Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 14 Sept 2014
1. A prayer belonging to David.
Give heed to righteousness, Yahweh; please be attentive to my outcry.
Please give ear to my prayer – it is definitely not [from] lips of deceit.
2. Let the verdict concerning me issue forth from Your presence;
please let Your eyes perceive from things that are right.
3. You have tested my heart [for genuineness]; You have brought accountability [by] night.
You have refined me. You won’t find [anything ];
I have made a plan: never will my mouth transgress.
4. By the word of Your lips, pertaining to the works of mankind,
I myself have guarded [against] paths of robbery,
5. to hold onto my progress in your tracks; my footsteps have never been overthrown.
6. As for me, I called to You because You will answer me, God.
“Incline Your ear to me; hear [what] I’m saying.
7. Savior of those who take refuge from adversaries by Your right hand,
showcase your lovingkindness.”
8. Protect me like You would [the] apple of [your] eye.
In the shadow of Your wings You will hide me
9. from the presence of wicked men which have devastated me.
As for my enemies, with aspiration they form a circle over me.
10. [In] their callousness they have become closed;
as for their mouth, they have spoken with haughtiness.
11. As for our steps, now they have surrounded me;
they set their sights to extend throughout the earth.
12. As for his likeness, he is like a lion longing to tear
and like a young lion dwelling in hiding places.
13. Please arise, Yahweh; please get in front of his face; bend him;
please deliver my soul from the wicked man [with] Your sword -
14. from men [by] Your hand, Yahweh, from worldly men.
Their inheritance is in this life. And [with] Your treasure You will fill their womb;
Their children will be satisfied and their remnant will put their nursing infants to rest.
15. As for me, in righteousness, I will view Your face;
I will be satisfied then during awakening [with] Your likeness.
o In verse 1 we saw that we must pray. We have no spiritual life without it. It is because Jesus is successful as our advocate before the Father that we can pray to the Father ourselves in Jesus’ name. And when we pray, we must be perfectly honest with God – admitting all our sin and also not trying to manipulate Him to do our will instead of His will...
o In v.3 we saw that God does not leave His people to do their own thing. He holds us accountable to His standards and refines us through trials to purify us of sin... but we can be confident in God’s salvation to change us into people who walk in righteousness!
o David’s prayers are based on God’s word which he read before he prayed to God “[A]ccording to the word of Your lips,” he says in verse 4. If we don’t input God’s word into ourselves, how will we know what to say in prayer?
o In verse 5, we saw that we can expect not to slip but rather to be secure and unshakeable.
o In verse 6, we saw that we can have confidence that God will answer.
o In verse 7, we saw that we can have confidence that God will always save those who take refuge in Him... Nearness to God – “by His right hand” – equals safety.
o And in verse 8, we saw two pictures of the intimacy into which we can enter with God and the passion with which He will protect us.
Dr. James Montgomery Boice, in his commentary on Psalm 17 pointed out that this Psalm is a prayer to God for deliverance which presents three logical arguments to make the prayer for deliverance compelling.
9b …As for my enemies, with aspiration[1] they form a circle over me.
This contributes to David’s argument about the justice of his cause. His adversaries are really bad guys, and David is in very real danger!
The picture I get from reading this verse in Hebrew is of David lying wounded on the ground, unable to run or defend himself, and a group of bad guys forms a circle around him, looking down at him with leering faces, laughing at how easy it will be to kill him and take everything he owns.
Literally the Hebrew at the beginning of the verse reads “their fat they closed;” but it is commonly agreed that the word literally translated “fat” is a figure of speech describing the way these enemies have become calloused, insulated from feelings of pity; they have no heart, as it were.
How often the enemies of God have spoken proudly, haughtily, arrogantly, when they thought they would triumph. Pharaoh in Moses’ day, Goliath in David’s day, Rabshakeh in Isaiah’s day, Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins in our day.
But when we point a finger at others, we’ve got four fingers pointing at ourselves. Pride can lead us into a thousand compromises that glorify self instead of God. “Riches and self-indulgence are the fuel upon which some sins feed their flames.” (Charles Spurgeon) Riches and self-indulgence can set us up to very easily turn away from God. Remember the two sins Ezekiel attributed to Sodom and Gomorrah? “Pride and fulness of bread” (Ezek. 16:49). Watch out, America!
