There is no clue in this verse as to who is speaking or who is being addressed (your and you are singular, not plural). Either the psalmist is speaking to himself or to his readers, or a word of assurance is being spoken to the psalmist by a cultic prophet, that is, a prophet serving as a ritual spokesman for God in the Temple; in that case verse 23 would be the psalmist’s response.

The word translated burden occurs only here in the Old Testament; the word means “burden” in the Talmud, and that is how most modern commentators and translators understand it. The Septuagint and Syriac have “your care”; Jerome “your love”; Targum “your hope”; New English Bible “your fortunes.” There may be an allusion to these words in 1 Peter 5.7. In many languages it is not possible to say Cast your burden or “Leave your troubles.” In some languages, however, one may translate, for example, “Give the LORD your worries” or “Put on the LORD your troubles.” In some languages where it is not possible to speak of transferring such abstract items, one may sometimes say “The LORD will be troubled for you” or “The LORD will have worries in your place.”

Sustain in this context means to support, to maintain firm, to provide for one’s needs (see its use in 2 Sam 19.32-33).

As frequently in the Psalms, the righteous are those who obey God’s commandments (so Biblia Dios Habla Hoy); Bible en français courant has “a faithful person.”

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 .