Psalm 40
יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיַחְפְּרוּ יַחַד מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשִׁי לִסְפּוֹתָהּ יִסֹּגוּ אָחוֹר וְיִכָּלְמוּ חֲפֵצֵי רָעָתִי | 15 | let them be ashamed and disappointed together for seeking my life to snatch it away let them be driven back and be humiliated that delight in my hurt |
יָשֹׁמּוּ עַל עֵקֶב בָּשְׁתָּם הָאֹמְרִים לִי הֶאָח הֶאָח | 16 | let them be desolate, foot firmly planted in their shame those saying to me, hah! hah! |
יָשִׂישׂוּ וְיִשְׂמְחוּ בְּךָ כָּל מְבַקְשֶׁיךָ יֹאמְרוּ תָמִיד יִגְדַּל יְהוָה אֹהֲבֵי תְּשׁוּעָתֶךָ | 17 | let all those seeking you sing and let them be glad in you let those loving your salvation say continually great is יְהוָה |
וַאֲנִי עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן אֲדֹנָי יַחֲשָׁב לִי עֶזְרָתִי וּמְפַלְטִי אַתָּה אֱלֹהַי אַל תְּאַחַר | 18 | but poor am I and needy my Lord plans for me my helper and the one who secures me you my God, you will not delay |
Psalm 70
It looks as if the poet has added verse 1 and 5 (both strongly related to each other) around an existing psalm. The poet changed the name of God and added a vav and removed three words. Otherwise verses 2 to 4 are identical to verses 15-17. Perhaps it was a redactor - but I wonder are there clues here to the way in which they thought about rhythm and prosody?
לַמְנַצֵּחַ לְדָוִד לְהַזְכִּיר אֱלֹהִים לְהַצִּילֵנִי יְהוָה לְעֶזְרָתִי חוּשָׁה | 1 | For the leader of David to remember O God to deliver me יְהוָה to help me hurry |
יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיַחְפְּרוּ מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשִׁי יִסֹּגוּ אָחוֹר וְיִכָּלְמוּ חֲפֵצֵי רָעָתִי | 2 | let them be ashamed and disappointed for seeking my life let them be driven back and be humiliated that delight in my hurt |
יָשׁוּבוּ עַל עֵקֶב בָּשְׁתָּם הָאֹמְרִים הֶאָח הֶאָח | 3 | let them be desolate, foot firmly planted in their shame those saying, hah! hah! |
יָשִׂישׂוּ וְיִשְׂמְחוּ בְּךָ כָּל מְבַקְשֶׁיךָ וְיֹאמְרוּ תָמִיד יִגְדַּל אֱלֹהִים אֹהֲבֵי יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ | 4 | let all those seeking you sing and let them be glad in you and let those who love your salvation say continually great is God |
וַאֲנִי עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן אֱלֹהִים חוּשָׁה לִּי עֶזְרִי וּמְפַלְטִי אַתָּה יְהוָה אַל תְּאַחַר | 5 | but poor am I and needy O God hurry to me my help and my deliverer you יְהוָה will not delay |
The KJV does not preserve in English the very close match in the Hebrew in some of the verses.
Psalm 40
let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.Psalm 70
Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.This is a common request of the elect, also occurring in similar senses in Psalms 35:4, 35:26-27, 71:13, 83:17, 129:5. They are not all so similar but it is tricky to find them. The pair in psalm 35 are clearly a frame in that psalm though not exact. Several of its words in verse 4 match those above in psalm 40 and 70.
Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.
יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיִכָּלְמוּ מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשִׁי יִסֹּגוּ אָחוֹר וְיַחְפְּרוּ חֹשְׁבֵי רָעָתִי | 4 | let them be ashamed and humiliated for seeking my life let them be turned back and disappointed planning my hurt |
At present, I have been perhaps 90% concordant in my choices of words around these areas:
בושׁ is shame related, חפר disappoint, כלם humiliated or disgraced or dishonour, hmm too many and I used disgrace for קלה, this word would be comical as parched or roasted in its context - roasted with disease. Maybe I should use ignominy. (At least it is not considered a spelling error.) [I have repaired this. Clarity is greatly improved from psalm 4 to 109 on this subject. Humiliation is the word. ]
I don't know how far I will push word for word. It depends on some thoughts I cannot articulate fully.
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