Psalm 89/Notes/Phrasal.v. 24.540677

• The preposition מִפְּנֵי typically occurs in contexts of "hostility and/or threat" (BHRG §39.15), describing how "trajectory x [here = David's adversaries] moves away (e.g., flees or hides) from the presence of a landmark y [here = David]" (BHRG §39.15). In this case, the adversaries are defeated "from before David's presence," i.e., they are defeated and thereby removed from his presence (cf. Staszak 2024, 267-268 on מִן with verbs of destruction, e.g., Ps 9:4—וְיֹאבְדוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ; Deut 2:12—וַיַּשְׁמִידוּם מִפְּנֵיהֶם).