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Psalm 140 asks to be rescued from violent men, a request that assumes the psalmist is not like them. The Greek Septuagint translation of Psalm 13 incorporates and reshapes that language, now describing everyone without exception.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Psalm 140:3
Hebrew Bible
1 For the music director, a psalm of David. O Lord, rescue me from wicked men. Protect me from violent men, 2 who plan ways to harm me. All day long they stir up conflict. 3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; a viper’s venom is behind their lips. (Selah) 4 O Lord, shelter me from the power of the wicked. Protect me from violent men, who plan to knock me over.
LXX Psalm 13:3
Septuagint
1 The foolish said in his heart, “There is no God.” They destroyed and were abhorred in their practices. There is no one doing goodness; there is not even one. 2 The Lord looked out from the heavens upon the sons of humans, to see if there is one who understands or one who seeks out God. 3 All turned aside together. They became useless. There is not one doing goodness; there is not even one. Their throat is an opened grave. With their tongues they have dealt treacherously with one another. The poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are quick to pour out blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and they know not the way of peace. There is no fear of God before their eyes.
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Notes and References
“... This quatrain is drawn verbatim from LXX Ps 13:3c-f, which in turn quotes 5:10 in the first two lines and 139:4 in the third but adapts 9:28 in the fourth. ...”
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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