Psalms 5:6

You destroy ¹  liars; ²  the Lord despises ³  violent and deceitful people. ⁴ 

Ge 34:14,25,26; 2Sa 16:8; 2Sa 20:1; Ps 4:2; Ps 26:8-10; Ps 43:1; Ps 55:23; Isa 26:21; Ro 1:29; Re 21:8; Re 22:15

¹ tn The imperfect verbal form indicates God’s typical response to such individuals. Another option is to translate the verb as future (“You will destroy”); the psalmist may be envisioning a time of judgment when God will remove the wicked from the scene.

² tn Heb “those who speak a lie.” In the OT a “lie” does not refer in a general philosophical sense to any statement that fails to correspond to reality. Instead it refers more specifically to a slanderous and/or deceitful statement that promotes one’s own selfish, sinful interests and/or exploits or harms those who are innocent. Note the emphasis on violence and deceit in the following line.

³ tn The imperfect verbal form highlights the Lord’s characteristic attitude toward such individuals.

⁴ tn Heb “a man of bloodshed and deceit.” The singular אִישׁ (’ish, “man”) is used here in a collective or representative sense; thus the translation “people” is appropriate here. Note the plural forms in vv. 5-6a.