Psalm 28/Notes/Lexical.v. 3.450851

Do not drag me away with wicked people. To be "dragged away" (מָשַׁךְ) with the wicked is "to share the fate of the wicked in the judgment = to be condemned together with the wicked."^[1] The wicked are deserving of judgment because they are duplicitous. Their fate is to be destroyed by YHWH. David, on the other hand, is sincere and therefore not deserving of sharing in their fate. Hence, in this verse, David is praying that YHWH would spare him from the fate of the wicked.^[2]
The psalmist's enemies are wicked people (רְשָׁעִים֮). The wicked are described as workers of evil = evildoers. They are also described as those who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts (דֹּבְרֵ֣י שָׁ֭לוֹם עִם־רֵֽעֵיהֶ֑ם וְ֝רָעָ֗ה בִּלְבָבָֽם).^[3] That is, they pretend to care for the well-being of their neighbors, but they secretly wish harm upon them. Thus, the enemies are duplicitous, masking their true intentions with friendly speech.^[4] See the Venn diagram of wicked (רָשָׁע) below:

See the Venn diagram of evildoers (פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן) below:

See the Venn diagram of evil (רָעָ֗ה) below::

Their neighbors (רֵעֵיהֶם) refer to those who have "some level of association" with the psalmist's enemies.^[5] The association may be geographical, circumstantial, social, or even personal.^[6]

↑ Kirkpatrick 1906, 145; Ps 26:9. In Ps 26:9, the psalmist asks YHWH: אַל־תֶּאֱסֹף עִם־חַטָּאִים נַפְשִׁי וְעִם־אַנְשֵׁי דָמִים חַיָּי ("Do not take away my soul with sinful people; and [do not take away] my life with bloodthirsty people" [Ps 26:9, Layer by Layer]). This request is similar to the petition in Ps 28:3, אַל־תִּמְשְׁכֵנִי עִם־רְשָׁעִים וְעִם־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן (Do not drag me with wicked people, evildoers . . .). The psalmist does not want YHWH to "bring upon him what he usually brings upon the wicked; that is, an untimely death" (Kwakkel 2002, 129). "On preposition עִם, this is rightly interpreted by Gunkel, 112, as 'mit gleichem Schicksal wie' [with the same fate as], for which he refers to Gen 18:23; Pss. 28:3; 73:5. The untimely death meant by אסף with its objects נַפְשִׁי and חַיָּי can of course be a violent one, but Ps 104:29 shows that the words used also allow for a less specific interpretation..." (Kwakkel 2002, 129 - footnote 85).
↑ Cf. Pss 28:1 and 26:9; Goldingay 2006, 405; Craigie 2004, 238; and Ross 2011, 644.
↑ The clause "those who speak peace with their neighbors" (דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם) is coordinated with the clause "but [speak] evil in their hearts" (וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם). The verb speak (דֹּבְרֵי) "carries over the second colon" (Goldingay 2006, 405-406) which is represented in the grammatical diagram in gray as an elided element. This rendering is reinforced by a similar case in Ps 15:2 (Ps 15:2: וְדֹבֵר אֱמֶת בִּלְבָבֹו - "and speaks truth in his heart" ESV). It is also supported by the LXX, which reads τῶν λαλούντων εἰρήνην μετὰ τῶν πλησίον αὐτῶν, κακὰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν - "those who speak peace with their neighbors, but evil in their hearts." The LXX treats וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם as a second object of דֹּבְרֵי, "which fits the usual pattern of parallelism" (Goldingay 2006, 402, footnote a.). Moreover, "those who speak peace with their neighbors" (דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם) is in apposition to "workers of evil >> evildoers" (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן). Hence, the appositive specifies a characteristic action of evildoers (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן): “. . . workers of evil, those who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts >> "evildoers, who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts." Nevertheless, some modern translations as well as commentators have rendered דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם as two coordinate (temporally simultaneous) clauses both subordinate as an asyndetic relative clause. In other words, the clause does not include an overt relative word; instead, it is connected to the main clause by being embedded within an adjectival modifier of workers of evil (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן), which in English is treated as a relative clause (“...workers of evil, who are speaking peace at the same time as evil is in their hearts” >> ". . . workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts" ESV, cf. BSB and NASB; Craigie 2004, 236; Jacobson and Tanner 2014, 274; and Ross 2011, 637). In addition, treating וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם as a verbless clause is supported by Jerome's Hebrew Psalter (qui loquuntur pacem cum amicis suis et est malum in corde eorum - "who speak peace with their friends but there is evil in their hearts"). This alternative reading is represented in pink in the grammatical diagram. Although we have two grammatical options of diagramming דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם, these options are semantically united (i.e., there is no change in interpretation).
↑ All of the above descriptors most likely refer to the same group of people (cf. Berry 1915, 211; Mays 1994, 134; Broyles 1999, 148; VanGemeren 2008, 289; etc.).
↑ SDBH.
↑ SDBH.

