The psalm begins with praise to Yahweh. In Hebrew verse 1a is “I will sing of Yahweh’s constant love forever,” with Yahweh referred to in the third person, whereas in line b the second person of direct address is used. For consistency Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation use the second person in both lines; it is not necessary (like Revised Standard Version footnote) to treat this as a textual matter. In Hebrew the word for steadfast love is plural (see 5.7 and comments), which may mean “acts of constant love” (Bible en français courant “your acts of kindness”); but here (as in the Hebrew of 17.7; 25.6) the plural is probably used for emphasis. For faithfulness see 36.5 and comments; to all generations translates “to generation and generation” (Good News Translation “forever”), which is a phrase meaning “for all time” (parallel with for ever in line a), which is a more suitable translation in English than to all generations.

With my mouth I will proclaim in verse 1b is parallel with I will sing in line a. This is typical heightening of poetic effect through the use of a more concrete or picturable level of vocabulary in b. Since this dynamic kind of parallelism must be taken as a unit, translators should not normally reduce such lines to one. Not only is the poetic heightening lost, but the keywords (in this case, steadfast love and faithfulness) are not brought to the foreground. However, if the parallel line structure does not serve the poetic function intended, then the translator should find an alternative solution for the receptor language.

In some languages steadfast love and faithfulness must be recast as verb phrases. Such recasting often requires the introduction of a goal such as “a song” and “the people” (here meaning Israel); for example, “I will sing a song telling how you always love your people; even more, I will proclaim to the people that you are always faithful to your people.”

Verse 2 begins in Hebrew with “For I said (or, say),” which Good News Translation represents by “I know that”; also possible is “I acknowledge that”; New International Version has “I will declare.” Revised Standard Version and others follow the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate in reading “you said,” and transfer the phrase to the beginning of verse 3 (strangely enough, Revised Standard Version has no textual footnote). The verb translated was established means “to build”; here it is better to say, like New English Bible, “is firm” (see New International Version); Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “is eternal.”

In line b the Masoretic text is “you establish in the heavens your faithfulness”; two Hebrew manuscripts, instead of “in the heavens,” have “as the heavens,” which Good News Translation and others follow. The verb in the Masoretic text has vowels for the second singular active “you establish”; but other vowels may be used to make the verb a third person singular passive, “is established.” New Jerusalem Bible translates the Masoretic text “there in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.” Parallel with line a, however, it seems better to translate like Revised Standard Version, is firm as the heavens; so Weiser, Good News Translation, New English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy. But most translations have “in the heavens.” If this is preferred, a translation can say “heaven is (the place) where your constant faithfulness is to be found.” In languages in which verb phrases will be required, as in verse 1, one may say, for example, “I know that you will love your people forever.” The second line will require further adjustment in some languages where the verb phrase will be accompanied by the simile as the heavens. For example, “I know that you will be as faithful to your people as the sky, which they can always see.”

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 .