The evil plans and plots of the enemies of the king will not succeed (verse 11). It will be better in most translations to say specifically “Your enemies” or “The king’s enemies” instead of they, which could be taken by the reader to refer to “their offspring … their children” of verse 10.

The first verb in verse 11 in Hebrew (Revised Standard Version plan) means “to stretch out, extend, direct toward,” in the sense of directing a plot against someone; the second verbal phrase (devise mischief) is the same as the one used in 10.2b (“schemes … devised”). Plan evil in line a is matched by the synonymous devise mischief in line b. In modern English mischief rarely carries the implication of something evil or destructive; it is normally synonymous with “trick” or “prank,” whereas here the meaning is more serious, “wicked plan.” Revised Standard Version makes the two lines in verse 11 conditional; the translator may prefer to follow the Good News Translation, which presents the actions as facts, things actually done (so New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible).

They plan evil is difficult to render clearly in that form because it is not indicated what the evil refers to. Therefore in many languages it will be necessary to say “they think of evil things to do against him,” or idiomatically, “their minds give birth to bad things they can do to him.”

Devise mischief must sometimes be rendered as “they think up ways to injure him.”

Succeed is sometimes rendered idiomatically as “seeing goodness” or “touching happiness.”

In verse 12 Good News Translation has reversed the two lines for easier understanding. Put them to flight translates what is literally “you will place their back,” that is, in flight. New English Bible translates differently: “you will catch them round the shoulders.”

Bows translates the word “bow strings,” a meaning the Hebrew word has here only; elsewhere it means tent ropes. Good News Translation has chosen to say “shoot his arrows” as being more natural and clearer than aim … your bows. It may be that the psalmist means the enemies turn and run when they see the king aiming his arrows at them (so New International Version); but it seems more natural to take the phrase to mean that they run when he actually shoots his arrows. (Of course it is implied that the king’s warriors are all shooting arrows, not the king alone; but it seems better to stay with the literal form of the text here.)

It is not necessary to represent the literal aim at their faces; New Jerusalem Bible is somewhat ludicrous with its rendering: “you will make them turn tail, by shooting your arrows in their faces.”

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 .