Psalms 94:4-7

Context

94:4 They spew out threats¹ and speak defiantly;

all the evildoers boast.²

94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;

they oppress the nation that belongs to you.³

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

and they murder the fatherless.⁴

94:7 Then they say, “The Lord does not see this;

the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.”⁵

[94:4] ¹tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”

[94:4] ²tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).

[94:5] ³tn Or “your inheritance.”

[94:6] ⁴tn 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).

[94:7] ⁵tn Heb “does not understand.”