Using language that recalls 22.9-10, the psalmist declares that all his life, from his birth, he has known God’s protection and care. Line a in Hebrew is literally “Upon you I have depended from the womb.” It is doubtful that the psalmist meant to say that before he was born he already consciously trusted in God, as New Jerusalem Bible (“While yet unborn, I depended on You”) and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy (“while still in my mother’s womb I already depended on you”) seem to imply. Some languages will prefer an idiomatic rendering such as “Ever since I came out of my mother’s womb, I have placed my heart on you.”

In line b there is a word in Hebrew whose meaning is not certain; the line is literally “from my mother’s womb you gozi,” which in form is the participle of a verb otherwise unknown. Perhaps it means “cut off,” that is, the umbilical cord. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “you took me from my mother’s womb” (also New English Bible footnote). New Jerusalem Bible translates “You were my support,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “you have been my portion.” Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, and others follow the Septuagint and Vulgate. Several prefer to emend to ʾuzi “my strength.” Briggs prefers to emend to gohi (“who took me out”), as in 22.9. Revised Standard Version and New International Version translate as though the Hebrew were identical with 22.9a, which it is not. In light of the difficulty in determining the precise meaning of the Hebrew text, the translator may choose to follow New Jerusalem Bible and Good News Translation, “you have taken care of me…,” or else render as Revised Standard Version has done, that God acted as midwife at the psalmist’s birth.

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 .