous enemies, that the psalmist has a special relationship with him.

[23:5]  ²⁶ tn The imperfect verbal form in v. 5a carries on the generalizing mood of vv. 1-4. However, in v. 5b the psalmist switches to a perfect (דִּשַּׁנְתָּ, dishanta), which may have a generalizing force as well. But then again the perfect is conspicuous here and may be present perfect in sense, indicating that the divine host typically pours oil on his head prior to seating him at the banquet table. The verb דָשַׁן (dashan; the Piel is factitive) is often translated “anoint,” but this is misleading, for it might suggest a symbolic act of initiation into royal status. One would expect the verb מָשָׁח (mashan) in this case; דָשַׁן here describes an act of hospitality extended to guests and carries the nuance “refresh.” In Prov 15:30 it stands parallel to “make happy” and refers to the effect that good news has on the inner being of its recipient.

[23:5]  ²⁷ tn The rare noun רְַָויָה (rÿvayah) is derived from the well-attested verb רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated, drink one’s fill”). In this context, where it describes a cup, it must mean “filled up,” but not necessarily to overflowing.

[23:1]  ²⁸ sn Psalm 23. In vv. 1-4 the psalmist pictures the Lord as a shepherd who provides for his needs and protects him from danger. The psalmist declares, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then extends and develops that metaphor, speaking as if he were a sheep. In vv. 5-6 the metaphor changes as the psalmist depicts a great royal banquet hosted by the Lord. The psalmist is a guest of honor and recipient of divine favor, who enjoys unlimited access to the divine palace and the divine presence.

[23:1]  ²⁹ sn The LORD is my shepherd. The opening metaphor suggests the psalmist is assuming the role of a sheep. In vv. 1b-4 the psalmist extends the metaphor and explains exactly how the LORD is like a shepherd to him. At the surface level the language can be understood in terms of a shepherd’s relationship to his sheep. The translation of vv. 1-4 reflects this level. But, of course, each statement also points to an underlying reality.

[23:1]  ³⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form is best understood as generalizing; the psalmist highlights his typical or ongoing experience as a result of having the LORD as his shepherd (habitual present use). The next verse explains more specifically what he means by this statement.

[25:16]  ³¹ tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.

[18:20]  ³² tn Or “They are plotting to kill me”; Heb “They have dug a pit for my soul.” This is a common metaphor for plotting against someone. See BDB 500 s.v. כָּרָה Qal and for an example see Pss 7:16 (7:15 HT) in its context.

[18:20]  ³³ tn Heb “to speak good concerning them” going back to the concept of “good” being paid back with evil.

[18:20]  ³⁴ tn Heb “to turn back your anger from them.”