Psalm 55:8-15 – Responding to Trauma & Betrayal

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 10 Dec. 2023

Introduction:

vs. 9 Petition to Punish Enemies

    1. Hamas/violence – Absalom was threatening to use the edge of the sword against anyone in Jerusalem who stood in his way, and his first act as king in Jerusalem was to rape a bunch of women. That is violence; that calls for God to bring justice.

    1. The second evil David mentions is riv, which can mean “strife” as in “military warfare” or in terms of “courtroom litigation.”

vs. 10-11 The Wickedness of the Wicked

vs. 12-14 The Betrayal By a Close Friend

vs. 15-16 Doom of the Ungodly & Salvation of those who Call upon the Lord

    1. The oldest commentaries I read were by Augustine and by John Calvin. Both of them underscored the importance of having no anger or revenge in your heart when you pray. “In imprecating this curse he was not influenced by any bad feeling towards them, and must be understood as speaking not in his own cause but in that of God, and under the immediate guidance of his Spirit. This was no wish uttered in a moment of resentment or of reckless and ill-considered zeal, and which would justify us in launching maledictions against our enemies upon every trivial provocation. The spirit of revenge differs widely from the holy and regulated fervor with which David prays for the judgment of God against wicked men, who had already been doomed to everlasting destruction.” ~J. Calvin, 1554 AD

    2. Another principle is that your prayers need to be in pursuit of what you know God’s will to be, not petty personal wishes. “His prayers against them… we are both to stand in awe of and to comfort ourselves in, as prophecies, but not to copy into our prayers against any particular enemies of our own.” ~Matthew Henry, 1714 AD

    3. And yet we should aggressively pursue what we know God’s will to be and not pull any punches when we pray against evil: “Read the words as a warrior's imprecation… The soldier, as such, desires the overthrow of his foes, for this very end he fights; and viewed as a matter of law and justice, David was right in his wish; he was waging a just, defensive war... pity to rebels against God, as such, is no virtue - we pray for them as creatures, we abhor them as enemies of God. We need in these days far more to guard against the disguised iniquity which sympathises with evil, and counts punishment to be cruelty, than against the harshness of a former age.” ~Charles Spurgeon, 1885 AD

    4. We are not our own personal saviors, we pray because we are going to God to deliver us from evil. “We have much to learn from the Psalmist here. Often when I am attacked, I want to fight back… I want to set people straight about the true character of that rumor monger who is running me down. I want to give as good as I get, and then some. The psalmist calls out to God for refuge (the ability to stand up to the attacks of the enemy), rescue (deliverance from the distress and danger), and redress (setting things right).” ~G. Wilson, 2002 AD


Psalm 55:8-16 Side-by side comparison of versionsA

Vulgate (Ps. 54)B

LXXC
(Ps. 54)

Brenton (Vaticanus)D

KJVE

NAW

Masoretic TxtF

PeshittaG

9 expecta­bam eum qui salvum me fecit a pusillanim­itate spiritus [et] a tempestate

9 προσεδεχ­όμηνH τὸν σῴζοντάI με ἀπὸ Jὀλιγο­ψυχίας καὶ καταιγίδοςK.

8 I waited for him that should deliver me from dis­tress of spirit and tempest.

8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.

8 I will hurry to the one who brings deliverance to me from the rushing wind – from the storm.

(ט) אָחִישָׁה מִפְלָטL לִי מֵרוּחַ סֹעָהM מִסָּעַר.

9 [ו]כתרת [למן] דמפצא לי מן רוחא X דעלעלא

10 praecip­itaN Domi­ne divide linguas eorum quoniam vidi iniquit­atem et con­tradictionem in civitate

10 κατα­πόντισον, κύριε, [καὶ] καταδίελε τὰςO γλώσ­σας αὐτῶν, ὅτι εἶδον ἀνομίαν καὶ ἀντιλογίαν ἐν τῇ πόλειP.

9 DestroyQ, O Lord, [and] divide their tongues: for I have seen iniquity and gainsaying in the city.

9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

9 Put [them] down, my Master! Split up their languages! For I have seen violence and contention in the city!

(י) בַּלַּעR אֲדֹנָיS פַּלַּגT לְשׁוֹנָם כִּי רָאִיתִי חָמָס וְרִיבU בָּעִיר.

