¹tn Or “contend.”
²tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.
³tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see HALOT 743 and M. Dahood, Psalms, 1:210-11.
⁴tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
⁵tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
⁶tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.
⁷tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
⁸sn See the mention of the Lord’s angel in Ps 34:7.
⁹tn Heb “as the Lord’s angel pushes [them].”
¹⁰tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
¹¹tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).
¹²tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.
¹³tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
¹⁴tn Heb “then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and be happy in his deliverance.”
¹⁵tn Heb “all my bones will say.”
¹⁶tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.
¹⁷tn Heb “from [the one who is] too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.
¹⁸tn Heb “the oppressed [one] and needy [one] from [the one who] robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.
¹⁹tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”
²⁰tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”
²¹tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”
²²tn Heb “[there is] bereavement to my soul.”
²³tn Heb “as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.” Sackcloth was worn by mourners. When the psalmist’s enemies were sick, he was sorry for their misfortune and mourned for them.
²⁴sn Fasting was also a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities, such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
²⁵tn Heb “and my prayer upon my chest will return.” One could translate, “but my prayer was returning upon my chest,” but the use of the imperfect verbal form sets this line apart from the preceding and following lines (vv. 13a, 14), which use the perfect to describe the psalmist’s past actions.
²⁶tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”
²⁷sn I bowed down. Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.
²⁸tn Heb “like mourning for a mother [in] sorrow I bowed down.”
²⁹tn Heb “they gathered together against me, stricken [ones], and I did not know.” The Hebrew form <ykn (“stricken ones” ?) is problematic. Some suggest an emendation to <yrkn[k] (“foreigners”) or “like foreigners,” which would fit with what follows, “[like] foreigners that I do not recognize.” Perhaps the form should be read as a Qal active participle, <yk!n{ (“ones who strike”) from the verbal root hkn (“to strike”). The Qal of this verb is unattested in biblical Hebrew, but the peal (basic) stem appears in Old Aramaic (see KAI 224:12-13, as well as J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire [BibOr], 114, and DNWSI, 730.) In this case one might translate, “attackers gathered together against me though I was not aware of it” (cf. NASB “smiters”; NEB, NRSV “ruffians”; NIV “attackers”).
³⁰tn Heb “they tore and did not keep quiet.” By using the verb “tear,” the psalmist likens his enemies to a wild animal (see Hos 13:8). In v. 17 he compares them to hungry young lions.
³¹tc The MT reads “as profane [ones] of mockers of food,” which is nonsensical. The present translation assumes (1) an emendation of yp@n+j^B= (“as profane men”) to yp!n+j^B= (“when I tripped”; preposition + Qal infinitive construct from [nj II [“limp”; see HALOT 335] + first common singular pronominal suffix) and (2) an emendation of gwum ygul (“mockers of food”) to wgu [<]gul (“[with] taunting they taunted”; masculine plural noun with enclitic mem + Qal perfect third common plural from gul [“taunt”]).
³²tn Heb “gnashing at me with their teeth.” The infinitive absolute adds a complementary action—they gnashed with their teeth as they taunted.
³³tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”
³⁴tn Heb “bring back, restore.”
³⁵tn Or “my life.”
³⁶tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
³⁷sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.
³⁸tn Heb “among numerous people.”
³⁹tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun rq#v# (“lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).
⁴⁰tn Heb “rejoice.”
⁴¹tn Heb “[do not let] those who hate me without cause pinch [i.e., wink] an eye.” The negative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (see the preceding line). In the Book of Proverbs “winking an eye” is associated with deceit and trickery (see 6:13; 10:10; 16:30).
⁴²tn Heb “for they do not speak peace.”
⁴³tn Heb “but against the quiet ones of the land words of deceit they plan.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 20 highlight their characteristic behavior.
⁴⁴tn Heb “and they cause their mouth to be wide against me.” The prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive here carries on the generalizing mood of the previous verse. For other examples of this use of the prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive, see GKC §111.t.
⁴⁵tn Heb “our eye sees.” Apparently this is an idiom meaning to “look in triumph” or “gloat over” (see Ps 54:7).
⁴⁶tn Heb “you see, O Lord.” There is a deliberate play on words. In v. 21 the enemies say, “our eye sees,” but the psalmist is confident that the Lord “sees” as well, so he appeals to him for help (see also v. 17).
⁴⁷sn Though he is confident that the Lord is aware of his situation (see v. 22a), the psalmist compares the Lord’s inactivity to sleep and urges him to wake up.
⁴⁸tn Heb “for my justice.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “for my cause.”
⁵⁰tn Heb “rejoice.”
⁵¹tn Heb “in their heart[s].”
⁵²tn Heb “Aha! Our desire!” The “desire” of the psalmist’s enemies is to triumph over him.
⁵³tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”
⁵⁴tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle la appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.
⁵⁵tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).
⁵⁶tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the Lord be magnified [in praise].” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the Lord is great.”
⁵⁷tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “and my tongue will proclaim your justice.”
⁵⁹tn Heb “all the day your praise.” The verb “proclaim” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
⁶⁰sn Psalm 36. Though evil men plan to harm others, the psalmist is confident that the Lord is the just ruler of the earth who gives and sustains all life. He prays for divine blessing and protection and anticipates God’s judgment of the wicked.
⁶¹tn In the Hebrew text the word <an (“oracle”) appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the superscription is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked [is] in the midst of my heart” (cf. NIV) apparently means that the psalm, which foresees the downfall of the wicked, is a prophetic oracle about the rebellion of the wicked which emerges from the soul of the psalmist. One could translate, “Here is a poem written as I reflected on the rebellious character of evil men.” Another option, followed in the translation above, is to attach <an (“oracle”) with the superscription. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1.