There are three things in this verse which make for a variety of translations.
1) It starts with the Hebrew word ashureynu, meaning “our steps”, but the NIV translates it “they have tracked me down” and the Septuagint “They have cast me out.” This is because of a grammatically unexpected word in Hebrew, which I suppose is for poetic effect, but then again, that makes translation more difficult. Delitzsch explains it as, “they have encompassed us (and in fact) our steps, each of our steps (so that we cannot go forwards or backwards with our feet).” The situation is bad; we need God to save us.
Note, it is not just “me” it is “us” – we are in this spiritual war against sin and the devil together, so let us pray for each other to be delivered and consider what our brothers and sisters in the church need to keep them from falling.
2) Later on in the verse, however, it changes to the singular. The original Hebrew says, “they surrounded/compassed me,” but the Masoretic scribes from the 900’s wrote a note suggesting that the tail of the Hebrew letter yod be made longer so that it reads “us” instead of “me,” and the KJV, ESV, and NAS went with that suggestion. The singular “me” is original, as attested by the much more ancient Septuagint, so I think the NIV was right in preserving the singular “me.”
3) Finally, the intent of these bad guys is expressed in another unexpected set of words which literally means “to stretch/extend within the land.” Most translations take this one of two ways,
o either the bad guys are bowing/crouching down to the earth (KJV, LXX),
o or the bad guys are wanting to throw/cast David (or the Messiah) to the ground (ESV, NAS, NIV). The picture here is certainly reminiscent of Psalm 22 which Jesus quoted from the cross, especially the part about the Bulls of Bashan surrounding him.
o However, verse 11 could just as well be translated as the bad guys’ eyes always looking down at the earth instead of up to God. One commentator likened them to a bull that “lowers his head, looks downward, and then concentrates all his force in” his charge against his victim (Spurgeon, quoting Trapp).
o But this phrase could also be translated as the bad guys extending their sights throughout the earth to exercise their tyranny over more and more people. I think this last interpretation fits both the literal meanings of the Hebrew as well as the context of this part of the psalm best. The wicked are confident that they’ve got David in the bag and are setting their sights on gaining even more power.
12. As for his likeness[2], he is like a lion longing[3] to tear and like a young lion dwelling in hiding places.
The poetic repetition of certain letters in this verse in Hebrew led me to put alliteration with the letter “l” in my English translation, and perhaps also influenced the KJV, ESV, and NAS to chose an “l” word to describe what the young lion does, even though that Hebrew verb yashav is not translated “lurk” in the KJV or NASB in all the other thousand or so times it occurs in the Bible (It’s usually translated “sit” or “dwell.”)
The word I translated “longing” has an interesting contrast verse in the Psalms. The only other place in the Psalms this Hebrew word yiksuph appears is to describe what the righteous man longs for: Psalm 84:2 “My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (NKJV) But the wicked, like lions, “long” to rip into somebody with their claws.
We already saw a description of these wicked men back in Psalm 10:8-9. “He sits in ambush by the subdivisions. In the hiding-places he murders an innocent man. As for his eyes, they single out the weakest. He sets an ambush in the hiding-place like a lion in a den.”
Matthew Henry noted “This is fitly applied to Saul, who sought David on the rocks of the wild goats (1Sam. 24:2) and in the wilderness of Ziph (Ps. 26:2), where lions used to lurk for their prey.”
And because there are wicked people genuinely out to get him, David prays for God’s deliverance.
13. Please arise, Yahweh; please get in front of[4] his face; bend him; please deliver my soul from the wicked man [with] Your sword -
The poetry of this verse paints a picture in my mind of the mighty God striding out in front of David, grabbing David’s enemy by the collar, and giving him what-for –literally getting “in front of his face” and “confronting” him. Then, as God releases the terrified enemy, He kinda pushes on the enemy’s head, forcing the enemy to bow down to the ground in front of God in total submission, never to bother David again.