10 טבע
מרי הופכא Vדלשׁניהון מטל דחזית חרינא ודינא בקריתא

11 die et nocte circumdabit eam super muros eius et iniquitas et labor in medio eius

11 ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς κυκλώσει αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη αὐτῆς, X ἀνομία καὶ κόποςW
ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆςX

10 Day and night he shall go round about it upon its walls: X iniq­uity and sorrow are in the midst of it;

10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls there­of: mischief also and sor­row are in the midst of it.

10 Day and night they circulate around her - upon her walls, and iniquity and trouble are close to her,

(יא) יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה יְסוֹבְבֻהָY עַל חוֹמֹתֶיהָ וְאָוֶן וְעָמָל Z בְּקִרְבָּהּ.

11[ב]איממא ובלליא כריכין X לשׁוריה Xעולא ושׁוקרא AAבגוה

12 [et] iniustitia X X X et non defecit de plateis eius usura et dolus

[καὶ] ἀδικ­ίαAB X X X, 12 καὶ οὐκ ἐξέλιπ­ενAC ἐκ τῶν πλα­τειῶν αὐτῆς τόκοςAD καὶ δόλοςAE.

[and] unright­eousness X X X 11 and usury and craft have not failed from its street[s].

11 Wicked­ness is in the midst thereof: X deceit and guile depart not from her street[s].

11 {as well as} empty-desire {}. Indeed, divisiveness and deceit do not budge from her mall{s}.

(יב) הַוּוֹתAF בְּקִרְבָּהּAG וְלֹא יָמִישׁAH מֵרְחֹבָהּAI תֹּךְAJ וּמִרְמָה.

12 [ו]עתא XXXAK ולא ענד מן שׁוקיה תוכא ונכלא

13 quoniam si inimicus maledixisset mihi sustinuissem utique et si is qui oderat me super me magna loc­utus fuisset abscondissem me forsit­an ab eo

13 ὅτι εἰ ἐχθρὸς ὠνείδισένAL με, X ὑπ­ήνεγκαAM ἄν, καὶ εἰ ὁ μισῶν με ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ ἐμεγαλορ­ρημόνησεν, ἐκρύβην ἂν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ.

12 For if an enemy had reproached me, X I would have en­dured it; and if one who hated me had spoken vauntingly against me, X I would have hid myself from him.

12 For it was not an enemy that re­proached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:

12 For it is not an enemy who insults me (in which case I could bear it) – it’s not one who hates me who increases against me (in which case I could hide myself from him),

(יג) כִּי לֹאAN אוֹיֵב יְחָרְפֵנִיAO וְאֶשָּׂא לֹאAP מְשַׂנְאִי עָלַי הִגְדִּיל וְאֶסָּתֵר מִמֶּנּוּ.

13 לא הוא גיר [בעלדבבי] חסדני דאסיבר [אף] לא סנאי אתתריםAQ עלי דאטשׁא מנה

14 tu vero homo unianimis X dux meus et notus meus

14 σὺ δέ, ἄνθρωπε ἰσόψυχεAR X, ἡγεμώνAS μου καὶ γνωστέ μου,

13 But thou, O man like X minded, my guide, and my acquain­tance,

13 But it was thou, a man X mine equal, my guide, and mine acqua­intance.

13 but it is you, a man according to my rank, my clan-leader, and known to me,

(יד) וְאַתָּהAT אֱנוֹשׁAU כְּעֶרְכִּיAV אַלּוּפִיAW וּמְיֻדָּעִיAX.

14 Xאנת הו ברנשׁא דאכותי קריבי ורחמי

15 qui simul mecum dulces capiebas cibos in domo Dei ambulavi­mus cum consensu

15 ὃς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό [μοι] ἐγλύκανας ἐδέσματαAY, ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπορεύ­θημεν ἐν ὁμονοίᾳAZ·

14 who in companion­ship with me sweet­ened [our] food: we walked in the house of God in concord.

