The final prayer for God’s help recognizes that “human help is worthless” (Good News Translation) and that victory is achieved only with God’s help. Vain is the help of man in some languages must be rendered, for example, “the little help people can give is worthless” or, more generally, “all the help that people can give is worthless.”

In verse 12a do valiantly is, in this context, “gain the victory,” “win the battle,” “triumph.”

Tread down in verse 12b is a way of speaking of defeat (as in 44.5b).

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 .