On this verse Anderson comments: “This verse is in some disorder and/or corrupt.” And Old Testament Translation Problems says “Translation here involves guesswork, for the text is corrupt.”
Revised Standard Version‘s from men by thy hand, O LORD is a literal translation of the Hebrew, “from men by your hand, Yahweh,” which repeats in essence verse 13b, “Deliver … from the wicked by thy sword.”
From men whose portion in life is of the world: in the Hebrew this is “from men (who) from life (or, world) (is) their share in life.” For further comments on the word “share,” see “chosen portion” in 16.5. The word translated life can mean either “lifetime,” as in 39.5, or “world,” as in 49.1. There is little agreement on the meaning of this second line. Dahood’s translation of the first two lines (which involves a change in the Hebrew text) fits the context:
Slay them with your hand, O Yahweh,
slay them from the earth,
Make them perish from among the living!
Other translations are: New English Bible “thrust them out of this world in the prime of their life”; Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “With your hand, O LORD, thrust them out of mankind, out of mankind and the world”; New Jerusalem Bible “from men, O LORD, with Your hand, from men whose share in life is fleeting”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “with your power, Lord, save me from them; cast them out of this world, which is their heritage in this life!”; also possible is “deliver me by your power, O LORD, from men who enjoy life-long prosperity.” The translation of Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version is reflected also in New Jerusalem Bible (“from mortals whose part in life is in this world”) and New American Bible (“from mortal men whose portion of life is in this world”); those men are characterized as people whose only concern and interest is limited to this material world and what it offers.14 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project says there are two ways verses 13b-14a may be interpreted: (1) “rescue my life from the wicked (by) your sword, from wretched people (by) your hand, LORD, from wretched people of the world whose lot (is) in life…”; (2) “rescue my life from the wicked (by) your sword, from wretched people (by) your hand, LORD, from wretched people (who have) their lot in life without duration.”
Following Good News Translation and some other translations, “have all they want” may have to be rendered more concretely; for example, “people who have food to waste” or “people who own all the things they can want.”
The rest of the verse is also difficult, since it is impossible to decide whether it has a good or a bad sense. The Hebrew text says “and (may) your treasure fill their belly, be filled their sons, and (may) they leave something to their children.” It is a plea that Yahweh’s “treasure” (a noun appearing only here in the Old Testament) be allotted to those people, and to their children and grandchildren. (1) This is taken in a bad sense by Briggs, Taylor, Toombs, Weiser, Anderson, Oesterley (Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, Good News Translation, Bible en français courant). It is a request, as Toombs puts it: “Let the family of the wicked suffer to the third generation.” And Taylor comments that “a formula of blessing is grimly employed for a curse.” (2) It is taken in a good sense, either as a statement of fact or as a plea, by Delitzsch, Kirkpatrick, Cohen (New English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). If taken in a good sense, it is easier to understand it as a statement of fact; so New English Bible “gorged as they are with thy good things, blest with many sons, and leaving their children wealth in plenty.” If taken as a request, then it must be understood that the psalmist is asking Yahweh to bless the wicked with the good things of this life, while he himself prefers the divine fellowship (verse 15). Though possible (see Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), this does not seem very likely. Some languages may render these lines as “stuff the parents’ stomachs until they hurt, make their children eat until they vomit, and may there still be some left for the grandchildren.”
Both New Jerusalem Bible and Dahood take a different approach: the first word, “your treasure,” is taken to mean “your treasured ones,” that is, the godly, and so the blessings of plenty are requested for them, their children, and their grandchildren. So New Jerusalem Bible “But as for Your treasured ones, fill their bellies….” This is possible, and some translators may prefer it. Everything considered, the first possibility is preferable.
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 .