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Psalm 58:8-12
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 58:8-12
New Catholic Bible
8 [a]Cause them to vanish like water that drains off;
make them wither like grass that is trampled.[b]
9 Let them melt like a snail[c] that oozes into slime
or like a stillborn child that will never see the sun.
10 Before they sprout thorns[d] like brambles or thistles,
may your whirlwind sweep them away.
11 The righteous will rejoice
when he sees that justice has been done,
and he will bathe his feet
in the blood[e] of the wicked.
12 Then the people will say,
“There is truly a reward for the righteous;
there is a God who dispenses justice on the earth.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 58:8 See notes on Pss 58; 35.
- Psalm 58:8 Make them wither like grass that is trampled: the meaning of the Hebrew is unclear. Another translation likens the psalmist’s foes to archers who shoot blunted arrows. “When they ready the bow, let their arrows be blunted.”
- Psalm 58:9 Snail: the ancients believed that snails dried up in the sun and evaporated.
- Psalm 58:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain. Another translation given is: “Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns— / whether they be green or dry— / the wicked will be swept away.” This accords with the fact that twigs from wild bushes (thorns) were used to start quick fires for cooking (see Ps 118:12; Eccl 7:6).
- Psalm 58:11 Bathe his feet in the blood: a vivid expression indicating complete victory over one’s foes that was common in the Near East (see Ps 68:24; Isa 63:1-6).
