Psalms 64–10
Psalm 64:1-10
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Psa.64.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- למנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מזמור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לדוד: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ps.4:1 (structural): Exact same superscription 'למנצח מזמור לדוד'—same liturgical direction and Davidic attribution.
- Ps.3:1 (structural): Another psalm headed for the director of music and attributed to David ('...מזמור לדוד'), reflecting the same compositional/collective heading formula.
- Ps.23:1 (verbal): Begins with the phrase 'מזמור לדוד' (A Psalm of David), sharing the Davidic ascription though lacking the 'למנצח' director-of-music tag.
- Ps.18:1 (verbal): Also bears the Davidic superscription ('מזמור לדוד' / directed to the choir in some traditions), showing the common practice of attributing psalms to David in the headings.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the choirmaster. A maskil of David.
- To the choirmaster. A psalm of David.
Psa.64.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- קולי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1
- בשיחי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,prsuf
- מפחד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אויב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תצר: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- חיי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
Parallels
- Psalm 5:1–2 (verbal): Both open with a petition for God to 'give ear'/'hear' the speaker's words and pleas — a direct appeal for God’s attention to a distressing cry.
- Psalm 17:1 (verbal): 'Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry' parallels the urgent request that God listen and vindicate the psalmist against enemies.
- Psalm 31:2 (verbal): 'Incline your ear to me; rescue me' echoes the plea in Ps 64:2 for God’s attentive hearing and preservation from danger.
- Psalm 59:1 (verbal): 'Deliver me from my enemies; protect me from those who rise up against me' closely parallels the request to be kept safe from the terror/assault of adversaries.
- Psalm 143:9 (thematic): Both verses frame the psalmist’s dependence on God for deliverance and refuge from enemies, emphasizing flight to God as protection.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear, O God, my voice in my complaint; from the dread of the enemy preserve my life.
- Hear, O God, my voice in my complaint; from the dread of the enemy preserve my life.
Psa.64.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- תסתירני: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- מסוד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרעים: VERB,qal,ptc,,m,pl
- מרגשת: VERB,pi'el,ptc,3,f,sg
- פעלי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- און: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ps.64:5 (structural): Immediate context in the same psalm—continues the theme of secret plotting and the evil deeds of the wicked who devise harm in secret.
- Ps.140:1-3 (verbal): A similar plea for deliverance from men whose mouths are full of cursing and deceit; both passages portray speech as a weapon and ask God to protect from covert malice.
- Ps.10:7 (verbal): Describes the wicked's mouth as full of cursing, deceit and oppression—parallel imagery of dangerous, harmful speech originating from the wicked.
- Ps.35:11 (thematic): Speaks of false witnesses and malicious plots against the psalmist—similar theme of conspiratorial harm and slander directed at an innocent victim.
- Prov.10:18 (thematic): Notes that one who conceals hatred has lying lips and spreads slander—parallels the idea of hidden malice expressed through deceitful speech.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hide me from the counsel of the wicked, from the tumult of evildoers who devise iniquity.
- Hide me from the counsel of the wicked, from the tumult of those who do evil.
Psa.64.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שננו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לשונם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- דרכו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- חצם: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 12:18 (verbal): Compares speech to a piercing sword: both verses use the image of sharp, injurious words to describe harmful tongue.
- Proverbs 25:18 (verbal): Compares false or harmful speech to weapons (club/sword/sharp arrows), echoing the depiction of words as assaulting arms.
- Psalm 140:3 (verbal): Speaks of tongues sharpened like a serpent and venom under the lips—similar imagery of malicious, weapon-like speech.
- Jeremiah 9:8 (verbal): Describes the tongue as a deadly arrow and deceitful speech that hides malice—parallels the arrow/sword metaphors and hidden intent.
- James 3:6 (thematic): Emphasizes the destructive power of the tongue (a fire/world of iniquity); thematically aligns with Psalm's portrayal of speech as dangerous and destructive.
Alternative generated candidates
- They sharpen their tongues like a sword; they aim their words like arrows—bitter speech.
- They sharpen their tongues like a sword; they bend their words as arrows—bitter speech is their craft.
Psa.64.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- לירות: VERB,qal,inf
- במסתרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- תם: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- פתאם: ADV
- ירהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- ייראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 11:2 (verbal): Uses almost identical imagery—‘they bend their bow…to shoot in darkness at the upright’—echoing the motif of secret archers targeting the innocent.
- Psalm 35:7-8 (thematic): Describes enemies hiding snares and pits to ambush the psalmist; parallels the theme of secret plotting and sudden attack against the righteous.
- Proverbs 1:11-12 (thematic): Speaks of conspirators lying in wait to ambush and kill the innocent (‘let us lie in wait for blood’), reflecting the covert, violent intent depicted in Ps 64:5.
- Psalm 140:1-3 (thematic): Prays against malicious, plotting men who ‘imagine mischief’ and set snares; shares the concern with hidden hostility and sudden harm toward the upright.
Alternative generated candidates
- They shoot at the blameless from ambush; they shoot suddenly and have no fear.
- They shoot from ambush at the blameless; suddenly they strike him, showing no fear.
Psa.64.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- יחזקו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- יספרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לטמון: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- מוקשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יראה: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 140:3-4 (verbal): Speaks of persons who 'sharpen their tongues' and 'devise evil' and 'lay snares'—language and images that closely mirror the secret plotting and ambush of Ps 64:6.
- Psalm 31:13 (thematic): Enemies 'take counsel together' and 'lay snares' to take the psalmist's life—same motif of covert conspiracy against the innocent.
- Psalm 10:8-9 (thematic): The wicked 'lie in wait' like a lion and 'set a snare' for the poor—parallel imagery of ambush and hidden devices.
