The integrity (literally “perfection”; see 7.8) and uprightness of which the psalmist speaks may be attributes of God (so Anderson); others, like Good News Translation, take them to refer to the psalmist’s character (Kirkpatrick, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The second interpretation seems preferable. Some commentators see the two qualities personified as messengers sent by God to protect the psalmist. Most translations leave the matter ambiguous; the choice in Revised Standard Version of the words integrity and uprightness, however, seems to refer them to the psalmist. Bible en français courant translates differently: “I depend on you to keep me in innocence and in honesty.”

The indirect command expressed with May plus a noun must often be recast in the form of an explicit wish; for example, “I ask that goodness and honesty preserve me.” In many languages it will not be possible for the qualities of goodness and honesty to perform an action on their own. Hence it will in those cases be necessary to say, for example, if one is following the Good News Translation model, “O LORD, because I am good and honest, keep me safe.” On the other hand, if the translator takes these attributes as belonging to God, this may be rendered “because you are good and honest, I ask you to keep me safe.”

For I wait for thee see verse 3.

It should be noted that some translations (New English Bible, New American Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible) follow the Septuagint in adding to the end of verse 21 “O LORD.”

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 .