14 X We took sweet coun­sel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

14 together with whom we enjoyed sweet {food} – we walked in {agreement} at the house of God.

(טו) אֲשֶׁר יַחְדָּו נַמְתִּיקBA סוֹדBB בְּבֵית אֱלֹהִים נְהַלֵּךְBC בְּרָגֶשׁBD.

15 דאיך חדא לעסן שׁרותא בביתה דאלהא [כד] מהלכין הוין באויותא

16 veniat mors super illos et descendant in infernum viventes quoniam nequitiae in habitaculis eorum in medio eorum

16 ἐλθέτω θάνατος ἐπ᾿ αὐτούςBE, καὶ κατα­βήτωσαν εἰς ᾅδου ζῶντες, ὅτι πονηρίαι ἐν ταῖς παρ­οικίαιςBF αὐτῶν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν.

15 Let death come upon them, and let them go down alive into Hades, for iniquity is in their dwelling[s], in the midst of them.

15 Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickednessX is in their dwelling[s], and among them.

15 May death take its toll upon them. They will go down to Sheol alive, for evils are in their lodging – in their vicinity.

(טז) יַשִּׁימָוֶתBG עָלֵימוֹ יֵרְדוּ שְׁאוֹל חַיִּיםBH כִּי רָעוֹת בִּמְגוּרָם בְּקִרְבָּם.

16 איתא עליהון מותא [ו]נחתון כד חיין לשׁיול מטל דבישׁתא אית XXX בגוהון

17 ego [autem]; ad Deum clamavi et Dominus salvabit me

17 ἐγὼ [δὲ] πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐκ­έκραξα, καὶ ὁ κύριος εἰσήκουσέν μου.

16 X I cried to God, and the Lord hearkened to me.

16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

16 {But} as for me, it is to God that I will call, and Yahweh will make me safe.

(יז) אֲנִי אֶל אֱלֹהִים אֶקְרָאBI וַיהוָה יוֹשִׁיעֵנִי.

17 [אנא] דין לאלהא אקרא ואלהאBJ נפרקני



1Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, and Franz Delitzsch, in their treatments of this part of Psalm 55, also explicitly mentioned Absalom and Ahithophel as fulfilling the historical circumstances of vs. 9-15. Calvin however, expressed skepticism about it being Ahithophel. See commentary on v.1 for notes on this from other commentators.

2“Had he indulged longer in the strain of complaint, he might have given his sanction to the folly of those who do themselves more harm than good by the excessive use of this barren species of comfort. There will occasionally escape from the lips of a saint, when he prays, some complaining exclamations which cannot be altogether justified, but he soon recalls himself to the exercise of believing supplication.” ~J. Calvin, 1554 AD

3Delitzsch’s explanation that David was thinking of the tower of Babel and that the word בלל in Gen. 11 suggested the word בלע seems too far-fetched.

4“Wherefore ‘sink’? Because themselves they have lifted up. Wherefore ‘divide’? Because for an evil thing they have united.” ~Augustine, c. 400 AD

5“The prayer of David was heard, the rebels were soon divided in their councils; Ahithophel went his way to be hanged with a rope, and Absalom to be hanged without one.” ~Ch. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, 1885 AD

6“For his own encouragement in prayer, the Psalmist proceeds to insist upon the wickedness and malignity of his adversaries, this being a truth never to be lost sight of, that just in proportion as men grow rampant in sin, may it be anticipated that the divine judgments are about to descend upon them. From the unbridled license prevailing amongst them, he comforts himself with the reflection that the deliverance of God cannot be far distant...” ~J. Calvin

7Calvin and M. Henry came out in favor of the subject being “their crimes,” but Delitzsch and G. Wilson asserted that it was Absalom’s cronies.

8Revelation 12:10 “...Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” (NKJV)

9“There is also another usury worse, when thou forgivest not that which to thee is owed; and the eye is disturbed in that verse of the prayer, ‘Forgive us our debts—as we too forgive our debtors.’” ~Augustine

10“The precise image in the original is the exaction of payment...” ~Footnote by the editor of Calvin’s commentary

11Translation by Edward Cook at http://targum.info/pss/ps2.htm

12Dotted underlining represents the same Greek word in the LXX of both Psalm 55:16 (Eng.) and this passage, and regular underlining represents the same Hebrew word in the MT and the same Greek word in the LXX of Psalm 55:16 (Engl.) and this passage.

