38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 1
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
38:13 But I am like a deaf man – I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak. 2
38:14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense. 3
1 tn Heb “lay snares.”
2 sn I am like a deaf man…like a mute. The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to his enemies’ deception (see v. 14).
3 tn Heb “and there is not in his mouth arguments.”