Psalm 35:6
New International Version
may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

New Living Translation
Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

English Standard Version
Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!

Berean Standard Bible
May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues.

King James Bible
Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.

New King James Version
Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them.

New American Standard Bible
Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

NASB 1995
Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

NASB 1977
Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

Legacy Standard Bible
Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of Yahweh pursuing them.

Amplified Bible
Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing and harassing them.

Christian Standard Bible
Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

American Standard Version
Let their way be dark and slippery, And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them.

Contemporary English Version
Make them run in the dark on a slippery road, as your angel chases them.

English Revised Version
Let their way be dark and slippery, and the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Let their path be dark and slippery as the Messenger of the LORD pursues them.

Good News Translation
May their path be dark and slippery while the angel of the LORD strikes them down!

International Standard Version
May their path be dark and slippery, as the messenger of the LORD tracks them down.

Majority Standard Bible
May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues.

NET Bible
May their path be dark and slippery, as the LORD's angel chases them!

New Heart English Bible
Let their way be dark and slippery, The LORD's angel pursuing them.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.

World English Bible
Let their way be dark and slippery, Yahweh’s angel pursuing them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Their way is darkness and slipperiness, "" And a messenger of YHWH—their pursuer.

Young's Literal Translation
Their way is darkness and slipperiness, And a messenger of Jehovah their pursuer.

Smith's Literal Translation
Their way shall be darkness and slippery places, and the messenger of Jehovah pursuing them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let their way become dark and slippery; and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
May their way become dark and slippery, and may the Angel of the Lord pursue them.

New American Bible
Make their way slippery and dark, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

New Revised Standard Version
Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let their way be dark and slippery, and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Their way will be dark and it will be in a slippery place and The Angel of God will persecute them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let their way be dark and slippery, The angel of the LORD pursuing them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let their way be dark and slippery, and an angel of the Lord persecuting them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Contend with My Opponents
5May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away. 6May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues. 7For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.…

Cross References
Proverbs 4:19
But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.

Jeremiah 23:12
“Therefore their path will become slick; they will be driven away into the darkness and fall into it. For I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.

Job 18:18
He is driven from light into darkness and is chased from the inhabited world.

Isaiah 59:10
Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead.

Job 5:14
They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night.

Isaiah 8:22
Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.

Isaiah 47:11
But disaster will come upon you; you will not know how to charm it away. A calamity will befall you that you will be unable to ward off. Devastation will happen to you suddenly and unexpectedly.

Isaiah 50:10
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.

Lamentations 3:2
He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light.

Micah 7:8
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

John 12:35
Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

Matthew 15:14
Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Luke 1:79
to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Romans 11:10
May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”

1 John 2:11
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.


Treasury of Scripture

Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.

their

Psalm 73:18
Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

Proverbs 4:19
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

dark and slippery [heb.

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Angel Danger Dark Darkness Full Messenger Path Persecute Pursue Pursuer Pursuing Slippery Troubled Way
Psalm 35
1. David prays for his own safety, and his enemies' confusion
11. He complains of their wrongful dealing
22. Thereby he incites God against them














May their path
The phrase "their path" refers to the way or course of life that the enemies of the psalmist are taking. In Hebrew, the word for "path" is "orach," which often signifies a well-trodden road or a way of life. The psalmist is invoking divine intervention to disrupt the plans and actions of those who seek to harm him. This reflects a common biblical theme where the righteous seek God's justice against the wicked, trusting that God will make their way difficult and uncertain.

be dark
The word "dark" in Hebrew is "choshek," which can mean darkness, obscurity, or even calamity. Darkness in the Bible often symbolizes confusion, danger, and the absence of God's presence. By asking for their path to be dark, the psalmist is calling for their plans to be confounded and for them to be enveloped in uncertainty and fear, unable to see the way forward.

and slippery
The term "slippery" translates from the Hebrew "chalaq," which means smooth or treacherous. A slippery path is one where footing is unsure, leading to falls and missteps. This imagery suggests that the enemies will find themselves in precarious situations, unable to maintain their balance or progress, symbolizing the instability and eventual downfall of those who oppose God's anointed.

as the angel of the LORD
The "angel of the LORD" is a significant figure in the Old Testament, often representing God's direct intervention in human affairs. In Hebrew, "mal'ak YHWH" can be a messenger or a divine agent. This phrase indicates that the psalmist is calling upon a powerful, divine force to actively pursue and thwart his enemies. The angel of the LORD is seen as a protector of the righteous and an executor of divine justice.

pursues them
The word "pursues" comes from the Hebrew "radaph," which means to chase or follow after with intent. This implies relentless pursuit, suggesting that the divine intervention will be continuous and unyielding. The psalmist is confident that God will not only disrupt the plans of the wicked but will actively chase them down, ensuring that justice is served.

(6) Dark and slippery.--See margin. Delitzsch supposes an allusion to the passage of the Red Sea, but the picture suggests rather the passage of some dangerous mountain pass in a raging storm. "The tracks in the limestone hills of Palestine are often worn as smooth as marble; comp. Psalm 73:18" (quoted from Kay, in the Speaker's Commentary).

Verse 6. - Let their way be dark and slippery; literally, darkness and slipperiness; i.e. let them fly along dark and slippery paths, where they cannot see their way, and will be sure to stumble and fall. And let the angel of the Lord persecute them; rather, pursue after them.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
May their path
דַרְכָּ֗ם (ḏar·kām)
Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

be
יְֽהִי־ (yə·hî-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

dark
חֹ֥שֶׁךְ (ḥō·šeḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2822: The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness

and slick,
וַחֲלַקְלַקּ֑וֹת (wa·ḥă·laq·laq·qō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 2519: Something very smooth, a treacherous spot, blandishment

as the angel
וּמַלְאַ֥ךְ (ū·mal·’aḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4397: A messenger, of God, an angel

of the LORD
יְ֝הוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

pursues.
רֹדְפָֽם׃ (rō·ḏə·p̄ām)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7291: To pursue, chase, persecute


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OT Poetry: Psalm 35:6 Let their way be dark and slippery (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 35:5
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