Psalm 7 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 7:5, 7:12
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Psalm 7
Appeal to the righteous Judge
Verse 7:1 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:1] A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to YHWH concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:1] A psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Chousi son of Iemeni.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew’s genre term Shiggaion remains provisional, while Greek calls the work a psalm. Hebrew identifies Cush as a Benjaminite; the actual Greek names Chousi son of Iemeni. No unverified identity with another biblical figure is supplied.
Verse 7:2 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:2] YHWH my God, in You I have taken refuge.
Save me from all who pursue me, and deliver me,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:2] Lord my God, in You I hoped.
Save me from all who pursue me, and rescue me,
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The appeal against pursuers corresponds; Hebrew refuge and Greek hope retain their respective images of reliance.
Verse 7:3 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:3] lest he tear my soul like a lion,
rending it with no one to deliver.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:3] lest he seize my soul like a lion,
with no one to redeem or save.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew portrays rending and absence of deliverance; Greek portrays seizing and explicitly names both redemption and saving. The singular attacker remains unnamed in both.
Verse 7:4 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:4] YHWH my God, if I have done this,
if there is wrong in my hands,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:4] Lord my God, if I did this,
if there is injustice in my hands,
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The conditional protest of innocence corresponds, with the hands as the locus of wrongdoing.
Verse 7:5 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:5] if I repaid evil to one who repaid me,
and stripped my adversary bare,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:5] if I repaid those who repay me evils,
then may I fall away from my enemies empty,
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew’s conditional sequence is provisionally read as repayment and stripping an adversary; Greek gives repayment of those who repay evils, then a wish that the speaker fall away empty from his enemies. Hebrew שׁוֹלְמִי may instead mean one at peace with me, and חָלַץ may mean rescue. The earlier rescue-and-parenthesis reading has been revised after directly consulting Rashi; the competing constructions remain open. Rabbinic: Rashi on Psalm 7:5 reads repayment and stripping, relating the garment image to David’s cutting Saul’s robe while sparing his life. This is Rashi’s narrative application, not a name inserted into the psalm. [RASHI-PS7]
Verse 7:6 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:6] let an enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
trample my life to the earth,
and make my glory dwell in the dust.
Selah.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:6] then may the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
trample my life into the earth,
and make my glory dwell in dust.
Diapsalma.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The conditional self-imprecation corresponds, retaining soul, life, glory and dust rather than replacing them with one general loss.
Verse 7:7 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:7] Rise, YHWH, in Your anger;
lift Yourself up against the raging of my adversaries.
Awake for me; You have commanded judgment.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:7] Rise, Lord, in Your anger;
be exalted within the boundaries of my enemies.
Awake, Lord my God, in the ordinance which You commanded,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew names the adversaries’ rage; Greek names their boundaries. Greek adds Lord my God in the final appeal and frames awakening in a commanded ordinance; Hebrew’s syntax may connect commanded judgment directly with the appeal.
Verse 7:8 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:8] Let the congregation of peoples surround You;
return above it to the height.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:8] and an assembly of peoples will surround You;
and for its sake return on high.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The gathered peoples and divine return on high correspond. Hebrew above it and Greek for its sake preserve different relations to the assembly.
Verse 7:9 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:9] YHWH judges peoples.
Judge me, YHWH, according to my righteousness
and according to my integrity upon me.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:9] The Lord will judge peoples.
Judge me, Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to my innocence upon me.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both ask judgment according to the speaker’s righteousness and integrity. The compressed upon me is retained rather than turned into an additional verdict.
Verse 7:10 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:10] Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and establish the righteous one,
You who test hearts and kidneys, righteous God.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:10] Let sinners’ wickedness come to an end,
and You will direct the righteous one,
God who tests hearts and kidneys.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The end of wickedness and testing of the inner person correspond. Hebrew’s final righteous describes God; Greek’s corresponding righteous adjective begins verse eleven and qualifies help. Both source boundaries remain visible.
Verse 7:11 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:11] My shield rests with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:11] Righteous is my help from God,
who saves those upright in heart.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew has a shield with or upon God; Greek has righteous help from God. The shared salvation of the upright remains.
Verse 7:12 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:12] God is a righteous judge,
and a God who is indignant every day.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:12] God is a righteous judge, strong and patient,
not bringing wrath every day.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew positively describes daily divine indignation; Greek explicitly negates daily imposition of wrath and adds strength and patience. The major difference in divine portrayal is preserved without making the two statements identical. Rabbinic: Rashi on Psalm 7:12 relates daily indignation to God’s seeing the deeds of the wicked. [RASHI-PS7] Saints: Augustine, Exposition of Psalm 7 §12, reads the negative daily-wrath wording as divine patience inviting repentance before final judgment. His verse numbering is 7:11. [AUG-PS7]
Verse 7:13 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:13] If he does not return, He will sharpen His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:13] If you do not return, He will polish His sword;
He bent His bow and prepared it,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew has a singular third-person condition; Greek directly addresses plural you. Capitalization provisionally distinguishes the threatened person from God as armed judge, while the Hebrew subject sequence remains grammatically compressed.
Verse 7:14 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:14] For him He has prepared instruments of death;
He makes His arrows for the pursuers.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:14] and in it He prepared instruments of death;
He fashioned His arrows for those being burned.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew for him and Greek in it differ. Hebrew לְדֹלְקִים is provisionally rendered for the pursuers; burning ones is another possible interpretation. Greek τοῖς καιομένοις explicitly concerns those or things being burned and is not rewritten as flaming arrows. Rabbinic: Rashi on Psalm 7:14 reads the Hebrew participle as pursuers, applying the arrows against those who pursue the righteous. [RASHI-PS7]
Verse 7:15 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:15] Look, he travails with iniquity;
he conceived trouble and gave birth to falsehood.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:15] Look, he travailed with injustice;
he conceived trouble and gave birth to lawlessness.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: The male wrongdoer’s pregnancy-and-birth metaphor corresponds. Hebrew’s final offspring is falsehood; Greek’s is lawlessness. The source order of travail, conception and birth is retained.
Verse 7:16 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:16] He dug a pit and hollowed it out,
and fell into the ditch he made.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:16] He dug a pit and hollowed it out,
and he will fall into the hole he made.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both make the trap rebound on its maker; Hebrew reports the fall, while Greek anticipates it.
Verse 7:17 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:17] His trouble will return upon his head,
and his violence will descend upon his crown.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:17] His trouble will return upon his head,
and his injustice will descend upon his crown.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The return of wrongdoing corresponds. Hebrew names violence specifically; Greek names injustice more generally.
Verse 7:18 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[7:18] I will give thanks to YHWH according to His righteousness,
and sing praise to the name of YHWH Most High.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[7:18] I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness,
and sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The concluding thanksgiving, divine righteousness and Most High designation correspond.