In this strophe (verses 37-42) the psalmist recounts the departure of the Israelites from Egypt and some of the events during the forty years’ wandering in the wilderness. As they left they carried with them silver and gold jewelry and ornaments gotten from the Egyptians (see Exo 3.21-22; 11.2; 12.35-36). Their physical well-being is described: “no one among his tribes stumbled” (see Revised Standard Version). In translating silver and gold it should be clear to the reader that the text is talking about jewelry and ornaments, not bars of silver and of gold. And should the word tribes as a subdivision of the whole group be difficult to represent, a translation may imitate Good News Translation. In order to keep the possessive his (tribes), the translation can be “Then the LORD led his people out….”

In verse 38 Good News Translation has reversed the order of the lines to put first the cause (fear; see Exo 1.12) and second the effect (gladness). But the order of the Hebrew may be maintained:

• The Egyptians were glad when they left,
because they were afraid of the Israelites.

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 .