114:1 When Israel left Egypt,
when the family of Jacob left a foreign nation behind, 2
139:5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; 3
a viper’s 4 venom is behind 5 their lips. (Selah)
1 sn Psalm 114. The psalmist recalls the events of the exodus and conquest and celebrates God’s kingship over his covenant people.
2 tn Heb “the house of Jacob from a nation speaking a foreign language.” The Hebrew verb לָעַז (la’at, “to speak a foreign language”) occurs only here in the OT.
3 tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”
4 tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.
5 tn Heb “under.”