5:8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness 1
because of those who wait to ambush me, 2
remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me! 3
101:8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,
and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
102:26 They will perish,
but you will endure. 4
They will wear out like a garment;
like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. 5
125:5 As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, 6
may the Lord remove them, 7 along with those who behave wickedly! 8
May Israel experience peace! 9
1 tn God’s providential leading is in view. His צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) includes here the deliverance that originates in his righteousness; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 842 s.v.
2 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.
3 tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is Hiphil in the Kethib (consonantal text); Piel in the Qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).
4 tn Heb “stand.”
5 tn The Hebrew verb חָלַף (khalaf) occurs twice in this line, once in the Hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the Qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement.
6 tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.
7 tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the
8 tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”
9 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).