17:9 Protect me from 1 the wicked men who attack 2 me,
my enemies who crowd around me for the kill. 3
59:7 Look, they hurl insults at me
and openly threaten to kill me, 4
for they say, 5
“Who hears?”
71:10 For my enemies talk about me;
those waiting for a chance to kill me plot my demise. 6
94:6 They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land,
and they murder the fatherless. 7
1 tn Heb “from before”; or “because.” In the Hebrew text v. 9 is subordinated to v. 8. The words “protect me” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 tn Heb “destroy.” The psalmist uses the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of danger. He describes the wicked as being already in the process of destroying him.
3 tn Heb “my enemies, at the risk of life they surround me.” The Hebrew phrase בְּנֶפֶשׁ (bÿnefesh) sometimes has the nuance “at the risk of [one’s] life” (see 1 Kgs 2:23; Prov 7:23; Lam 5:9).
4 tn Heb “look, they gush forth with their mouth, swords [are] in their lips.”
5 tn The words “for they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The following question (“Who hears?”) is spoken by the psalmist’s enemies, who are confident that no one else can hear their threats against the psalmist. They are aggressive because they feel the psalmist is vulnerable and has no one to help him.
6 tn Heb “those who watch for my life consult together.”
7 tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 82:3; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).