Psalm 36

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 To the choirmaster. Of  David, the servant of Adonai.

Translations of verses 1 & 2

Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. For it flatters him in his own eyes, concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. (New American Standard)

Crime speaks to the wicked. I perceive this in my heart; before his eyes there is no fear of God. For, the way he sees it, crime makes his life easy – that is, until his wrongs are discovered; then, he is hated. (Complete Jewish Bible)

The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. (King James Version)

Crime’s utterance to the wicked within his heart: “There is no fear of God before my eyes.” For it caressed him with its eyes to find his sin of hatred. (Robert Alter)

It is as a pronouncement of God that transgression speaks to what is lawless in my heart; there is no fear, therefore, of God, the Judge, before his eyes. For in his eyes He has smoothed the path for him so that, in order to attain his sinful goal, he may hate. (R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch)

The wicked one has a watchword of transgression within his heart; There is no awe of Elohim in front of his eyes; For he apportions too much to himself in his own eyes to find out his depravity and to hate it. (Concordant Version of the Old Testament)

1-4      Transgression proclaims to the wicked (it seems to me) there is no fear of God before his eyes. ² For he flatters him-self in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. ³ The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. ⁴ He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.

נום פשע (num pesha) = “willful sin proclaims”

5-10    Adonai, Your steadfast love extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds. ⁶ Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your justice are like the great deep; man and beast You save, Adonai. ⁷ How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! The children of adam take refuge in the shadow of  Your garment/wing. ⁸ They feast on the abun-dance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights. ⁹ For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light. ¹⁰ Oh, continue your loving-kindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright of heart!

כנף (canaph) = “corner” / ”wing”

עדן = “Eden”

 11-12     Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. ¹² There the evildoers lie fall-en; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

REFERENCES:

“The good inclination rules the righteous. The evil inclination rules the wicked. The average person is ruled by both.” (R’ Yose HaGelili – b.Berakhot 61b)

“If there is no God, then everything is permitted.” (Fyodor Dostoevsky)

Verse 6

Psalm 89:14  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Deuteronomy 16:20  Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Verse 7

Malachi 4:2  “But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”

Numbers 15:38-39  “Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. “And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot.”

Luke 8:43  And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, ⁴⁴came up behind Him, and touched the fringe of His cloak; and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.