In verse 17 the subject is not explicitly stated in Hebrew (literally “They cry”), and conceivably it could be the evildoers of verse 16; it seems more reasonable, however, to suppose that the righteous are meant (as indeed the ancient versions indicate). Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have supplied the subject the righteous. An alternate view, however, is that the author is using delayed identification so that the subject is identified after the verb(s) in a later line. Verse 17 is literally “When they cry, Yahweh hears them, and from all their anguish rescues them.” Verse 18 “Close is Yahweh to the broken hearted, and those crushed in spirit he saves.” In this view the pronouns point ahead to the delayed subject “the broken hearted” and not back to “the righteous.” However, the interpretation of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation is the one most translations follow.

Delivers is the verb used in verse 7, and saves is the one used in verse 6.

The LORD is near in verse 18 is an expressive way of saying that the LORD is attentive and watchful, always ready to help and to save his people. The brokenhearted could be repentant and humble people; it seems better, however, to see them as discouraged, just as in line b the crushed in spirit are those who have lost all hope. The crushed in spirit may sometimes be rendered “those who have nothing good to look forward to,” or idiomatically, “those whose stomachs have turned white.”

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 .