Psalm 28/Notes/Phrasal.v. 3.329655
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
- With evildoers (וְעִם־פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן): 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."[1] 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."[2] "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..."[3]
- We understand the waw of עִם־רְשָׁעִים֮ וְעִם־פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן as an epexegetical waw (with wicked people and with evildoers >> with wicked people, with evildoers). The wicked (רְשָׁעִים֮) and the evildoers (פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן) are most likely co-referential.[4]
- דֹּבְרֵ֣י שָׁ֭לוֹם עִם־רֵֽעֵיהֶ֑ם וְ֝רָעָ֗ה בִּלְבָבָֽם׃ (those who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts) is in apposition to עִם־פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן (with evildoers), and it specifies a characteristic of the first member (i.e., evildoers). David's enemies are wicked, evildoers who 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.
- בִּלְבָבָֽם (in the heart of them >> in their hearts): In Ps 28:3, the singular לבב (heart) refers to a plurality of hearts; therefore, it is translated in English as "hearts" (so in LXX: ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν "in their hearts." Cf. also Pss 4:5 and 10:17). According to Joüon-Muraoka, Biblical Hebrew has a "tendency to use the singular instead of the plural in a case where several individuals share the same feature, especially a limb (hand, head, heart, mouth), or a voice etc. . . . Jr 32.40 'I will put the fear of me in their heart.' (The plural hearts is rare: 8 x)."[5]