13The Greek word in the LXX of Psalm 55:16 (Eng.) is ἐκέκραξα (“cry out”), but the word in the GNT here is the synonym ἐπικαλέσηται (“call upon”). The Hebrew root in both verses is the same (considering this to be a quote of Joel 2:32).

14The Hebrew word in Joel is יִמָּלֵ֑ט (“be delivered”), a synonym to the Hebrew word in Psalm 55:16 (Eng) ‎יושיע (“make safe”). The LXX of Psalm 55:16 mistakenly translated it “heed.”

AMy original chart includes the NASB, NIV, and ESV, but their copyright restrictions force me to remove them from the publicly-available edition of this chart. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. There are no known Dead Sea Scrolls containing Psalm 55. Where the DSS is legible and reads the same as the MT, the Hebrew text is colored purple. Where the DSS and ancient versions support each other against the MT in such a way that I suspect they are the original reading, I have highlighted them with yellow.

BJerome's Latin Vulgate w/ Deuterocanon using Gallican Psalter, 405 AD. As published electronically by E-Sword.

CThis Greek New Testament (GNT) is the 1904 "Patriarchal" edition of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine majority text of the GNT and the Textus Receptus are very similar. The Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, and UBS editions are a slightly-different family of GNTs developed in the modern era as a break from the traditional Greek Bible by compiling just a few of the oldest-known manuscripts, but even so, the practical differences in the text between these two editing philosophies are minimal.

DEnglish translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton, 1851, “based upon the text of the Vaticanus” but not identical to the Vaticanus. As published electronically by E-Sword.

E1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published electronically by E-Sword.

FFrom the Wiki Hebrew Bible https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8_%D7%AA%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D.
DSS text comes from https://downloads.thewaytoyahuweh.com

GThe Leiden Peshitta, Copyright © 2012 by The Peshitta Foundation c/o Leiden University Institute for Religious Studies, as published electronically in BibleWorks.

H2nd century Greek translators Aquilla, Theodotion, and Symmachus favored the MT reading with speusw/exaifnhV epoihsa (“I will hurry/make haste”).

ICf. synonyms from Aquilla & Theodotion: diaswsmon (“safety” – this form of sozw is used to denote “healing” in the gospels {Matt. 14:36; Lk. 7:3}, and to denote safety from drowning in the rest of the NT {Acts 23:24; 27:43-44; 28:1, 4; 1 Pet. 3:20}), and Symmachus: ekfeuxin (“refuge”). In the N.T., this passive participle of sozw is used exclusively of persons who are saved by Jesus (Lk. 13:23; Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 2:15).

JA.Q. = lailapwdouV (“waterspout?”), S. epairontoV (“sweeping” close to the meaning of the Targum’s word – this was the meaning Tate preferred in his commentary on the Psalms).

K2nd Century Greek versions all used the practical synonym lailapoV (“hurricane”).

LHapex Legomenon, but the root is common as a verb, meaning “escape.” LXX renders it “salvation.”

MHapex Legomenon. BDB suggested a meaning of “rushing” (as of “wind”), Holladay suggested a meaning of “slander” (as in a “spirit of slander”?), LXX & Vulgate suggest a meaning of “small/weak,” Targum suggests נטלא (Which seems to be translated “sweeping” in the Hebrew Union College Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon, and translated “shelter” in Edward Cook’s translation of the Targums), and the Peshitta ignores it.
This word rhymes with the next, containing the same first two root letters and ending with a guttural.

N“cast down” – somewhere in-between the meanings of the LXX and Peshitta (“drown”) and that of the MT (“swallow”).

OSymmachus rendered this verb with the synonymous phrase asumfwnon poihson (“make so as not to be unified in voice”).

PSymmachus was less accurate to the MT with oti eqewrhsa biaion adikian kai diadikasian en th polei. (because I marveled that they were violently unrighteous and perverted? in the city.”)

