Yahweh’s reply comes to reassure the psalmist (or the people). Those he comes to help are called the poor (see comments on 9.12) and the needy (a noun used some thirty-three times in Psalms to refer to those who suffer discrimination, injustice, oppression). They are said to be despoiled (Good News Translation “oppressed”), which translates a word found only here in Psalms–literally “they suffer violence.” They also groan (the noun “groan” is found also in 79.11; 102.20). The poor are despoiled may be expressed as a passive as in Revised Standard Version or may be recast in an active construction; for example, “because evil people cause those who are in need to suffer.”
For I will now arise see comment at 3.7.
In line c Revised Standard Version him and he contrast oddly with the plural forms the poor and the needy in line a. It is better to use the plural forms in line c, as does Good News Translation, “them” and “they.”
The word for safety is a noun formed from the verb “to save” (see verse 1). This must sometimes be rendered as a verb; for example, “I will defend them,” or “I will protect them,” or “I will keep them safe.”
The additional phrase in Hebrew, translated for which he longs, is difficult to understand. The Masoretic text is “he puffs at him” (same verb as in 10.5), which is rather odd in the context; but most commentaries and translations take it as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done (Dahood, American Standard Version, Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New American Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). New Jerusalem Bible takes it as a reference to Yahweh, “He affirms to him.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible is different: “I will put in a safe place the one on whom they spit.” If safety has been translated as a clause, it will be necessary to make for which he longs another clause; for example, “I will defend them as they desire” or “I will protect them because they desire it.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .