Behold: see comments on 39.5.
The psalmist affirms his confidence in God to help and defend him. In verse 4b the Hebrew is “the Lord is with those who sustain my nefesh” (see 3.5 for comments on “sustain”), which reads rather strangely. Many take the verbal phrase to be a way of expressing a superlative, “the Lord is my greatest defender”; see New English Bible “the mainstay of my life”; Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “my only support”; New Jerusalem Bible “my support.” Another possible version is “the support of my life.” The nominal phrases my helper and “my defender” in some languages must be switched to verb phrases; for example, “God is the one who helps me” or “God is the one who defends me” or “… who defends me from my enemies.” The translator can choose to follow Good News Translation “my defender” and translate “the Lord defends me” or “the Lord keeps me safe.” If the translator chooses to represent the meaning “sustain” or “support,” one way of saying this is “the Lord keeps me alive” or “the Lord does not allow me to be killed.”
In verse 5a the Hebrew text may be understood as a wish (Good News Translation “May God…”; also New English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New International Version, Weiser and others) or as a statement, He will … (Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The Hebrew text is, in one form, “He will (or, May he) cause evil to turn on my enemies”–which Good News Translation has taken to mean “use their own evil to punish my enemies”; similarly Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “He will make the evil of my enemies turn back on them.” Another form of the text is “May my enemies’ wickedness recoil on them” (similarly New English Bible).4-5 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (“C” decision) prefers this form of the text. The word translated enemies (see 5.8) has the idea of watching, spying; so New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible “watchful foes”; Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “those who spy on me.”
Verse 5b is translated by Good News Translation as a statement; the other translations consulted all translate it as a direct request, and the translator is advised to do the same. It is to be noticed that this line uses the second person of address, instead of the third person of the previous lines. If the second person is used, the vocative “God” or “Lord” should be used, to make the request quite clear.
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 .