In these two verses the psalmist seems to be describing military victories over the Philistines during the time of Saul and David. The psalmist uses the figure of a warrior waking up from sleep and going into battle. For similar language about God waking up, see 35.23; 44.23. It is not clear what line b of verse 65 means, because the verb is of uncertain form and meaning. Some take it to be a figure of a man who is stimulated by wine and roars into action (Revised Standard Version shouting; Good News Translation “excited”; New English Bible “heated”; New Jerusalem Bible “fighting-mad with wine”; so Anderson and Kirkpatrick). Others take the verb to represent a man sobering up after having drunk too much (An American Translation “overcome with wine”; New Jerusalem Bible “like a warrior shaking off wine”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “like a warrior who sobers up”; New International Version “as a man wakes from the stupor of wine”; so Briggs and McCullough). Dahood has “like a warrior resting after wine.” There is hardly any way of deciding which interpretation is correct; possibly the first one better fits the context. In many languages it will be necessary to say, for example, “excited from the wine he has drunk” or “the wine he has drunk has made him excited.”

He put his adversaries to rout (verse 66a): some take the word translated to rout (Good News Translation “back”) to be “the back” of the enemies, an allusion to the tumors (or hemorrhoids) inflicted on the Philistines (1 Sam 5.6-12); so King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, and Dahood. The everlasting shame God brought upon them was “lasting and shameful defeat.”

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 .