The psalm opens with a cry to God for help (verses 1-2b), in which the psalmist pictures himself as being at the end of the earth (verse 2a). Most take this to mean, as does Good News Translation, that he is “far from home,” in exile in some foreign country; Dahood, however, takes it to mean that he is near death, that is, on the brink of Sheol, which the psalmist calls the earth (also Taylor and others). It is recommended that the idea of being far away from his own country be represented in translation.
My heart is faint (Good News Translation “In despair”) indicates lack of courage or of hope; Bible en français courant translates “I can endure no more.”
In his prayer for protection the psalmist asks God to take him to the rock that is higher than I; the Hebrew may mean “a rock too high for me (to climb by myself)”; New Jerusalem Bible translates “a rock that is high above me.” The figure is a bit strange but its sense seems clear enough: it is a figure of security and safety (see the use of “rock” in 27.5d and discussion). Some translate “Place me safely on a high rock” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) or “lift me up and set me upon a rock” (New English Bible, which changes one letter and uses a different word division in the Masoretic text). Bible en français courant and New Jerusalem Bible think that it refers to the Temple. Good News Translation “safe refuge” in some languages can be rendered “the place where I am safe” or “the place where you protect me.”
God is the psalmist’s refuge (see comments on 14.6 and 46.1), his strong tower. A tower was an essential part of a city’s defenses (see in 48.12 the towers of Jerusalem), a place which offered protection against the enemy’s attack (see the tower at Thebez, in Judges 9.50-57). If tower is unknown, a local substitute may be suitable and may be used as a simile; for example, “you are like a strong wall protecting me from my enemies.”
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 .