QLiterally “put under water” i.e. “drown”

RAJV = “Destroy,” but Cohen vouched for “confuse.”
This verb appears somewhat abruptly, but perhaps it appears because it was in the message that David had just received from Hushai, his spy in Jerusalem in 2 Sam. 17:16. (This might also be an allusion to Moses’ song of God’s deliverance at the Red Sea in Exodus 15:10-13.)The only other instance of this word in Israel’s history was when the earth “swallowed up” Korah, Dathan, and Abiram when they rebelled against Moses. Jesus used the LXX’s verb when He said, “...whoever shall scandalize one of these little ones who believe in me, it bears together for him that a donkey-millstone might be hanged about his neck and that he might be drowned in the deep part of the lake.” (Matt. 18:6, NAW)

SAs is often the case, this Hebrew word is pointed to indicate a 1st person singular pronominal ending “my,” but no versions translate it that way.

TTwo of the three other times this verb is used in the Old Testament refer to the division of tongues at the tower of Babel (Gen. 10:25; 1 Chr. 1:19, the third being the political division of land at a river in Job 38:25), so this could be an allusion to another one of God’s interventions in judgment. 2 Sam. 15:31 could be considered a specific answer to this prayer.

UThis Hebrew word can mean “strive” in terms of “military warfare” or in terms of “courtroom litigation.” The mention of “division of tongues” earlier in the verse suggested to the ancient translators that this word should be translated in terms of verbal disputes, thus the Vulgate and LXX “gain-saying” and Peshitta “judgment.” In the NT, Jude and Hebrews use this word to denote controversies, but there is one passage which is Christological: Hebrews 12:3 “...He who persevered through such antagonism under the agency of sinners toward Himself...” (NAW)

VInstead of “divide” like the MT, LXX, Vulgate, and Peshitta read “the conversation of.”

WAquilla added “and harm” (anwfeleia), supporting the LXX and some editions of the Peshitta over the shorter reading of the MT.

XSymmachus instead reads with a list of only two synonyms: odunhn kai talaipwrian (“pain and misery”).

YLXX & Vulgate read singular “he/it,” but Targums and Peshitta support the MT with plural “they.”
Calvin and Henry interpreted the subject as the crimes of the treacherous persons inside the walls, whereas Delitzsch and G. Wilson interpreted it of the people themselves inside the walls.

ZLXX & Vulgate = hard labor, English versions: sorrowKJV, mischiefNASB, abuseNIV, troubleESV, Aramaic Targums & Peshitta = lies. Cf. the same two nouns in reverse order in Psalm 10:7 “It is a curse that fills His mouth – also deceit and oppression; under his tongue are trouble and iniquity.” (NAW)

AABauscher’s translation of the Peshitta seems to be following a different edition with three nouns like the LXX and a different versification scheme. Lamsa’s translation reads like the Leiden Peshitta I have.

ABAquilla (epiboulh“plotting”) and Symmachus (ephreiaV endon authV – “insurrections are in her”) made closer translations to the MT.

ACcf. Symmachus’ synonym acwriston (“did not vacate”).

ADThis is actually a transliteration of the Hebrew word, but the LXX translators equated it with the Hebrew terms for usury and interest neshek and tarbit.

AEcf. Symmachus’ synonyms zhmian kai epiqesin (“damage/loss and laying-it-on”).

AFcf. use of this noun in Psalm 5:9, 38:12, and 52:2&7. Cohen suggests “treacherous plots.”

AGLXX, Vulgate, and Leiden Peshitta do not repeat this word which was at the end of the previous verse, as the MT and Targums do. Since the word is already in the text in the previous verse, the meaning does not change by omitting it.

AHThe only other use of this verb in the Psalms is translated “feel/handle” (Psalm 115:7 “They have hands, but they cannot feel…” NASB), but in most other uses in the O.T., it is translated in terms of movement away from a place.

AIAlthough this word is singular in the MT, it is plural in the LXX, Vulgate, Targums, and Peshitta, as well as in the English versions. Cohen cites Kimchi describing this as “The public square where civic business is transacted.” G. Wilson also suggested “plaza.”

