All the worshipers now proclaim their faith in Yahweh. Our soul and our heart in verses 20a and 21a are parallel, meaning “we”; something like “with all our heart … our whole being” may be more effective than the simple personal pronoun. The verb “wait” in verse 20a means to hope, to trust (see similar verbs in 25.3 and 31.24); shield in verse 20b is a figure for protection (see 3.3).

Our soul waits for the LORD may sometimes be rendered “We look forward with confidence in what the LORD has promised us.” Help and shield may be rendered in various ways; for example, “he helps us and protects us like a shield” or “he helps us and protects us as shields protect warriors.”

In verse 21a in him means “because of him” or “because of what he has done” (see verse 1). This affirmation responds to the exhortation in verse 1a, “Rejoice in the LORD.”

His holy name stands for Yahweh himself, who has revealed himself as holy, that is, set apart, which is the one word which best describes his unique character as altogether distinct from human nature. Trust in his holy name may sometimes be rendered “we trust in him because he is holy” or “because he is holy, we trust in him.”

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 .