You won’t find this in our English translations, but it’s literally what the Hebrew says in a psalm ascribed to David: “In place of my love they hatefully accuse me, but I am prayer” (Psalm 109:4, my translation).
What a profound statement, and what a lesson for us.
There is no real dispute, about the overall meaning of the words, but why such a stark expression in Hebrew: “ I am prayer” (or, “I am a prayer”)?
There is a actually a Hebrew parallel in Psalm 120:7 which sheds light on this discussion. Translated literally, it reads, “I am peace [shalom]. But when I speak, they are for war” (my translation). The vast majority of English translations render the first words with, “I am for peace,” which is certainly the general sense of the passage....