- Jeremiah 18:18 (allusion): Opponents say 'Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah'—the verb and the idea of conspiring in secret echo Ps 64:6's plotters who ask 'Who will see them?'.
- Mark 14:1-2 (thematic): The chief priests and scribes 'plot to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him'—a New Testament instance of clandestine plotting similar to the secret snares described in Ps 64:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- They hold fast to an evil scheme; they plot a snare, saying, “Who will see us?”
- They strengthen themselves for evil; they devise a plan to set snares in secret. “Who will perceive us?” they say.
Psa.64.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- יחפשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עולת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- תמנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- חפש: VERB,qal,infc,0,0,0
- מחפש: VERB,qal,ptcp,3,m,sg
- וקרב: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,const
- עמק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 10:8-10 (thematic): Describes the wicked lying in ambush and hunting the poor—parallels Ps 64:7’s depiction of secret searching and plots against others.
- Psalm 139:1-4 (verbal): Speaks of God’s searching and knowing of inner thoughts and the heart, echoing Ps 64:7’s language about searching and the deep heart.
- Jeremiah 17:10 (verbal): God declares that He searches the heart and tests the mind—direct verbal parallel to the theme of inward searching in Ps 64:7.
- Hebrews 4:12 (thematic): Connects God’s word/Spirit with judging thoughts and intentions; echoes Ps 64:7’s concern with hidden counsels and the deep thoughts of human hearts.
Alternative generated candidates
- They dig a pit and set a trap; they search out iniquities and mark the path of the innocent.
- They search out iniquities; they dig and probe—each man brings his plot near; their hearts are deep.
Psa.64.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וירם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פתאום: ADV
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מכותם: NOUN,f,pl,abs,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 7:13 (verbal): Speaks of God preparing/appointing arrows against the wicked—close verbal and imagery parallel of God as archer who readies death for evildoers.
- Psalm 18:14-15 (verbal): Describes God sending out his arrows and scattering enemies (theophanic combat imagery); parallels the sudden striking of foes by God's arrows in Ps 64:8.
- Deuteronomy 32:23 (thematic): In the Song of Moses God declares he will heap calamities and 'spend my arrows' on the nations—similar theme of divine weapons/arrows used in judgment.
- Isaiah 49:2 (thematic): The servant is likened to a polished/sharp arrow in God's hand—uses the arrow motif to portray being an instrument of God's purpose, echoing the idea of God-directed striking.
Alternative generated candidates
- But God will shoot an arrow at them; suddenly they shall be wounded.
- But God will send an arrow; suddenly they shall be wounded.
Psa.64.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויכשילוהו: VERB,hiphil,imperfect,3,m,pl,+obj,3,m,sg
- עלימו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לשונם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- יתנדדו: VERB,hitpael,imperfect,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ps.64:3-4 (structural): Same psalm earlier presents the image of enemy speech as a weapon—sharpened tongues and plotted words—so verse 9 continues the theme of speech causing downfall and exposure.
- Ps.140:3 (verbal): Describes enemies who 'sharpen their tongues like a serpent,' a very similar verbal image of malicious, weaponized speech.
- Rom.3:13 (quotation): Paul cites Old Testament language about deceitful tongues and ruined speech (echoing the Psalms), linking corrupt speech to moral ruin and judgment.
- Prov.18:21 (thematic): Affirms the theme that words have power for life or death—speech can bring ruin to others and to the speaker, resonating with the idea of tongues causing stumbling.
- Prov.12:18 (thematic): Compares reckless speech to the 'thrusts of a sword,' paralleling the motif that the tongue wounds and brings about downfall.
Alternative generated candidates
- Their own tongue will cause them to stumble; all who see them will shrink back in alarm.
- They will be brought low by their own tongues; all who see them will be startled.
Psa.64.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וייראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויגידו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- פעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ומעשהו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,3,m,sg
- השכילו: VERB,hiphil,imp,2,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 66:16 (verbal): Echoes the pairing of 'fear' and 'declare'—'Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done' parallels וייראו... ויגידו and the calling to tell God's deeds.
- Psalm 105:1 (verbal): Direct verbal parallel in the summons to 'give thanks... call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people,' matching the imperative to proclaim God's works (יגידו פעל אלהים).
- Psalm 96:3 (verbal): Speaks of declaring God's glory and 'his marvelous works among all the peoples,' closely matching the theme and language of recounting God's deeds (מעשהו).
- Isaiah 12:4 (verbal): Contains the formula 'call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples,' paralleling the call for people to fear and proclaim God's actions in Ps 64:10.
- Psalm 78:4 (thematic): Thematically related: instructs that God's works and wondrous deeds be declared to the next generation—a sustained emphasis on telling and pondering God's mighty acts, like Ps 64:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- And all mankind will fear and declare the work of God, and consider his deeds.
- Then all people will fear and will tell of the work of God, and ponder his deeds.
To the choirmaster. A psalm of David.
Hear, O God, my voice in my complaint; from the dread of the enemy preserve my life.
Hide me from the counsel of the wicked, from the tumult of evildoers.
They sharpen their tongues like a sword; they aim bitter words as arrows.
They shoot from concealment at the blameless—suddenly they fire, and are not afraid.
They strengthen themselves for evil; they devise a plot, lay snares; they say, "Who will see?"
They search out iniquity; they perfect a careful search—deep are the inward thoughts and the heart of man. But God will shoot an arrow at them; suddenly they will be struck.
Their own tongues will cause them to stumble; all who see it will be dismayed. And all mankind will fear; they will tell of the work of God and ponder his deeds.