Do we have a savior who can do that? Yes we do! Not only that, but our savior has the lethal force to back up His confrontation; He has a sword.
o Four times in the book of Revelation, Jesus is pictured as having a sword (Rev. 19:15 “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” NKJV, cf. Revelation 1:16; 2:16; 19:21)
o In the Psalms, the next three times the Hebrew verb “bend/cast down/bring low/subdue” occurs, it refers to the enemy dying (Ps. 18:39 “For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. NKJV cf. 20:8 & 22:29).
o The threat against David is serious, so David is calling in the big guns, as it were.
o “Let the lion spring upon us, if Jehovah steps between we need no better defence. When God meets our foe face to face in battle, the conflict will soon be over.” ~Spurgeon
14. from men [by] Your hand, Yahweh, from worldly men. Their inheritance is in this life. And [with] Your treasure You will fill[5] their womb; Their children[6] will be satisfied and their remnant will put their nursing infants to rest.
The hand of the Lord delivering from men seems to be parallel the sword of the Lord in v. 13 delivering from the wicked.
In v.14, the wicked are further defined as being men of this world, men who are focused on the temporal things of life in the world which is passing away.
The contrast to the temporal, this-worldly inheritance of the wicked is the inheritance of the righteous mentioned in the previous psalm (16:5) “Yahweh is the allotment of my inheritance and my cup. You Yourself are holding onto my lot” (NAW)
I like the the ESV translation “you fill their womb with treasure” instead of filling their belly (KJV) or stilling their hunger (NIV), because “womb” is one of the common meanings for the Hebrew word beten, and it forms a clear parallel with the next phrase about their children. Children are indeed a treasure from the Lord.
“A generous man does not deny dogs their bones; and our generous God gives even his enemies enough to fill them…” ~Charles Spurgeon
“God, by satisfying their desires which are confined to the outward and sensuous only, absolutely deprives them of all claim to possessions that extend beyond the world and this present temporal life.” ~ Franz Delitzsch
The bad guys get children in this life and give possessions to them. This is not to say that children are not something God gives to Godly people too (viz. Ps. 127:3, 128:3.), but rather this is a prime example of where worldly people get their satisfaction. Is it possible to make our family such a consuming focus to our lives that it becomes idolatrous? Yes. If it chokes out our nurture of our personal walk with God and chokes out our engagement with the church, it is idolatrous.
By contrast, the “I” in v.15 is satisfied simply with seeing the Lord.
Earlier in v.2 as well as back in Psalm 11, David has spoken of the Lord beholding us.
o Psalm 11:7 “Because Yahweh is righteous, He has loved righteous things, [and] His face will see [the] one who is right.” (NAW)
o Cf. v.2. “Let the verdict concerning me issue forth from Your presence; please let Your eyes perceive from things that are right”.
But now David is talking about himself beholding the “face” and “likeness“ of God[8].
The “face” and the “likeness” in this verse are in parallel, speaking of the same thing.
The Hebrew word tamunah “likeness” only occurs 9 other times in the O.T. Two of these times are in the two times the Ten Commandments are listed – Ex. 20 and Deut 5: "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God… (Exodus 20:4-5, NKJV)
o In the Hebrew mind, there was a great vacuum when it came to what God looked like. God never did reveal His tamunah likeness to the Jews (Deut. 4:12-15), and then in the Ten Commandments, He commanded them not to try to make any tamunah likeness to represent Him, so there is this forbidden unknown when it comes to God,
o yet here David is stating confidently that in the awakening he is finally going to see the tamunah of God, and it is going to satisfy that vacuum in his mind. He will see His deliverer face to face.
Framed thus, I think we need to interpret the “awakening” figuratively to speak of the resurrection and not literally to just speak of sleeping at night.[9]
Daniel clearly used this word “awake” to speak of the resurrection: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2, NKJV)
Cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12a, NKJV “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face…”
“And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there…” Revelation 22:3-5, NKJV
That will be glorious! David looked forward to it, and so can we!
But notice that David didn’t say that just anybody in any condition could see God’s likeness and be satisfied. Only those who are “in righteousness” will see God’s likeness and be satisfied.
o This goes back to v.1 where the importance of righteousness is imbedded in David’s prayer.
o Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 NKJV. The pure in heart, in righteousness will see God.
