The psalmist assures himself of God’s goodness, and declares that even in his present difficulties God has given him more happiness than that experienced by his wealthy accusers, whose grainfields and vineyards have produced abundant harvests. The implied idea is that the spiritual benefits resulting from his loyalty and devotion to Yahweh are far better than the material wealth of his opponents. The Qumran Hebrew manuscript, and the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, add “and olive oil” after “grain and wine.” Most commentators and translators reject this as a scribal addition.
It may be necessary in some languages to make explicit those to whom they refers: “those people” or “the people who say those things.”
The psalmist says Thou hast put … joy in my heart (Good News Translation “the joy that you have given me”), a way of saying “You have filled me with joy,” “You have given me joy,” “You have made me happy.” It is not necessary in English always to use the word “heart” to represent the thought of the Hebrew expression. In general, “heart” in Hebrew thought represented the thinking function, “mind” (see 10.6, 11, “he thinks in his heart”); it could also represent the center of emotion (see 5.9b, “their heart is destruction,” Good News Translation “they only want to destroy”); and often it represents the inner self, the whole person (see 7.10b, “the upright in heart,” Good News Translation “those who obey him”; 13.5 “my heart shall rejoice,” Good News Translation “I will be glad”). The translator must decide in each passage whether or not “heart” in the target language carries the same meaning as “heart” does in the context of the passage being translated.
In translation it is often necessary to restructure comparatives and superlatives. For instance, “You have given me joy. That joy surpasses the joy they have from their grain and wine.” In some cases it will be essential to make explicit the connection between joy and the grain and wine; for example, “The joy people have from harvesting their grain and drinking their wine.” In areas where grain and wine are not found, the major crop will normally substitute for grain, or one may simply say “the harvest.” And if wine is unknown, it may in this context be possible to allow the local crop to represent both grain and wine as a single symbol of wealth; otherwise, one may translate wine as “favorite drink.”
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 .