This is the most puzzling verse in the psalm. It is perhaps too severe an abbreviation of the Hebrew, which makes better sense. As the Greek stands, the verse can be understood as referring back to David’s making the musical instrument as follows:

Who will tell God that I have made this harp?
No one needs to do so.
After all, he is the Lord,
and he will hear me playing.

After the verb hears, some manuscripts read “everything” and some read “me” (see the Revised Standard Version footnote). The interpretation suggested here does not depend on either of these variants, but the variants are consistent with the interpretation. See also the comments on verse 4.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• And no one needs to tell my Lord about it;
he is the Lord, and he can hear me playing.

• No one needs to tell God that I have made this harp!
After all, he is the Lord,
and he will hear me playing.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see