o The Apostle John also talks about this in his first epistle: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3, NKJV
How do we get purified so as to be pure in heart and living “in righteousness”? We must be “clothed with Christ's righteousness… by faith behold God's face and set him always before us… when we awake every morning, we must be satisfied with his likeness set before us in his word, and with his likeness stamped upon us by his renewing grace.” ~Matthew Henry
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Ps. 17 |
NAW |
KJV |
NKJV |
ESV |
NASB |
NIV |
LXX (16) |
Brenton |
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א תְּפִלָּה לְדָוִד שִׁמְעָה יְהוָה צֶדֶק הַקְשִׁיבָה רִנָּתִי הַאֲזִינָה תְפִלָּתִי בְּלֹא שִׂפְתֵי מִרְמָה. |
1. A prayer belonging to David. |
1 A Prayer of David. Hear [the] right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips. |
1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just [cause], O LORD, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. |
1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just [cause], O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer [from] lips free of deceit! |
1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just [cause], O LORD, give heed to my cry; Give ear to my prayer, [which] is not [from] deceitful lips. |
1 A prayer of David. Hear, O LORD, [my] righteous [plea]; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer— it does not [rise from] deceitful lips. |
1 Προσευχὴ τοῦ Δαυιδ. Εἰσάκουσον, κύριε, [τῆς] δικαιοσύνης [μου], πρόσχες τῇ δεήσει μου, ἐνώτισαι τῆς προσευχῆς μου οὐκ [ἐν] χείλεσιν δολίοις. |
1 A prayer of David. Hearken, O Lord [of my] righteousness, attend to my petition; give ear to my prayer not [uttered with] deceitful lips. |
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ב מִלְּפָנֶיךָ מִשְׁפָּטִי יֵצֵא עֵינֶיךָ תֶּחֱזֶינָה מֵישָׁרִים. |
2. Let the verdict concerning me issue forth from Your presence; please let Your eyes perceive from things that are right. |
2 Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal. |
2 Let my vindication come from Your presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright. |
2 From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right! |
2 Let my judgment come forth from Your presence; Let Your eyes look with equity. |
2 May my vindication come from you X; may your eyes see what is right. |
2 ἐκ
προσώπου σου
τὸ κρίμα
μου ἐξέλθοι,
οἱ ὀφθαλμοί |
2 Let my
judgment come forth from thy presence; let |
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ג בָּחַנְתָּ לִבִּי פָּקַדְתָּ לַּיְלָה צְרַפְתַּנִי בַל תִּמְצָא זַמֹּתִי בַּל יַעֲבָר פִּי. |
3. You have tested my heart [for genuineness]; You have brought accountability [by] night. You have refined me. You won’t find [anything[10]]; I have made a plan: never will my mouth transgress[11]. |
3 Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me [in the] night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. |
3 You have tested my heart; You have visited me [in the] night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. |
3 You have tried my heart, you have visited me [by] night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. |
3 You have tried my heart; You have visited me [by] night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. |
3
[Though] you probe
my heart and examine
me at night, though you test
me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not |
3 ἐδοκίμασας
τὴν καρδίαν
μου, ἐπεσκέψω
νυκτός· ἐπύρωσάς
με, καὶ οὐχ
εὑρέθη ἐν
ἐμοὶ ἀδικία.
ὅπως ἂν μὴ λαλήσῃ
τὸ στόμα μου
τὰ ἔργα τῶν
ἀνθρώπ |
3 Thou
has proved mine heart; thou hast visited[lit. overseen] [me] by night; thou hast tried me as with fire,
and |
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ד לִפְעֻלּוֹת אָדָם בִּדְבַר שְׂפָתֶיךָ אֲנִי שָׁמַרְתִּי אָרְחוֹת פָּרִיץ׃ |
4. By the word of Your lips, pertaining to the works of mankind, I myself have guarded [against] paths of robbery, |
4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from [the] paths of [the] destroyer. |
4 Concerning the works of men, By the word of Your lips, I have kept away [from the] paths of [the] destroyer. |
4 With regard
to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have |
4 As for
the |
4 As for
the |
4 διὰ
τοὺς λόγ |
4 .By
the words of thy lips I have guarded
[ |
|
ה תָּמֹךְ אֲשֻׁרַי בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתֶיךָ בַּל נָמוֹטּוּ פְעָמָי ׃ |
5. to hold onto my progress in your tracks[13]; my footsteps[14] have never been overthrown. |
5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. |
5 Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip. |
5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. |
5 My steps have held fast to Your paths. My feet have not slipped. |
