Many persons have suggested that the final verses of the poem may have originally been independent of the main prayer and are simply a reflection on the psalmist’s situation after the crisis is over. The verb translated worship occurs in this form only in this verse and may have the sense “to retain a loyalty to.” The expression translated “worthless idols” is a figurative means of describing those objects as being nothing more than a fleeting breath. The same figure, but with the verb in a slightly different form, is used in Psa 31.6, and idols are frequently described as “emptiness.” Mowinckel has “deceitful illusions.”
If, as is suggested, worship is translated as “retain a loyalty to” or “remain loyal to,” the contrast between the first line and the second line of verse 8 becomes highly significant. On the other hand, if worship is rendered in the more usual fashion, it can be expressed as “pray to” (an implied contrast to what Jonah was doing in praying to the Lord), or as “bow down before” or “give their allegiance to.”
Worthless idols may be described as “idols that have no worth” or “… no value,” but a more meaningful equivalent may be “idols that can do nothing” or “idols that have no power,” or even “idols that are really nothing.”
One of the most controversial words in this psalm, from the point of view of the translator, is the word chesed, which is translated loyalty by both Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version. The former makes it clear that the loyalty in question is towards the Lord. But the variety of interpretations that are found in modern translations is clear evidence that it is not only the meaning of the word that is in doubt, but also whether it refers here to a divine or a human quality.
King James Version has “forsake their own mercy.” But does this mean the mercy they show to others or the mercy due to them from God? New American Bible evidently understands the word in the latter sense and translates “forsake their source of mercy.” Living Bible goes further in the direction of clarification with “have turned their backs on all the mercies waiting for them from the Lord.” In much the same vein, Modern Language Bible has “give up the grace that might be theirs,” with a footnote, and Jerusalem Bible has “forfeit the grace that was theirs.” Also implying that God is the source of this quality is the New Jerusalem Bible translation, “forsake their own welfare,” and Bible in Basic English, “have given up their only hope.”
Although there is no clear evidence, it seems likely that Moffatt emended the Hebrew with his translation “leave their real refuge.” But Snaith claims that such emendation is unnecessary, and that the same meaning can be obtained from a true understanding of the Hebrew word, so that “the meaning is that they forsake their real and true ground of confidence, that sure love of God who alone is constant and steadfast and sure.” This same interpretation of chesed as reliability or steadfastness underlies its use in Isa 40.6.
In contrast with this view of chesed as referring here to a quality displayed by God towards his worshipers is the interpretation of Good News Translation, have abandoned their loyalty to you, where in Revised Standard Version, “forsake their true loyalty,” the quality in question is displayed by man towards God. Somewhat earlier An American Translation had “forsake their piety,” while the recent New American Standard Bible has “forsake their faithfulness.” Mowinckel stressed the link between chesed and the covenant with the translation “abandoned their covenant obligations,” which still emphasizes man as the source of this quality, but a quality displayed towards other members of the covenant community rather than to God. A treatment of this problem that has probably influenced New English Bible in the same direction as we find in Good News Translation is that of A. R. Johnson: “They that pay regard to nonentities may abandon their devotion.”
A somewhat different treatment of the same Hebrew text understands the verb as expressing a wish: “if only those that worship idols might renounce their false worship!” This provides a good contrast to the following verse with its assurance of the psalmist’s continued loyalty to the one true God. This verse cannot with justice be regarded as the pious Jonah’s reflections on the contrast between himself as a true Israelite and the heathen sailors who had traveled with him, since it was they rather than Jonah who had displayed a deeper piety in a time of crisis.
If one understands the Hebrew word chesed as referring to an attitude or quality of God, one may translate the second line of verse 8 as “they have abandoned you, who alone can help them” or “they have forsaken you, who alone can show them mercy.” On the other hand, if one understands chesed as referring to an attitude or characteristic of people, one may translate, as in the case of Good News Translation, “are no longer loyal to you.” This may be equivalent in some languages to an expression such as “they are no longer your adherents” or “… your followers,” or even “… your people.”
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on the Book of Jonah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .