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Psalm 7:4

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7:4or have wronged my ally,7

or helped his lawless enemy,8

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Footnotes

  1. 7 Heb “if I have repaid the one at peace with me evil.” The form שׁוֹלְמִי (sholémi, “the one at peace with me”) probably refers to a close friend or ally, i.e., one with whom the psalmist has made a formal agreement. See 1023 שָׁלוֹם 4.a.
  2. 8 Heb “or rescued my enemy in vain.” The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive (the verb form is pseudo-cohortative; see §34.5.3) carries on the hypothetical nuance of the perfect in the preceding line. Some regard the statement as a parenthetical assertion that the psalmist is kind to his enemies. Others define חָלַץ (khalats) as “despoil” (cf. , “plundered”; “robbed”), an otherwise unattested nuance for this verb. Still others emend the verb to לָחַץ (lakhats, “oppress”). Most construe the adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “emptily, vainly”) with “my enemy,” i.e., the one who is my enemy in vain.” The present translation (1) assumes an emendation of צוֹרְרִי (tsorériy, “my enemy”) to צוֹרְרוֹ (tsoréro, “his [i.e., the psalmist’s ally’s] enemy”) following J. Tigay, “Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties,” 89 (1970): 178–86, (2) understands the final mem (ם) on רֵיקָם as enclitic, and (3) takes רִיק (riq) as an adjective modifying “his enemy.” (For other examples of a suffixed noun followed by an attributive adjective without the article, see Pss 18:17 (“my strong enemy”), 99:3 (“your great and awesome name”) and 143:10 (“your good spirit”). The adjective רִיק occurs with the sense “lawless” in Judg 9:4; 11:3; 2 Chr 13:7. In this case the psalmist affirms that he has not wronged his ally, nor has he given aid to his ally’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern treaties typically included such clauses, with one or both parties agreeing not to lend aid to the treaty partner’s enemies.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

if I have repaid my friend with evil

or plundered my enemy without cause,

NIVNew International Version (2011)

if I have repaid my ally with evil

or without cause have robbed my foe—

CSBChristian Standard Bible

if I have done harm to one at peace with me

or have plundered my adversary without cause,

NLTNew Living Translation

if I have betrayed a friend

or plundered my enemy without cause,

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

if I have repaid my ally with harm,

or if I have plundered my enemy without cause,

KJV 1900King James Version

If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me;

(Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)