5 My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped. |
5 κατάρτισαι[15] τὰ διαβήματά μου ἐν ταῖς τρίβοις σου, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶσιν τὰ διαβήματά μου. |
5 Direct my steps in thy paths, that my steps slip not. |
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ו אֲנִי קְרָאתִיךָ כִי תַעֲנֵנִי אֵל הַט אָזְנְךָ לִי שְׁמַע אִמְרָתִי ׃ |
6. As for me, I called to You because You will answer me, God. “Incline Your ear to me; hear [what] I’m saying. |
6 I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech. |
6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. |
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. |
6 I have called upon You, for You will answer me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech. |
6 I call
on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my |
6 ἐγὼ |
6 I have
|
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ז הַפְלֵה חֲסָדֶיךָ מוֹשִׁיעַ חוֹסִים מִמִּתְקוֹמְמִים בִּימִינֶךָ ׃ |
7. Savior of those who take refuge from adversaries by Your right hand, showcase your lovingkindness.” |
7 Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them. |
7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them. |
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. |
7 Wondrously show Your lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand From those who rise up against them. |
7 Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from [their] foes. |
7 θαυμάστωσον[16] τὰ ἐλέη σου, ὁ σῴζων τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ σὲ ἐκ [τῶν] ἀνθεστηκότων τῇ δεξιᾷ σου. |
7 Shew the marvels of thy mercies, thou that savest them that hope in thee from [the] adversaries. |
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ח שָׁמְרֵנִי כְּאִישׁוֹן בַּת עָיִן בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ תַּסְתִּירֵנִי ׃ |
8. Protect me like You would [the] apple of [your] eye[17]. In the shadow of Your wings You will hide me |
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, |
8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, |
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, |
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings |
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings |
8 φύλαξόν με ὡς κόραν ὀφθαλμοῦ· ἐν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου σκεπάσεις με |
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye from those that resist thy right hand: thou shalt screen me by the covering of thy wings, |
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ט מִפְּנֵי רְשָׁעִים זוּ שַׁדּוּנִי אֹיְבַי בְּנֶפֶשׁ יַקִּיפוּ עָלָי ׃ |
9. from the presence of wicked men which have devastated me. As for my enemies, with aspiration they form a circle over me. |
9 From X the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about. |
9 From X the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me. |
9 from X the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me. |
9 From X the wicked who despoil me, My deadly enemies who surround me. |
9 from X the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. |
9 ἀπὸ προσώπου ἀσεβῶν X τῶν ταλαιπωρησάντων με. οἱ ἐχθροί μου τὴν ψυχήν μου περιέσχον[18]· |
9 from the face of the ungodly that have afflicted me: mine enemies have compassed about my soul. |
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י חֶלְבָּמוֹ סָּגְרוּ פִּימוֹ דִּבְּרוּ בְגֵאוּת ׃ |
10. [In] their callousness they have become closed; as for their mouth, they have spoken with haughtiness. |
10 They are inclosed in their own fat: [with] their mouth they speak proudly. |
10 They have closed up their fat hearts; [With] their mouths they speak proudly. |
10 They
close their |
10 They have closed their unfeeling heart, With their mouth they speak proudly. |
10 They close up their callous [hearts], and their mouths speak with arrogance. |
10 τὸ στέαρ αὐτῶν συνέκλεισαν[19], τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ἐλάλησεν ὑπερηφανίαν. |
10 They have enclosed [themselves with] their own fat: their mouth has spoken pride. |
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יא אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ עַתָּה kסבבוני [qסְבָבוּנוּ] עֵינֵיהֶם יָשִׁיתוּ לִנְטוֹת בָּאָרֶץ ׃ |
11. As for our steps, now they have surrounded me; they set their sights to extend throughout the earth. |
11 They have now compassed usq [in] our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth; |
11 They have now surrounded usq [in] our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, |
11 They have now surrounded our steps; they set their eyes to cast [us] to the ground. |
11 They have now surrounded usq [in] our steps; They set their eyes to cast us down to the ground. |
11 They
have tracked |
11 ἐκβάλλοντές[20] |
11 They
have now cast |
