143:3 Certainly 1 my enemies 2 chase me.
They smash me into the ground. 3
They force me to live 4 in dark regions, 5
like those who have been dead for ages.
143:4 My strength leaves me; 6
I am absolutely shocked. 7
1 tn Or “for.”
2 tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).
3 tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”
4 tn Or “sit.”
5 sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).
6 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
7 tn Heb “in my midst my heart is shocked.” For a similar use of the Hitpolel of שָׁמֵם (shamem), see Isa 59:16; 63:5.