The psalmist describes his enemies as wicked, unjust, and cruel, all of which are synonymous terms of general meaning, without any specific indication of particular evil traits. In verse 4 hand and grasp mean “power, control, dominion.”

In verse 5 Good News Translation has joined the two divine titles in lines a and b into the one title “Sovereign LORD” (see 69.6 and comments). For hope see 62.5, and for trust see the translation of the same term as “hope” in 65.5.

Thou, O Lord, art my hope can in some languages be rendered, for example, “You, Lord, are the one I look to with confidence” or “… the one I place my heart upon.”

Verses 5b-6 are very much like 22.9-10. The Hebrew for from my youth indicates childhood or adolescence; it can even be applied to a young man old enough to marry. Here it is quite general; New English Bible and New International Version have “boyhood.”

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 .