complete verse (Psalm 82:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 82:4:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “Rescue weak and needy people;
    save them from the hand of wicked people.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “Deliver the weak and the needy,
    set them free from the hand of the wicked.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “Save those who have-no means and the poor/needy ones under the power of wicked people!” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “You should take help of weak people and the poor,
    you should release them from the hands of bad people.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Waokoeni wadhaifu na maskini,
    muwafungue katika mikono ya watu wabaya.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “Rescue them from the power of evil people!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Psalm 82:3 - 82:4

Instead of favoring the wicked, the gods in their position as judges are to provide help for those most in need of it: the weak, the fatherless, the afflicted, the destitute (verse 3), and the weak and the needy (verse 4a). All these terms apply to the poor and powerless people in that society at that time.

The two verbs in verse 3, Give justice and maintain the right, are not used here in the sense of a rigorous and impartial application of the law, but of active help for those who are being oppressed and mistreated by wicked people. Give justice may be rendered, for example, “Do what is right,” “Be fair to,” “Act in a right way toward.” Maintain the right is closely synonymous to the first expression. Other suggestions are “defend,” “help,” “protect.”

Good News Translation has combined and shortened the two lines in verse 4. “Rescue” represents the two synonymous verbs in lines a and b: for Rescue see “deliver” and comments on 17.13, and for deliver see comments on 7.1. Good News Translation “them” refers to the helpless and oppressed people cited in verse 3. But a translation may wish to maintain two synonymous lines, and so the following may serve as a model:

• Rescue those poor people,
free them from the power of evil men.

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 .