Discovery BoxPsalms 94:3-6 
Context94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,
how long will the wicked celebrate? 1
94:4 They spew out threats 2 and speak defiantly;
all the evildoers boast. 3
94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;
they oppress the nation that belongs to you. 4
94:6 They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land,
and they murder the fatherless. 5
Psalms 94:20-21
Context94:20 Cruel rulers 6 are not your allies,
those who make oppressive laws. 7
94:21 They conspire against 8 the blameless, 9
and condemn to death the innocent. 10
1 tn Or “exult.”
2 tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”
3 tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).
4 tn Or “your inheritance.”
5 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).
6 tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.
7 tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its rhetorical force.
8 tn Or “attack.”
9 tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”
10 tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”