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יב דִּמְיֹנוֹ כְּאַרְיֵה יִכְסוֹף לִטְרוֹף וְכִכְפִיר יֹשֵׁב בְּמִסְתָּרִים. ׃ |
12. As for his likeness, he is like a lion longing to tear and like a young lion dwelling in hiding places. |
12 Like as a lion that
is greedy of his prey,
and as it were a young lion |
12 X As a lion is eager to tear |
12 X He is like a lion eager to tear, as a
young lion |
12 X He is like a lion
that is eager to tear,
And as a young lion |
12 X They are like a
lion hungry |
12 |
12 |
|
יג קוּמָה יְהוָה קַדְּמָה פָנָיו הַכְרִיעֵהוּ פַּלְּטָה נַפְשִׁי מֵרָשָׁע חַרְבֶּךָ ׃ |
13. Please arise, Yahweh; please get in front of his face; bend him; please deliver my soul from the wicked man [with] Your sword - |
13 Arise,
O LORD, |
13 Arise, O LORD, Confront him X, cast him down; Deliver my life from the wicked [with] Your sword, |
13 Arise, O LORD! Confront him X, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked [by] your sword, |
13 Arise, O LORD, confront him X, bring him low; Deliver my soul from the wicked [with] Your sword, |
13 Rise
up, O LORD, confront
|
13
ἀνάστηθι,
κύριε, πρόφθασον
αὐτ |
13 Arise,
O Lord, prevent |
|
יד מִמְתִים יָדְךָ יְהוָה מִמְתִים מֵחֶלֶד חֶלְקָם בַּחַיִּים וצפינך [וּצְפוּנְךָ] תְּמַלֵּא בִטְנָם יִשְׂבְּעוּ בָנִים וְהִנִּיחוּ יִתְרָם לְעוֹלְלֵיהֶם ׃ |
14. from men [by] Your hand, Yahweh, from worldly men. Their inheritance is in this life. And [with] Your treasure You will fill their womb; Their children will be satisfied and their remnant will put their nursing infants to rest. |
14 From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men [of[24]] the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest [with] thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. |
14 [With] Your hand from men, O LORD, From men [of] the world who have their portion in this life, And whose belly You fill [with] Your hidden [treasure]. They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their possession for their babes. |
14 from men [by] your hand, O LORD, from men [of] the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb [with] X treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. |
14 From men [with] Your hand, O LORD, From men [of] the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill [with] Your treasure; They are satisfied with children, And leave their abundance to their babes. |
14 O
LORD, [by] your hand |
14 ἀπὸ |
14 [because
of] [more literally “from”]
[the] |
|
טו אֲנִי בְּצֶדֶק אֶחֱזֶה פָנֶיךָ אֶשְׂבְּעָה בְהָקִיץ תְּמוּנָתֶךָ ׃ |
15. As for me, in righteousness, I will view Your face; I will be satisfied then[29] during awakening [with] Your likeness. |
15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. |
15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. |
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. |
15 As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake. |
15 [And] I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. |
15 ἐγὼ [δὲ]
ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ
ὀφθήσομαι τῷ
προσώπῳ σου, χορτασθήσομαι
ἐν τῷ |
15 [But] I shall appear [lit “will see for myself”] in righteousness before thy face: I shall be satisfied when thy glory appears. |
[1] Nephesh, at root, means “life-breath.” It seems to be used here as it is in Psalm 27:12 & 41:2 – delivered up to the nephesh of enemies, cf. Ezek. 25:15 “the Philistines dealt vengefully [nacham] and took vengeance [nacham] with a spiteful nephesh, to destroy because of the old hatred.” I thought that “aspiration” would capture both the idea of breath and the idea of anticipation which animates the violent actions of David’s enemies.
[2] This Hebrew word is rare, only occurring here according to Strong, but with the same Hebrew consonantal spelling in Psalm 48:9 and Isaiah 1:9, where it also means “likeness.” Here it doubles the c- prepositional prefix (“like”) on the Hebrew word for “lion.”
[3] The only other places this word occur in the Bible are Genesis 31:30, Job 14:15, and Zephaniah 2:1. As a side-note, the pairing of “lion” and “tearing” is in Moses’ blessing on Gad in Deut. 33:20, and David used them earlier in Psalm 7:2, and it comes up again in Psalm 22.
[4] I think there’s some poetic alliteration going on here with qumah “arise” and qadmah “go before/confront.” The latter verb interestingly has the same range of meaning that “go before” has in English – both “to get in front of” (the original meaning of the old English “pre-vent”) and “to enter into the presence of in order to meet for some reason.” (The Piel spelling does not have emphatic significance, however, since there is no Qal spelling.) The word “face” is there in Hebrew, but is dropped by most English versions.
[5] This Piel form for “fill” appears to be more emphatic than a regular Qal would be.
