The psalmist prays for Yahweh to help him, the LORD’s servant (verses 16-17b), and to punish his enemies and put them to death (verses 17c-18).

The plea in verse 16a, Let thy face shine, is similar to the expression in 4.6, which is used also in 67.1; 80.3, 7, 19; 119.135; it means to look on someone with favor, mercy, kindness. In many languages Let thy face shine on thy servant must be recast to say, for example, “be kind to me who serves you,” or idiomatically, “have a warm heart for me your servant.”

It should be clear in translation that thy servant is the psalmist himself.

In verse 16b in thy steadfast love indicates the reason, or motivation, which will lead Yahweh to save the psalmist. So a translation can say “because of your great love for me” or “since you love me.”

For the plea in verse 17 that the psalmist’s enemies, and not he himself, be put to shame, see verse 1 and 25.2-3. Put to shame must be rendered in some languages idiomatically; for example, “Do not give me a burning face” or “Do not make me hide my face.” Good News Translation reverses lines a and b of verse 17, and the translator should feel free to do the same if it is effective in the target language.

The language the psalmist uses in describing his enemies is standard, and it is impossible to know the exact nature of the lies about the psalmist that they were spreading. Whatever they were, he wanted his enemies to die.

In verse 17d the word translated dumbfounded may be taken to mean “lifeless,” although it usually means that one is so surprised as to be silent. New Jerusalem Bible translates “be silenced in Sheol,” and New Jerusalem Bible “go down to Sheol in silence.” Dahood derives the verbal form from “to hurl,” translating “be hurled into Sheol.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy is quite good: “hurl them into the silence of the grave.” Go dumbfounded to Sheol may be translated in some languages as “let them die and go silently to the grave” or “let them die and be put in the silent grave.” In some translations it may be more effective to make the prayer a direct plea to God: “Defeat and humiliate the wicked; send them down to the silent world of the dead.”

In verse 18a the Hebrew is “May those lying lips be bound” (the verb that is used of binding sheaves or grain). In some languages it is possible to use figures which approximate closely the Hebrew usage; for example, “Tie shut the mouths of those who speak lies.”

In verse 18b insolently translates a word found only here and in 1 Samuel 2.3; Psalms 75.5; 94.4. The basic meaning is that of arrogance, pride; those liars “speak with contempt” (Good News Translation) against righteous people.

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 .