Psalm 41:5

Modern

My enemies say with malice: “When will he die and be forgotten?”

Traditional

Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

Literal

My enemies speak evil against me: “When will he die and his name perish?”

Latin

Inimici mei dixerunt mala mihi: Quando morietur, et peribit nomen ejus?

Hebrew

English

My enemies say with malice: “When will he die and be forgotten?”

When will he die: The psalmist's enemies see his suffering as a judgment from God (see Psalm 1:6).

The psalmist’s enemies disguise themselves as friends, while his friends openly become his enemies.

In this wisdom psalm, the psalmist:

Theme notes and profiles

Proverbs 10:7
The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
Psalm 102:8
All day long my enemies taunt me; they ridicule me and curse me.
Psalm 38:12
Those who seek my life lay snares; those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day long.
Job 20:7
…he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
Psalm 22:6–8
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
Job 18:17
The memory of him perishes from the earth, and he has no name in the land.