In this strophe (letter ʿayin, verses 121-128) the psalmist affirms his innocence and asks Yahweh to rescue him from his enemies. The words suggest that he is on trial, a setting often found in psalms of lament. The Good News Translation heading may be revised to say “The psalmist obeys the Law of the LORD” or “The psalmist obeys what the LORD teaches him.”

In these two verses the psalmist pleads with Yahweh to rescue him from his oppressors, for he has always done what is just and right (verse 121). He calls his enemies my oppressors because they persecute and mistreat him; the same verb oppress is used in verse 122b. In verse 122a the Hebrew verb form translated Be surety by Revised Standard Version is a legal term describing the action of someone who makes himself responsible for another’s debts; here the term has the general sense of helping. The meaning of the line is well expressed by New Jerusalem Bible, “Guarantee Your servant’s well-being” (also New Jerusalem Bible); Bible en français courant has “Guarantee me that everything will end well.” Be surety for thy servant may also be rendered, for example, “Be my protector and helper” or simply “Protect me and help me.” For thy servant see verse 17a; for the godless see verse 51a. (It is to be noticed that in verses 121-122 there is no reference to God’s law.)

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 .