Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 69:4

"They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head: They that would cut me off, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: That which I took not away I have to restore." — Psalms 69:4 (ASV)

They that would destroy me ... — Properly, my exterminators. It seems like hypercriticism to object to this as too strong a word. It is a very allowable prolepsis. At the same time, the parallelism would be improved by adopting, as Ewald suggests, the Syriac reading “my enemies without are more numerous than my bones,” and the construction would be the same as in Psalm 40:12.

Wrongfully. — Better, without cause. Compare to Psalm 35:19.

Then I restored. — Rather, what I did not steal I must then restore, possibly a proverbial saying to express harsh and unjust treatment. Compare to Psalm 35:11; Jeremiah 15:10.