Psa 109:8-20 | NETfull | STEP | May his days be few! May another take his job!

Psalms 109:8-20

8 May his days be few! ^{▼▼ The prefixed verbal forms (except those with vav [ו] consecutive) in vv. 8–20 are taken as jussives of prayer. Note the distinct jussive forms used in vv. 12–13, 15, 19.}
May another take his job! ^{▼▼ The Hebrew noun פְּקֻדָּה (p^equddah) can mean “charge” or “office,” though BDB 824 s.v. suggests that here it refers to his possessions.}
9 May his children ^{▼▼ Or “sons.”} be fatherless,
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children ^{▼▼ Or “sons.”} roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home! ^{▼▼ Heb “and roaming, may his children roam and beg, and seek from their ruins.” Some, following the LXX, emend the term וְדָרְשׁוּ (v^edoreshu, “and seek”) to יְגֹרְשׁוּ (y^egoreshu; a Pual jussive, “may they be driven away” [see Job 30:5; cf. NIV, NRSV]), but דָּרַשׁ (darash) nicely parallels שִׁאֵלוּ (shi’elu, “and beg”) in the preceding line.}
11 May the creditor seize ^{▼▼ Heb “lay snares for” (see Ps 38:12).} all he owns!
May strangers loot his property! ^{▼▼ Heb “the product of his labor.”}
12 May no one show him kindness! ^{▼▼ Heb “may there not be for him one who extends loyal love.”}
May no one have compassion ^{▼▼ Perhaps this refers to being generous (see Ps 37:21).} on his fatherless children!
13 May his descendants ^{▼▼ Or “offspring.”} be cut off! ^{▼▼ On the expression cut off see Ps 37:28.}
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives! ^{▼▼ Heb “in another generation may their name be wiped out.”}
14 May his ancestors’ ^{▼▼ Or “fathers’ sins.”} sins be remembered by the Lord!
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten! ^{▼▼ Heb “not be wiped out.”} ^{▼▼ According to ancient Israelite theology and its doctrine of corporate solidarity and responsibility, children could be and often were punished for the sins of their parents. For a discussion of this issue see J. Kaminsky, Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible (JSOTSup). (Kaminsky, however, does not deal with Ps 109.)}
15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them, ^{▼▼ Heb “may they [that is, the sins mentioned in v. 14] be before the Lord continually.”}
and cut off the memory of his children ^{▼▼ Heb “their memory.” The plural pronominal suffix probably refers back to the children mentioned in v. 13, and for clarity this has been specified in the translation.} from the earth!
16 For he never bothered to show kindness; ^{▼▼ Heb “he did not remember to do loyal love.”}
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened. ^{▼▼ Heb “and he chased an oppressed and needy man, and one timid of heart to put [him] to death.”}
17 He loved to curse ^{▼▼ A curse in OT times consists of a formal appeal to God to bring judgment down upon another. Curses were sometimes justified (such as the one spoken by the psalmist here in vv. 6–19), but when they were not, the one pronouncing the curse was in danger of bringing the anticipated judgment down upon himself.} others, so those curses have come upon him. ^{▼▼ Heb “and he loved a curse and it came [upon] him.” A reference to the evil man experiencing a curse seems premature here, for the psalmist is asking God to bring judgment on his enemies. For this reason some (cf. NIV, NRSV) prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” as conjunctive and translate the verb as a jussive of prayer (“may it come upon him!”). The prefixed form with vav consecutive in the next line is emended in the same way and translated, “may it be far from him.” However, the psalmist may be indicating that the evil man’s lifestyle has already begun to yield its destructive fruit.}
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings. ^{▼▼ Heb “and he did not delight in a blessing and it is far from him.”}
18 He made cursing a way of life, ^{▼▼ Heb “he put on a curse as [if it were] his garment.”}
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil. ^{▼▼ Heb “and it came like water into his inner being, and like oil into his bones.” This may refer to this individual’s appetite for cursing. For him cursing was as refreshing as drinking water or massaging oneself with oil. Another option is that the destructive effects of a curse are in view. In this case a destructive curse invades his very being, like water or oil. Some who interpret the verse this way prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” to a conjunctive vav and interpret the prefixed verb as a jussive, “may it come!”}
19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, ^{▼▼ Heb “may it be for him like a garment one puts on.”}
or a belt ^{▼▼ The Hebrew noun מֵזַח (mezakh, “belt; waistband”) occurs only here in the OT. The form apparently occurs in Isa 23:10 as well, but an emendation is necessary there.} one wears continually!
20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, ^{▼▼ Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the Lord.”}
those who say evil things about ^{▼▼ Or “against.”} me! ^{▼▼ The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).}