62:4 They 1 spend all their time planning how to bring him 2 down. 3
They love to use deceit; 4
they pronounce blessings with their mouths,
but inwardly they utter curses. 5 (Selah)
62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;
human beings are unreliable. 6
When they are weighed in the scales,
all of them together are lighter than air. 7
1 tn That is, the psalmist’s enemies addressed in the previous verse.
2 tn That is, the generic “man” referred to in the previous verse.
3 tn Heb “only from his lofty place [or perhaps, “dignity”] they plan to drive [him] away.”
4 tn Heb “they delight [in] a lie.”
5 sn The enemies use deceit to bring down their victim. They make him think they are his friends by pronouncing blessings upon him, but inwardly they desire his demise.
6 tn Heb “only a breath [are] the sons of mankind, a lie [are] the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, a number of interpreters and translators treat these expressions as polar opposites, בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.
7 tn The noun הֶבֶל (hevel), translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again here.