[6] The words for “children” and “remnant” are in the Subject position in the Hebrew text, and that is the way the NIV, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, Vulgate, and Calvin rendered them, but they could just as well be translated as objects, like all the other translations in my list (plus Luther, Plumer and Delitzsch) have done.
[7] I am interpreting the paragogic He at the end of the Hebrew verb “I will be satisfied” as pointing to a specific time when he will be satisfied, namely when he “awakes.”
[8] Delitzsch “To the Old Testament believer, all the blessedness and glory of the future life, which the New Testament unfolds, is shut up in Jahve. Jahve is his highest good, and possessing Him he is raised above heaven and earth, above life and death. To yield implicitly to Him, without any explicit knowledge of a blessed future life, to be satisfied with Him, to rest in Him, to hide in Him in the face of death, is the characteristic of the Old Testament faith.”
[9] The previous mention of “waking” was in Psalm 3:5 “I lie down sleep and I awaken again because the Lord sustains me,” which seems to be talking about waking up in the morning after a night’s sleep, but the use of “awake” the time before that was by Job in Job 14:12, which seems to be talking about resurrection from death.
[10] A number of classic translations add a word not in the Hebrew: Chaldee “no corruption,” Syriac “no iniquity,” Septuagint “unrighteousness,” Vulgate & Ethiopic “iniquity,” Arabic & Book of Common Prayer “wickedness.”
[11] Delitzsch, following Calvin and the Chaldee version depart from most other translations by interpreting the “mouth” as the object rather than the subject of the verb, cf. Prov. 30:32b, where the same key words reappear, “If you thought evil, lay your hand over your mouth!” It is worthy of consideration.
[12] Sym. = parabatou
[13] The word for “paths” in this verse is actually a different Hebrew word than the Hebrew word in v.4. In 1 Sam. 17 and 26, it shows up as the grounds where an army is camping. However, its entomology also seems to connote something that is circular (giyl), thus some translators refer it to wagon wheels or tracks. At any rate, it is the word in Psalm 23, “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
[14] The Hebrew words which most English versions translate “steps” and “feet” are poetic words that have to do with repetitive forward motion and are not the regular word for feet, so I translated them “progress” and “footsteps.”
[15] Aquil. = antilabesqai (“to keep [my steps] behind [you]”), Theod. = teleiwson
[16] Theod. = paradoxason
[17] “בַּת עַיִן is the eyeball, not the tears” commented Keil on Lamentations 2:18, the only other passage in the Hebrew Bible where this phrase occurs. But of this passage in Psalm 17, Delitzsch commented, “אִישֹׁון… in the diminutive and endearing sense of the termination on: the ‘little man’ … בַּת־עַיִן … ‘daughter of the eye’… the saint knows himself to be so near to God, that, as it were, his image in miniature is mirrored in the great eye of God.”
[18] Sym. = ekuklwsan
[19] Sym. apefraghsan (fenced away)
[20] Sym. = makarizonteV (blessed?)
[21] Sym. = etaxan (prepared?)
[22] Plumer agreed with the KJV, citing Isa. 10: 5, where the Assyrian is called the “rod” of God's anger.
[23] Aq. = Kamyon, Sym. = oklason , Theod. = omoiwV (like)
[24] “Men” (mimtim) is not construct, so the word “of” in “men of” is actually an addition in the English translations.
[25] Aq. = teqnhkotwn (killers?), Sym. = maceiran (fighters?)
[26] Aq. = teqnhkotwn, Sym. = nekrwn (“dead men” – the Hebrew word metim could be construed as “dead ones,” as the root mut means “die,” although BDB traces the root of this word to mati, which means “to extend/be long, and with this Delitzsch agreed”)
[27] Aq. = katadusewV meroV, Sym. = endedukotwn h meriV
[28] Aq. emplhswhsontai, Sym. = cortasqhsontai, Augustine seemed to think the more reliable Greek reading is “filled with swine’s flesh” instead of “filled with children.”
[29] I am interpreting the paragogic He at the end of the Hebrew verb “I will be satisfied” as pointing to a specific time when he will be satisfied, namely when he “awakes.”
[30] Aq. & Sym. = ecupnisqe (“I wake from sleep”)
[31]
Sym. = omoiwsewV (“likeness”),
Theod. = dexian (right
hand)