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PSALM 35
STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS
NASB | NKJV | NRSV | TEV | NJB |
Prayer for Rescue From Enemies | The Lord the Avenger of His People |
Prayer for Deliverance From Personal Enemies (A Lament) |
A Prayer For Help | Prayer of the Virtuous in Persecution |
MT Intro "A Psalm of David." |
||||
35:1-8 | 35:1-3 | 35:1-3 | 35:1-3 | 35:1-3 |
35:4-8 | 35:4-6 | 35:4-6 | 35:4 | |
35:5-6 | ||||
35:7-8 | 35:7-8 | 35:7-8 | ||
35:9-16 | 35:9-10 | 35:9-10 | 35:9-10 | 35:9-10 |
35:11-14 | 35:11-12 | 35:11-14 | 35:11-12 | |
35:13-14 | 35:13-14 | |||
35:15-16 | 35:15-16 | 35:15-16 | 35:15-16 | |
35:17-21 | 35:17-18 | 35:17-18 | 35:17-18 | 35:17-18 |
35:19-21 | 35:19-21 | 35:19 | 35:19 | |
35:20-25 | 35:20-21 | |||
35:22-26 | 35:22-25 | 35:22-25 | 35:22-24 | |
35:25-26 | ||||
35:26 | 35:26 | 35:26 | ||
35:27-28 | 35:27-28 | 35:27-28 | 35:27-28 | 35:27 |
35:28 |
READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")
FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS
WORD AND PHRASE STUDY
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 35:1-8
1Contend,
O Lord, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight
against me.
2Take
hold of buckler and shield
And
rise up for my help.
3Draw
also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, "I am your
salvation."
4Let
those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back and
humiliated who devise evil against me.
5Let
them be like chaff before the wind,
With
the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6Let their way be dark
and slippery,
With the
angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7For without cause they
hid their net for me;
Without
cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8Let
destruction come upon him unawares,
And
let the net which he hid catch himself;
Into
that very destruction let him fall.
35:1-8 This strophe starts out with several prayer requests (IMPERATIVES) in verses 1-3.
▣ Beginning at Ps. 35:4-8 the psalmist asks YHWH to
▣ These enemies are characterized as
35:2 "buckler and shield" These (BDB 857, KB 1037 and BDB 171, KB 545) were types of shields. BDB identifies "buckler" (BDB 857) as a large, full body shield but does not give the size of the other one. It is assumed that both were carried into battle by soldiers (and/or their armor bearers). Therefore, one was for protection against spears and arrows (full body) and one for hand to hand fighting (smaller, BDB171; NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 846).
35:3 | |
NASB, REB | "the battle-axe" |
NKJV | "stop" |
NRSV, JPSOA | "javelin" |
NJB | "pike" |
LXX | "block" |
Peshitta | "flash it" |
Obviously there is some uncertainty in the MT.
▣ "pursue me" This term (BDB 922, KB 1191, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) is often used in the Psalms of aggressive adversaries (cf. Ps. 7:1,5; 31:15; 71:11; 109:16; 119:84,86). It can be
▣ "salvation" See SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OT).
35:5-6 "the angel of the Lord" The angels were agents of protection in Ps. 34:7, but here agents of judgment. Some would say the Bible, being an ancient, pre-scientific book, is superstitious about the unseen, unexplained. It is surely true that there is mystery here, but if one holds to the Bible being the unique revelation of the one true God, then he/she must accept its worldview, which includes the interconnection between the visible and invisible world. Exactly how, when, where, who is connected to this interconnection is uncertain.
It is often difficult to know the difference between the literary use (used for effect) and literal use (i.e., angelic intervention or activity). There are two cliches here—everything has an angelic component versus nothing has an angelic component. We live by faith and biblical revelation. Differing personalities migrate to one side or the other.
Life is often "dark" and "slippery" (cf. Ps. 73:18), but for those who trust YHWH, He walks through the valley(s) of deep darkness with them (cf. Ps. 23:4; 107:14). Life is often described in the figurative language of a walk or a journey. A straight, level, smooth road is imagery of a good life, while dark, slippery obstacles in the road or an unlevel road is imagery of a problem.
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ANGEL OF THE LORD
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PATH, THE WAY
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 35:9-16
9And
my soul shall rejoice in the Lord;
It shall exult in His salvation.
10All my bones will say,
"Lord, who is like You,
Who delivers the afflicted from him
who is too strong for him,
And
the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?"
11Malicious witnesses
rise up;
They ask me of
things that I do not know.
12They
repay me evil for good,
To
the bereavement of my soul.
13But
as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting,
And my prayer kept returning to my
bosom.
14I went
about as though it were my friend or brother;
I bowed down mourning, as one who
sorrows for a mother.
