Psalm 62:2-4 New English Translation
2 He alone is my protector[a] and deliverer.
He is my refuge;[b] I will not be upended.[c]
3 How long will you threaten[d] a man like me?
All of you are murderers,[e]
as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence.[f]
4 They[g] spend all their time planning how to bring their victim[h] down.[i]
They love to use deceit;[j]
they pronounce blessings with their mouths,
but inwardly they utter curses.[k] (Selah)
Footnotes
- Psalm 62:2 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
- Psalm 62:2 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
- Psalm 62:2 tn The Hebrew text adds רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) at the end of the line. It is unusual for this adverb to follow a negated verb. Some see this as qualifying the assertion to some degree, but this would water down the affirmation too much (see v. 6b, where the adverb is omitted). If the adverb has a qualifying function, it would suggest that the psalmist might be shaken, though not severely. This is inconsistent with the confident mood of the psalm. The adverb probably has an emphatic force here, “I will not be greatly shaken” meaning “I will not be upended.”
- Psalm 62:3 tn The verb form is plural; the psalmist addresses his enemies. The verb הוּת (hut) occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “shout at.” Here “man” is a generic reference to the victim of the psalmist’s enemies, but in context it ultimately refers to the psalmist himself. To clarify this, the words “like me” have been supplied in the translation.
- Psalm 62:3 tn The Hebrew text has a Pual (passive) form, but the verb form should be vocalized as a Piel (active) form. See BDB 953-54 s.v. רָצַח.
- Psalm 62:3 tn Heb “like a bent wall and a broken fence.” The point of the comparison is not entirely clear. Perhaps the enemies are depicted as dangerous, like a leaning wall or broken fence that is in danger of falling on someone (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:69).
- Psalm 62:4 tn That is, the psalmist’s enemies addressed in the previous verse.
- Psalm 62:4 tn That is, the generic “man” referred to in the previous verse. The words “their victim” have been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.
- Psalm 62:4 tn Heb “only from his lofty place [or perhaps, “dignity”] they plan to drive [him] away.”
- Psalm 62:4 tn Heb “they delight [in] a lie.”
- Psalm 62:4 sn The enemies use deceit to bring down their victim. They make him think they are his friends by pronouncing blessings upon him, but inwardly they desire his demise.
New English Translation (NET)
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