I wait for thy salvation, O LORD: these words, from Psa 119.166, do not seem to connect with what has just been said or with what follows. Westermann believes verse 18 is a marginal note added to the entire collection of tribal sayings, and he points out that it is placed at the heart of the chapter. It is not likely that these words are the utterance of a Canaanite warrior thrown from his horse in verse 17, as has sometimes been suggested. In some languages special information is required to show that Jacob has stopped addressing his sons here and is speaking to the LORD. Then in verse 19 it may be necessary to show that the sons are again being addressed.

Salvation in this context refers to deliverance or rescue from enemies. We may translate, for example, “I beg you to rescue me, LORD” or “I wait for you to deliver me, LORD.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .