Psalms 94:20-23

Context

94:20 Cruel rulers¹ are not your allies,

those who make oppressive laws.²

94:21 They conspire against³ the blameless,⁴

and condemn to death the innocent.⁵

94:22 But the Lord will protect me,⁶

and my God will shelter me.⁷

94:23 He will pay them back for their sin.⁸

He will destroy them because of⁹ their evil;

the Lord our God will destroy them.

[94:20] ¹tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.

[94:20] ²tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its rhetorical force.

[94:21] ³tn Or “attack.”

[94:21] ⁴tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”

[94:21] ⁵tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”

[94:22] ⁶tn Heb “and the Lord has become my elevated place.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.

[94:22] ⁷tn Heb “and my God [has become] a rocky summit of my safety.”

[94:23] ⁸tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.

[94:23] ⁹tn Or “in.”