17:11 They attack me, now they surround me; 1
they intend to throw me to the ground. 2
22:12 Many bulls 3 surround me;
powerful bulls of Bashan 4 hem me in.
88:17 They surround me like water all day long;
they join forces and encircle me. 5
97:2 Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne. 6
109:3 They surround me and say hateful things; 7
they attack me for no reason.
125:2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, 8
so the Lord surrounds his people,
now and forevermore.
1 tc Heb “our steps, now they surround me.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “surround me,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has “surround us,” harmonizing the pronoun to the preceding “our steps.” The first person plural pronoun does not fit the context, where the psalmist speaks as an individual. In the preceding verses the psalmist uses a first person singular verbal or pronominal form twenty times. For this reason it is preferable to emend “our steps” to אִשְּׁרוּנִי (’ishÿruni, “they attack me”) from the verbal root אָשֻׁר (’ashur, “march, stride, track”).
2 tn Heb “their eyes they set to bend down in the ground.”
3 sn The psalmist figuratively compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.
4 sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.
5 tn Heb “they encircle me together.”
6 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
7 tn Heb “and [with] words of hatred they surround me.”
8 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.