For Save me see the same verb translated “Help” in 12.1; the parallel vindicate me in the next line translates a verb which means “give a just decision”; most English translations have vindicate. The word implies a trial in which the accused person asks the judge to defend him from his accusers; New American Bible has “defend my cause.”
By thy name in verse 1a is parallel to by thy might in line b; as in 20.1, name stands for the personal intervention of God to help. Anderson comments: “The name of God and his might are the manifestation of God in saving the oppressed.” The instrumental use of by thy name and by thy might in some languages requires shifting to a causal clause; for example, “because you are powerful save me” and “because you are mighty set me free.” In other languages such instrumental usage can be shifted to a command with a noun phrase; for example, “use your power to save me.”
Verse 2 is composed of two parallel and synonymous lines, using language which appears often in the Psalms.
In verse 3a the Masoretic text and the Septuagint have “strangers” (zarim), but many Hebrew manuscripts have zedim “arrogant men,” which fits better with ruthless men in line b and is preferred by most translations. Some, including Hebrew Old Testament Text Project,1-3 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (“A” decision) points out that in a parallel passage, Psalm 86.14, the Hebrew text has zedim, “the insolent people,” which is followed by modern translations. And Hebrew Old Testament Text Project remarks: “The difference between the two passages should not be eliminated by assimilating one text to the other.” prefer the Masoretic text, taking “strangers” as referring either to fellow Israelites who are rebelling against the God of Israel (see Isa 1.4), or to non-Jews (so New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Weiser; “strangers, foreigners, aliens”). Insolent men (Good News Translation “Proud men”) are sometimes spoken of as “men who say they are great,” or idiomatically, “men with swollen hearts.”
The Hebrew for ruthless men means people who cause terror.
Seek my life means “(they) try to kill me.”
In verse 3c they do not set God before them means “they ignore God”; so Good News Translation “who do not care about God”; New English Bible “they give no thought to God”; New International Version “without regard for God”; Bible en français courant “they take no account of God.” New Jerusalem Bible‘s language implies that the psalmist’s enemies were Jews: “they are unfaithful to God.” Verse 3 is almost exactly the same as 86.14.
For Selah see 3.2.
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 .