The psalmist strongly denies the claim of the wicked in verse 13 that God is not concerned; on the contrary, God does see, he does take note of people’s trouble and vexation (the second noun appears in 6.7a, meaning there “grief”). Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, however, refers these two words to the evildoers, translating “You yourself have noticed their irritating evil.” New Jerusalem Bible seems to do the same: “You take note of mischief and vexation!” See often requires an indication of what is seen. Here the object is general, and one may say “but you see everything that happens.” Note is sometimes rendered “pay attention to.” Trouble and vexation must often be rendered as clauses; for example, “people who are in trouble and who suffer.”
The meaning of line b in Hebrew is disputed; literally it says “to take in your hand.” Some interpret this in a good sense, to help, to save (so New American Bible “taking them in your hands”; Bible en français courant “you keep watch to take his cause in hand”; also New Jerusalem Bible). Others, however (see Briggs), take it to have the unfavorable meaning of avenging, taking revenge (see 28.3); so King James Version “to requite it with thy hand”; New Jerusalem Bible “to requite is in Your power”; and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “you will give them what they deserve.” The Septuagint translates “to deliver them into your hands”; so An American Translation. If the translator takes this expression as referring to God’s favorable activity, then it will often be necessary to make explicit the goal of God’s help. This can refer to the hapless in the next line or the troubled and suffering in the preceding line; for example, “you are always ready to help them.” If, on the other hand, one takes the expression take it into thy hands to refer to an unfavorable act, one may have to say “in order that you can avenge them” or “so that you punish their enemies.”
For the hapless see comments on verse 8.
Commits translates a verb meaning to leave, let go, abandon; here it has the sense of abandoning oneself, that is, trusting oneself completely to God. This idea is expressed in some languages by idioms such as “to lean upon God,” “to rest one’s heart on God,” or “to put oneself in God’s hands.”
The fatherless, or “the orphan,” is used here as a representative of all those who have no one to support them and protect them from exploitation and oppression (also verse 18). Good News Translation uses a term which includes them all, “the needy.” The standard biblical phrase for the helpless and oppressed people is “widows, orphans, and resident aliens.” Normally the term “orphan” is too restrictive in meaning to be used here, and so the expression used for “the poor” in 9.18 can serve.
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 .