AJThis word occurs only 3 other places in the Hebrew O.T.: Psalm 10:7 (which also contains three other words from this verse and the previous); Psalm 72:14, and Prov. 29:13. It is generally translated “oppression,” although the LXX and Vulgate specify “usury” as the form of oppression.

AKLamsa does not omit “in the midst of her,” so perhaps there is another edition of the Peshitta he was following.

ALSymmachus used the synonym proephlakise (“forced”). The LXX verb is found in Matt. 5:11, Rom. 15:3, & 1Pet. 4:14

AMSymmachus used the synonym bastaxw (“I could bear”).

ANLXX & Vulgate read “if” instead of the MT/Peshitta/Targum “not.” Peshitta, however omits the “for.” NIV follows the Peshitta instead of the MT or LXX or Vulgate.

AOThis verb is found earlier in Goliath’s taunts of David in 1 Samuel, as well as in the Psalms of Korah: 42:10 & 44:15-16.

APLXX and Vulgate substitute “if” for “not,” but the Peshitta and Targums support the MT.

AQ“was raised up” (instead of MT “he increased”)

ARSymmachus used the synonym ‘omotropoV (“same type as”), which is closer to the MT. The only other instance of this word in the Greek Bible is Philippians 2:20, referring to Timothy.

ASSymmachus used the alternate translation sunhqhV (“habitual/customary/friend”), rejecting the valid interpretation of the MT which the LXX had made for “leader” for the other possible meaning of the Hebrew word in the MT. This was also Delitzsch’s approach.

ATTargums add “Ahithophel” here and “counselor” at the end.

AUIn the NIV Application Commentary, G. Wilson notes, “The use of ‘enosh (‘vulnerable human/man,’ 55:13) in this context emphasizes the openness and vulnerability of the relationship between these two.”

AVThe root meaning of arok is “order/arrangement/value,” not “equality,” and in none of its 32 other occurrences in the O.T. do English versions translate it “equal.” However, in this context, “my equal” ends up meaning the same thing as “according to my rank.”
“What heart-piercing significance this word obtains when found in the mouth of the second David, who, although the Son of God and peerless King, nevertheless entered into the most intimate human relationship as the Son of man to His disciples [Hebrews 2:11], and among them to that Iscariot!” ~Franz Delitzsch, 1891 AD

AWThis word has two meanings: 1) “Man of a thousand” – that is, commander of 1,000 troops, generally: the same as a clan leader, chief (“governor” in the N.T. Roman civil scheme), 2) “docility/friendship/association” thus a term for domesticated cattle. Most contemporary English versions translate along the lines of the second meaning, but the older versions translate according to the former (LXX & Vulgate = “leader,” Targums = “teacher,” KJV = “guide.” Peshitta is the exception with “neighbor”). It seems to me that the first applies better to Ahithophel. 61 out of the 69 times that this noun occurs in the NT, it uses the first meaning, and 100% of the instances in the Bible previous to Psalm 55 use the first meaning. Delitzsch however advocated for the latter meaning: “...from אָלַף, Arabic alifa, to be accustomed to anything, assuescere, signifies one attached to or devoted to any one...”

AXThe root of this word is “know.” Targums instead = “imparted wisdom to me.” The LXX word, when used in the NT Gospels, seems to indicate a relative (Lk. 2:44; 23:49; Jn. 18:15-16).

AYAquilla: aporrhton (“partings?”), Symmachus ekoinologoumeqa (“made small talk?”).

AZSymmachus: anestrefomeqa sundiaitoumenoi (“habituated ourselves to dieting together?”).

BAThis verb only occurs 5 other times in the Bible: Exod. 15:25 (“sweet water”); Job 20:12 (“evil” in the “mouth” – the only other Hiphil); 21:33 (dirt “clods” to a buried body); 24:20 (a “worm” eating a dead body); Prov. 9:17 (“stolen water”), but its adjective form is more common, and is compared to “honey” (Judges 14:18; Psalms 19:10; Prov. 16:24; 24:13; 27:7; Ezekiel 3:3), “words” (Prov. 16:24), “light” (Eccl. 11:7), and “sleep” (Eccl. 5:12), and is the opposite of “bitter” (Prov. 27:7, Isa. 5:20). LXX and Vulgate = “sweetened, Peshitta = “ate,” Targums (ntritz) & 2nd century Greek versions translated in terms of “talk.”
Regarding the verb tense, Delitzsch commented, “because the principal clause has a retrospective meaning that the futures נַמְתִּיק and נְהַלֵּךְ describe what was a custom in the past.”

BBThis word is not used in historical books in the O.T., so it is hard to pin down to a particular occasion. After this word comes disjunctive cantillation, separating the two strophes, so, “in the house of God” goes with “walked,” not with “made sweet counsel.” However, all the ancient versions translate this as some kind of food. Targums translates it rza = mystery/sacrament.

BCLike John the Baptizer’s parents whom Luke 1:6 says, “...were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” (NKJV)

BDPossibly Hapex legomenon, lexicographers define it in terms of “tumult,” with only about 5 other forms of the same root in the O.T. : Ps. 2:1 (the heathen “rage”); 64:2 (council of the wicked); and Dan. 6:6,11,15 (perhaps the gatherings of Daniel’s antagonists were ribald). Targums = srhwbiia (“haste”), but the ancient versions all read instead consensusLatin, concordLXX, harmony/agreementPeshitta.

BEBoth Aquilla (epaxei “come upon”) and Symmachus (aifnidiwV epelqoi “suddenly come upon”) interpreted the Hebrew verb as more complex than the LXX “come,” but all interpreted the last part of this verb as “death.”

BFAquilla and Symmachus both translated with the synonym sustrofh (“seditious gathering”).

BGHapex Legomenon assumed to mean “desolation” (from the root ישם found in Gen. 47:19 and Ezek. 6:6, 12:19, and 19:7), requiring the verb to be an understood verb of being, which is not unusual. Alternately, the Qere (Masoretic margin note) suggests putting a space in the middle of this word (יַשִּׁי מָוֶת), changing it to a verb with an object “let death destroy,” using a verb only found here and in Ps. 35:17 & 89:23 (where it is translated “destruction, ravages, attacks, exact, outwit, deceive, get the better of, defeat,” among the KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, ESV, and NLT). LXX and Vulgate and most English versions which include the word “death” support the Qere. Bauscher’s translation of the Peshitta (“plague upon them”) appears to support the original MT, but the Leiden Peshitta, and Lamsa’s translation of it “Bring death upon them” supports the Qere. Targums also support the Qere – with added commentary (“He will condemn them to the judgement of death, and he will decree for them evil things, for Doeg and Achitophel” ~http://targum.info/pss/ps2.htm). Medieval Jewish commentators also supported the Qere: Rashi “may He incite death against them,” Kimchi “May He command that death overtake them.”

BHAn allusion to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram’s judgment in Numbers 16. Concerning the meaning of “alive”:
Cohen cites Metsudath David explaining, “Let them perish suddenly, while in good health, so that it be made obvious... that their death is… Divine visitation.”
Augustine: “What is ‘living’? knowing that they are perishing, and yet perishing… therefore unto the lower places living they go down, because the evil which they do, they know evil to be.”
Calvin: “...imprecating sudden and unexpected ruin upon them...”
Henry: “The souls of impenitent sinners go down quick, or alive, into hell, for they have a perfect sense of their miseries, and shall therefore live still, that they may be still miserable.”
Spurgeon: “While in the rigour of life into sheol let them sink, let them suddenly exchange the enjoyment of the quick or living of the dead.”
Delitzsch: “like the company of Korah, while their life is yet vigorous, that is to say, let them die a sudden, violent death”
G. Wilson: “abrupt and unexpected”

BITargums translate this “pray” instead of its literal meaning “call,” and then translate the last verb in the verse “redeem” instead of its literal meaning “make safe.” In neither case is it a hostile edit, but not the most accurate.

BJCuriously, the Peshitta does not use “Lord” like the MT and LXX, but substitutes “God.”

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