Net English TranslationPsalms 36 =
Psalm 361
36

1 For the music director; written by the Lord’s servant, David; an oracle.2

An evil man is rebellious to the core.3
He does not fear God,4
2 for he is too proud
to recognize and give up his sin.5
3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right.6
4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;
he is committed to a sinful lifestyle;7
he does not reject what is evil.8
5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky;9
your faithfulness to the clouds.10
6 Your justice is like the highest mountains,11
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you preserve12 mankind and the animal kingdom.13
7 How precious14 is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings.15
8 They are filled with food from your house,
and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.
9 For you are the one who gives
and sustains life.16
10 Extend17 your loyal love to your faithful followers,18
and vindicate19 the morally upright!20
11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,
or let evil men make me homeless!21
12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen!22
They have been knocked down and are unable to get up!23
1sn Psalm 36. Though evil men plan to harm others, the psalmist is confident that the Lord is the just ruler of the earth who gives and sustains all life. He prays for divine blessing and protection and anticipates God’s judgment of the wicked. 2tn In the Hebrew text the word נאם (“oracle”) appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the superscription is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked [is] in the midst of my heart” (cf. NIV) apparently means that the psalm, which foresees the downfall of the wicked, is a prophetic oracle about the rebellion of the wicked which emerges from the soul of the psalmist. One could translate, “Here is a poem written as I reflected on the rebellious character of evil men.” Another option, followed in the translation above, is to attach נאם (nÿ’um, “oracle”) with the superscription. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1. 3tn Heb “[the] rebellion of an evil man [is] in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “in the midst of his heart” (i.e., “to the core”) instead of “in the midst of my heart,” a change which finds support in a a few medieval Hebrew mss, the Hebrew text of Origen’s Hexapla, and the Syriac. 4tn Heb “there is no dread of God before his eyes.” The phrase “dread of God” refers here to a healthy respect for God which recognizes that he will punish evil behavior. 5tn Heb “for it causes to be smooth to him in his eyes to find his sin to hate.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Perhaps the point is this: His rebellious attitude makes him reject any notion that God will hold him accountable. His attitude also prevents him from recognizing and repudiating his sinful ways. 6tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The Hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude. 7tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way [that is] not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style. 8tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer. 9tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.” 10sn The Lord’s loyal love/faithfulness is almost limitless. He is loyal and faithful to his creation and blesses mankind and the animal kingdom with physical life and sustenance (vv. 6-9). 11tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative. 12tn Or “deliver.” 13sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces. 14tn Or “valuable.” 15tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear. 16tn Heb “for with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.” Water (note “fountain”) and light are here metaphors for life. 17tn Heb “draw out to full length.” 18tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the Lord in the sense that they recognize his royal authority and obey his will (see Jer 22:16). 19tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line). 20tn Heb “the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11). 21tn Heb “let not a foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the evil ones cause me to wander as a fugitive.” 22tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the evildoers lying fallen at a spot that is vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). 23tn The psalmist uses perfect verbal forms in v. 12 to describe the demise of the wicked as if it has already taken place.
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