Discovery BoxPsalms 41:6-9 
Context41:6 When someone comes to visit, 1 he pretends to be friendly; 2
he thinks of ways to defame me, 3
and when he leaves he slanders me. 4
41:7 All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another; 5
they plan ways to harm me.
‘An awful disease 7 overwhelms him, 8
and now that he is bed-ridden he will never recover.’ 9
41:9 Even my close friend 10 whom I trusted,
he who shared meals with me, has turned against me. 11
1 tn Heb “to see.”
2 tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”
3 tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”
4 tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”
5 tn Heb “together against me they whisper, all those who hate me.” The Hitpael of לָחַשׁ (lakhash) refers here to whispering to one another (see 2 Sam 12:19).
6 tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what the psalmist’s enemies say about him (see v. 7a).
7 tn Heb “thing of worthlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.
8 tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of יָצַק (yatsaq) is used.
9 tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”
10 tn Heb “man of my peace.” The phrase here refers to one’s trusted friend (see Jer 38:22; Obad 7).
11 tn Heb “has made a heel great against me.” The precise meaning of this phrase, which appears only here, is uncertain.
sn The language of this verse is applied to Judas Iscariot in John 13:18.
