The psalm closes with an urgent cry to God to take action and free his people from their sufferings. Similar protests and requests are to be found in 7.6; 13.1; 27.9; 35.22-23; 59.5; 74.1.

The vivid expressions used–as though God could be sleeping, as though he would hide himself, as though he had forgotten his people in their affliction and oppression–should not be weakened in translation. This is a desperate cry born from deepest despair and bewilderment. The rhetorical questions in verses 23a, 24a-b are not requests for information; they are bitter complaints against God’s apparent indifference to and neglect of his people as they suffer and die.

For cast … off see verse 9.

In some languages it will make little sense to speak of God “forgetting our affliction.” It is often necessary to speak rather in positive terms; for example, “Help us because we are suffering and our enemies oppress us” or “Listen to us as we suffer and stop our enemies from oppressing us.”

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 .