Continuing the use of images that accompany a storm, the writer speaks of Yahweh’s “shelter,” that is, his canopy, which is normally a temporary structure, a “booth” made of branches (as in the Festival of Shelters).

He made darkness around him his canopy may be preserved as a figure by rendering it “he dressed himself with darkness” or “the dark night was his clothing.” New American Bible has “he made darkness the shelter about him,” while Contemporary English Version has “Darkness was your tent.” Nonfiguratively this may be translated “he hid himself in the darkness.” Though the Masoretic Text reads “a canopy,” the context permits the translation his canopy.

The second line has no verb. Some versions take He made of the first line as being understood in the second. Good News Translation seems to take the words “around him” from the first line and make them into a verbal expression as a part of the second line, “surround him.”

Anderson takes the word canopy as belonging to the second line and considers the verb “to be” as understood. He therefore translates:
He set darkness around him,
his canopy was the sieve of waters.

Anderson’s translation requires that the Hebrew be segmented differently from that in the Masoretic Text, since canopy clearly goes with the first part of the verse in the Masoretic Text.

The majority of versions, however, seem to take the second line as a fuller explanation of the meaning of darkness in the first line. Compare New International Version:
He made darkness his canopy around him
—the dark rain clouds of the sky.

This is probably the least problematic of the possible solutions to the problems presented by this verse.

The expressions thick clouds and a gathering of water refer to the same thing. Consequently some may translate “thick clouds where water gathers” or “the dark rain clouds of the sky” (New International Version). The word translated gathering occurs only here in the Old Testament. The meaning is debated; some render it “collection” or “mass,” and others “a sieve” or “strainer.” The Septuagint and the ancient Syriac both read “darkness of water,” but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, which gives an {A} evaluation to the Masoretic Text, rightly claims that “darkness” is the result of an attempt to resemble the parallel text in Psa 18.11.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .