For a discussion of I put my trust, see 4.5.

The psalmist expresses his confidence in God to save him from his enemies. In verse 4a God’s word means “what he has promised” (Good News Translation verse 4b); the psalmist is sure that God will keep his promise to save those who trust in him. If the translator follows Good News Translation “for what he has promised,” in some languages it will be necessary to make the content of the promise more explicit; for example, “I praise him because he has promised to save me.”

In verse 4c flesh refers to the human creature in its mortality and weakness, as compared with God. The rhetorical question in verse 4c is the psalmist’s way of stating that, with God on his side, he knows that “a mere human being” cannot harm him. Most translations in English have “mortal man” or “mortal men.” Flesh in the sense of mortal man is sometimes rendered “man who dies.” However, a translation which says “What can a man who dies do to me?” may suggest the activities of departed spirits. If so, it will be better to say “What can an ordinary human being do to me?”

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 .