Yahweh’s “love” (chesed) and his “goodness” (tsedaqah) last forever for those who fear him, those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. In some languages the expression “his love lasts forever” will have to be recast to say “he will love them forever.” The word translated righteousness by Revised Standard Version may be taken to mean “beneficence” (New Jerusalem Bible), “loyalty” (Bible en français courant), “saving justice” (New Jerusalem Bible), “goodness” (Good News Translation). The Hebrew expression “to the sons of sons,” which is represented by Revised Standard Version‘s to children’s children and Good News Translation‘s “for all generations,” is parallel with “forever” in verse 17a and may be translated in the same way. Alternatively, the translator may prefer to combine the second part of the parallelism with the first part and say, for example, “he will love them and be good to them forever.”

The covenant (verse 18a) is the one Yahweh made with his people in Sinai, in which he promised to be their God, to protect and to prosper them, if they obeyed him and kept his commandments (see 25.10). The Hebrew remember to do is a way of saying “are careful to obey.” And the word translated commandments is the one used in 19.8a, “precepts.” Verse 18 expands the recipients of God’s love in verse 17. In some languages it will be clearer to keep these persons together by combining them with verse 17; for example, “those who honor the LORD, are true to his covenant, and obey him….”

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 .