Psalms 94:3-6

94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,

how long will the wicked celebrate? ¹ 

94:4 They spew out threats ²  and speak defiantly;

all the evildoers boast. ³ 

94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;

they oppress the nation that belongs to you. ⁴ 

94:6 They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land,

and they murder the fatherless. ⁵ 

[94:3]  ¹ tn Or “exult.”

[94:4]  ² tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”

[94:4]  ³ tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).

[94:5]  ³ tn Or “your inheritance.”

[94:6]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 82:3; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).