The psalm closes with a prayer; the psalmist is confident that the LORD will answer him because of his, the psalmist’s, righteous character.
For be gracious see comments on 4.1; raise me up means get me out of my sickbed, that is, restore me to health. The psalmist wants revenge (requite; see use of the term in 31.23; 35.12); he is sure that his enemies are the object of Yahweh’s anger also.
In some languages thou art pleased with me must be recast to say “I have pleased you” or “I have made you glad.”
For the psalmist the proof of Yahweh’s favor is the defeat of his enemies (verse 11). Good News Translation has reversed the order of the two lines of this verse, as a more natural order in English. Triumphed translates a verb that means “to shout in triumph.” My enemy has not triumphed over me may be recast sometimes as direct speech by saying, for example, “because my enemy has not been able to say ‘I have defeated you,’ ” or indirectly, “because you have not let my enemy say that he won the victory.”
In verse 12 my integrity describes the psalmist as one who follows the LORD’s will in everything (see 7.8c and comments). Revised Standard Version translates the verbs in verse 12 as perfects, thou hast upheld me … and set me; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates them as petitions; Bible en français courant and Good News Translation as future tense; New English Bible as present tense. Upheld translates a verb meaning grab hold of, hold on to, in the sense of helping or rescuing, or else to hold up, to keep from falling (see its use in 16.5b; 63.8b).
The meaning of verse 12b, in thy presence for ever, is the same as expressed in 16.11 and 23.6. Anderson comments: “he will be restored to God’s favour, and will enjoy his blessings as long as he lives.” Some take the word presence (literally “face”) here to mean the presence of Yahweh in the Temple.
Dahood takes the prayer to mean that the psalmist wants to be taken directly into the presence of Yahweh without dying, as were Enoch and Elijah, and there live forever, but this idea has not been proven. In thy presence must sometimes be translated “where you are,” or “in the place where you are,” or “in the place where people come to worship you.”
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 .