Carrying on the thought of the previous strophes, in this one the psalmist counsels not to nourish anger and wrath against the evildoers (verse 8a); and again he says Fret not yourself, as in verse 1. The last part of verse 8 is difficult; the phrase is literally “to do evil,” which is interpreted by most as Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version have it, “it only leads to trouble” (so New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Dahood; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “it makes things worse”); New English Bible, however, “strive not to outdo in evildoing.” In some languages Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath are expressed somewhat idiomatically as “Don’t let worry and anger hold you.”
Good News Translation has represented anger and wrath by the one word “anger,” and uses “worry” to carry the force of Fret (not) yourself.
The reason for this advice is given in verse 9: the wicked shall be cut off. The verb may mean to be put to death, to be destroyed, or else to be driven out of the land. The thought is that they will suffer the same fate as that of the original inhabitants of Canaan, who were removed from their land either by being killed in battle or else by being put to flight by the invading Israelites.
By contrast, those who wait for the LORD (see 25.3 and comment), that is, who trust in him, will possess the land, a promise repeated in verses 11, 22, 29, 34 (see also 25.13 and comments). The promise is that they will continue to live safely and in prosperity in Canaan, the Promised Land. Nothing certain can be inferred from this statement as to the time the psalm was written. It seems probable that this was a conventional way of saying that they would continue to be blessed and protected by the LORD in the land of Israel. The expression possess the land may be rendered more explicitly as “possess the land the LORD has promised.”
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 .