15But
at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;
The smiters whom I did not know
gathered together against me,
They
slandered me without ceasing.
16Like
godless jesters at a feast,
They
gnashed at me with their teeth.
35:9-16 This strophe affirms YHWH's deliverance.
At this point (35:11) the psalmist begins to describe his adversaries.
In Ps. 35:13 and 14 the psalmist describes what he did for those who persecuted him
There is a visible contrast between how the faithful follower acts and the faithless ones act! Our relationship with God is clearly seen in how we treat others.
35:12b The MT has "bereavement" (BDB 1013) from loss of children which is a terrible sorrow. The NEB suggests an emendation, "they seek for my life"; REB, "lying in wait to take my life."
As is so often true, modern readers do not fully understand the poetry of an ANE culture. However, though there are rare words and uncertain imagery, the overall thrust is understandable from context, especially parallelism.
35:13c | |
NASB, LXX, Peshitta | "And my prayer kept returning to my bosom" |
JPSOA | "may what I prayed for happen to me" |
NRSV, TEV | "I prayed with a bowed head on my bosom" |
TEV, NJB | "praying ever anew in my heart" |
REB | "when my prayer came back unanswered" |
The MT is uncertain. So the translations suggest
35:15 | |
NASB, NRSV, NJB, JPSOA, REB | "stumbling" |
NKJV, TEV | "adversity" |
NEB | "ruffians" |
Peshitta | "misery" |
The MT has "at my stumbling" (BDB 854, KB 1030, cf. Ps. 38:17; Job 18:12). The UBS Text Project (p. 220) gives the MT a "C" rating (considerable doubt). It suggests "limping ones," denoting
35:16 | |
NASB | "Like godless jesters at a feast" |
NKJV | "with ungodly mockers at feasts" |
NRSV | "they impiously mock more and more" |
TEV | "like those who would mock a cripple |
NJB | "if I fall they surround me" |
REB | "when I slipped, they mocked at me" |
JPSOA | "with impious, mocking grimace" |
Peshitta | "with their boasting and mocking" |
LXX | "they tried me; they mocked me with mocking" |
The MT has "like the profanest of mockers of a cake," which obviously does not make sense. So English translations have tried to find a parallel between Ps. 35:15 and 16, but it is all conjecture. The AB (p. 214) suggests an emendation that results in "my encircling\ mockers."
The MT is not the first or oldest Hebrew manuscript.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 35:17-21
17Lord, how long will You look on?
Rescue my soul from their ravages,
My only life from the lions.
18I will give You thanks
in the great congregation;
I
will praise You among a mighty throng.
19Do
not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;
Nor let those who hate me without
cause wink maliciously.
20For
they do not speak peace,
But
they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21They opened their mouth
wide against me;
They
said, "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!"
35:17-21 Unlike the previous strophe, this one starts out asking YHWH why He has tarried, and then a prayer for action.
Psalm 35:18 describes what the psalmist will do if YHWH rescues him.
Psalm 35:19 returns to the "let those. . ." pattern of Ps. 35:5-8.
Ps. 35:20-21 gives the reasons why YHWH should act against his adversaries.
35:19 Jesus quotes part of this verse in John 15:25 as referring to Him in a typological sense.
▣ "lions" See note at Psalm 34:10.
35:20 "those who are quiet in the land" This phrase is unique. From its parallel it seems to refer to people who do not cause trouble but seek peace.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 35:22-26
22You
have seen it, O Lord, do not keep silent;
O Lord,
do not be far from me.
23Stir
up Yourself, and awake to my right
And
to my cause, my God and my Lord.
24Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness,
And do not let them rejoice over me.
25Do not let them say in
their heart, " Aha, our desire!"
Do not let them say, "We have
swallowed him up!"
26Let
those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress;
Let those be clothed with shame and
dishonor who magnify themselves over me.
35:22-26 The psalmist appeals to YHWH's knowledge of the situation (cf. Ps. 10:14; 32:8; 33:18; 34:15; Exod. 3:7). In light of His knowledge of the enemies' attack, please
These JUSSIVES are followed by three specific prayer requests (IMPERATIVES) for court justice (i.e., "right," "cause").
In the following verses (Ps. 35:24b-26) there is another series of six Qal IMPERFECTS used in a JUSSSIVE sense.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 35:27-28
27Let
them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication;
And let them say continually, "The
Lord be magnified,
Who delights in the prosperity of
His servant."
28And
my tongue shall declare Your righteousness
And Your praise all day long.
35:27-28 Again there is a series of four Qal IMPERFECTS used in a JUSSSIVE sense.
35:28 The tongue of the faithless spreads lies, rumors, and bitterness but the tongue of the faithful follower tells of
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
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