The psalm closes on a confident note: the psalmist knows that there will be vengeance, that is, that God will punish sinners in general, or the people in particular against whom the psalm is addressed.

For the vivid picture in verse 10b, see comments at 68.23; this is an obvious metaphor of the complete destruction of the wicked, by means of which the righteous will be avenged.

God’s justice will be seen and proclaimed by everyone (verse 11). The noun translated reward is literally “fruit,” that is, the outcome of a process. Dahood points to Proverbs 11.30 for a similar use of the Hebrew noun. The expression there is a reward for the righteous in some languages must be shifted to a more active expression indicating explicitly that God is the one who rewards; for example, “God certainly gives a reward to good people.”

In the last line who judges translates a plural participle, “those who judge,” in the Masoretic text. Dahood and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible say the plural is used here in order to agree with the “plural of majesty” of ʾelohim “God.” But there are some who take ʾelohim here to mean “divine beings,” in agreement with ʾelim “gods” of verse 1; no translation consulted renders it with the plural “gods who judge on earth.” New Jerusalem Bible translates “divine justice.” One Jewish commentator understood the word to refer to angels. It seems best to say “God.”

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 .