Summary

The verse states that "their rock" is not like "our Rock," and adds that "our enemies" are pelilim ("assessors/judges", H6414) — a term suggesting that even the enemies themselves function as arbiters or witnesses in this comparison.

Key words

• tzureNu ("our rock", H6697H) — masculine singular construct noun with 1st person plural suffix nu ("our", H9025); refers back to the divine epithet "Rock" used earlier in the poem.
• tzuRam ("their rock", H6697H) — same construct noun with 3rd person masculine plural suffix m ("their", H9028); creates a direct grammatical parallel with tzureNu, contrasting "ours" against "theirs."
• ki ("for/that", H3588A) — subordinating particle introducing the clause; its function (causal "for" vs. conditional "that/if") shapes how the verse connects to what precedes.
• 'oyeVeinu ("our enemies", H0341) — qal participle, masculine plural construct with suffix nu ("our"); grammatically a participle ("the ones being hostile") rather than a simple noun, construct-linked to the following word.
• peliLim ("assessors/judges", H6414) — masculine plural noun, standing in apposition to "our enemies," describing them as evaluators or judges in this context.

What the text says

The verse is built on a chiastic parallel between tzureNu ("our rock") and tzuRam ("their rock"), both using the same construct noun H6697H but with opposite pronominal suffixes (nu, "our" vs. m, "their"). This grammatical mirroring places the comparison at the center of the clause: the negation lo' ("not", H3808) combined with the comparative preposition khe ("like", H9004) directly denies equivalence between the two "rocks."

The second half of the verse shifts subject to 'oyeVeinu ("our enemies", H0341), a qal participle construct, followed by peliLim ("assessors", H6414), a plural noun in apposition. The construct chain and apposition suggest that the enemies themselves are being cast in the role of peliLim — those who judge or assess the situation — though the Hebrew does not supply a verb here, leaving the exact logical relation between "enemies" and "judges" to be inferred from context.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the first clause with ho theos hemon ("our God") and hoi theoi auton ("their gods") instead of the Hebrew's "rock" imagery, and translates peliLim as anoetoi ("senseless/foolish") rather than "assessors." The Vulgate follows the LXX's "God" language (Deus noster, dii eorum) but renders peliLim as judices ("judges"), closer to the Hebrew's H6414. The Hebrew itself uses the concrete noun tzur ("rock") throughout rather than "God," and peliLim denotes judgment/assessment rather than folly.