Verses 9-11 may be understood as a wish, a petition, “May those…” (New Jerusalem Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Dahood), or as a statement of fact (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New English Bible, New American Bible, New International Version, Weiser). The initial But of Revised Standard Version, therefore, is useful and should be included in translation, since it contrasts the psalmist’s situation (verses 6-8) with that of his enemies (verses 9-10). It seems better to understand verses 9-10 as a wish, a petition. The psalmist prays for the immediate and violent death of his enemies; the depths of the earth are Sheol, “the world of the dead.” Go down into the depths of the earth must sometimes be rendered “go to the place where dead people go” or “… where the dead are put.”

He prays for their death “in battle” (literally “given over to the hands of the sword”); and he asks that their bodies, instead of being buried, will be eaten by jackals, an especially degrading fate. See similar expressions in Isaiah 18.6; Jeremiah 7.33. The word translated prey is “portion, part,” here in the sense of food which will be given to the jackals. In some languages a local animal which scavenges for its food must replace jackal or wolf.

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 .