Psalm 52

¹Why do you boast about your evil plans, O powerful man?[#tn Heb “Why do you boast in evil?”]

God’s loyal love protects me all day long!

²Your tongue carries out your destructive plans;[#tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”]

it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver.

³You love evil more than good,

lies more than speaking the truth. (Selah)

⁴You love to use all the words that destroy,[#tn Heb “you love all the words of swallowing.” Traditionally בַּלַּע (bala’) has been taken to mean “swallowing” in the sense of “devouring” or “destructive” (see BDB 118 s.v. בָּלַע). HALOT 135 s.v. III *בֶּלַע proposes a homonym here, meaning “confusion.” This would fit the immediate context nicely and provide a close parallel to the following line, which refers to deceptive words.]

and the tongue that deceives.

⁵Yet God will make you a permanent heap of ruins.[#tn The adverb גַּם (gam, “also; even”) is translated here in an adversative sense (“yet”). It highlights the contrastive correspondence between the evildoer’s behavior and God’s response.; #tn Heb “will tear you down forever.”]

He will scoop you up and remove you from your home;

he will uproot you from the land of the living. (Selah)

⁶When the godly see this, they will be filled with awe,

and will mock the evildoer, saying:

⁷“Look, here is the man who would not make God his protector![#tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action. The evildoer customarily rejected God and trusted in his own abilities. Another option is to take the imperfect as generalizing, “[here is the man who] does not make.”]

He trusted in his great wealth

and was confident about his plans to destroy others.”

⁸But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God;[#tn The disjunctive construction (vav [ו] + subject) highlights the contrast between the evildoer’s destiny (vv. 5-7) and that of the godly psalmist’s security.; #tn Or “luxuriant, green, leafy.”]

I continually trust in God’s loyal love.

⁹I will continually thank you when you execute judgment;[#tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”; #tn Or “for.”; #tn Heb “you have acted.” The perfect verbal form (1) probably indicates a future perfect here. The psalmist promises to give thanks when the expected vindication has been accomplished. Other options include (2) a generalizing (“for you act”) or (3) rhetorical (“for you will act”) use.]

I will rely on you, for your loyal followers know you are good.