[1] Kirkpatrick 1906, 145; Ps 26:9. In Ps 26:9, the psalmist asks YHWH: אַל־תֶּאֱסֹף עִם־חַטָּאִים נַפְשִׁי וְעִם־אַנְשֵׁי דָמִים חַיָּי ("Do not take away my soul with sinful people; and [do not take away] my life with bloodthirsty people" [Ps 26:9, Layer by Layer]). This request is similar to the petition in Ps 28:3, אַל־תִּמְשְׁכֵנִי עִם־רְשָׁעִים וְעִם־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן (Do not drag me with wicked people, evildoers . . .). The psalmist does not want YHWH to "bring upon him what he usually brings upon the wicked; that is, an untimely death" (Kwakkel 2002, 129). "On preposition עִם, this is rightly interpreted by Gunkel, 112, as 'mit gleichem Schicksal wie' [with the same fate as], for which he refers to Gen 18:23; Pss. 28:3; 73:5. The untimely death meant by אסף with its objects נַפְשִׁי and חַיָּי can of course be a violent one, but Ps 104:29 shows that the words used also allow for a less specific interpretation..." (Kwakkel 2002, 129 - footnote 85).

[2] Cf. Pss 28:1 and 26:9; Goldingay 2006, 405; Craigie 2004, 238; and Ross 2011, 644.

[3] The clause "those who speak peace with their neighbors" (דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם) is coordinated with the clause "but [speak] evil in their hearts" (וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם). The verb speak (דֹּבְרֵי) "carries over the second colon" (Goldingay 2006, 405-406) which is represented in the grammatical diagram in gray as an elided element. This rendering is reinforced by a similar case in Ps 15:2 (Ps 15:2: וְדֹבֵר אֱמֶת בִּלְבָבֹו - "and speaks truth in his heart" ESV). It is also supported by the LXX, which reads τῶν λαλούντων εἰρήνην μετὰ τῶν πλησίον αὐτῶν, κακὰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν - "those who speak peace with their neighbors, but evil in their hearts." The LXX treats וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם as a second object of דֹּבְרֵי, "which fits the usual pattern of parallelism" (Goldingay 2006, 402, footnote a.). Moreover, "those who speak peace with their neighbors" (דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם) is in apposition to "workers of evil >> evildoers" (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן). Hence, the appositive specifies a characteristic action of evildoers (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן): “. . . workers of evil, those who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts >> "evildoers, who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts." Nevertheless, some modern translations as well as commentators have rendered דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם as two coordinate (temporally simultaneous) clauses both subordinate as an asyndetic relative clause. In other words, the clause does not include an overt relative word; instead, it is connected to the main clause by being embedded within an adjectival modifier of workers of evil (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן), which in English is treated as a relative clause (“...workers of evil, who are speaking peace at the same time as evil is in their hearts” >> ". . . workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts" ESV, cf. BSB and NASB; Craigie 2004, 236; Jacobson and Tanner 2014, 274; and Ross 2011, 637). In addition, treating וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם as a verbless clause is supported by Jerome's Hebrew Psalter (qui loquuntur pacem cum amicis suis et est malum in corde eorum - "who speak peace with their friends but there is evil in their hearts"). This alternative reading is represented in pink in the grammatical diagram. Although we have two grammatical options of diagramming דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם, these options are semantically united (i.e., there is no change in interpretation).

[4] All of the above descriptors most likely refer to the same group of people (cf. Berry 1915, 211; Mays 1994, 134; Broyles 1999, 148; VanGemeren 2008, 289; etc.).

[5] SDBH.

[6] SDBH.

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