118:6 The Lord is on my side, 1 I am not afraid!
What can people do to me? 2
118:7 The Lord is on my side 3 as my helper. 4
I look in triumph on those who hate me.
118:13 “You aggressively attacked me 5 and tried to knock me down, 6
but the Lord helped me.
1 tn Heb “for me.”
2 tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.
3 tn Heb “for me.”
4 tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect.
5 tn Heb “pushing, you pushed me.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea. The psalmist appears to address the nations as if they were an individual enemy. Some find this problematic and emend the verb form (which is a Qal perfect second masculine singular with a first person singular suffix) to נִדְחֵיתִי (nidkheti), a Niphal perfect first common singular, “I was pushed.”
6 tn Heb “to fall,” i.e., “that [I] might fall.”