In these verses the psalmist promises that, if God gives him the victory he prays for, he will, in the Temple, praise God with a new song and play upon a ten-stringed harp to him. For the language see 33.2-3; and for the instrument see 33.2; “harp” in 92.3. The verb in verse 9b may mean simply to play an instrument, or else to sing, accompanied by an instrument (so Good News Translation).

In verse 10 God is spoken of as the one who gives victory to kings and rescues David (his) servant. The kings, of course, are kings of Israel; whether David means King David himself or a king of the Davidic dynasty is a matter of dispute. Givest victory to kings may have to be adjusted in some languages to say, for example, “defeats the enemies of the kings of Israel.”

In the ver1 Biblia Hebraicaver1* the second line of verse 10 ends with “David his servant”; the next line begins with “from the evil sword,” after which verse 11 begins with the verb form “Save me.” Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation (also New American Bible, New English Bible, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) join the verb “Save me” to “from the evil sword” as the first line of verse 11 (disregarding the verse division of the ver1 Biblia Hebraicaver1*); Bible de Jérusalem and New Jerusalem Bible also make this one line but place the verse number 11 before “from the evil sword” (see also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible join “from the evil sword” to the end of verse 10, which is possible (see New Jerusalem Bible “who rescue His servant David from the deadly sword”). It seems better, however, to do as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done. (It is interesting to notice that the Targum interpreted “from the evil sword” to mean “from the evil sword of Goliath.”)

Verse 11b-d repeats verses 7c-8.

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 .