Psalms 37:35

I have seen ruthless evil men ¹  growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. ² 

I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.

I myself have seen it happen––proud and evil people thriving like mighty trees.

I saw Wicked bloated like a toad, croaking pretentious nonsense.

I have seen the evil-doer in great power, covering the earth like a great tree.

I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.

I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree.

I have seen ruthless evil men ¹  growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. ² 

¹ tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.

² tn Heb “being exposed [?] like a native, luxuriant.” The Hebrew form מִתְעָרֶה (mit’areh) appears to be a Hitpael participle from עָרָה (’arah, “be exposed”), but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of מִתְעָלָה (“giving oneself an air of importance”; see Jer 51:3), from עָלָה (’alah, “go up”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 296). The noun אֶזְרָח (’ezrakh, “native, full citizen”) refers elsewhere to people, but here, where it is collocated with “luxuriant, green,” it probably refers to a tree growing in native soil.