In verse 7 the primeval waters flee and rush away at Yahweh’s command; the two lines of the verse are synonymous. See in 76.6 another instance of Yahweh’s rebuke. In line b Good News Translation “your shout of command” translates a phrase that elsewhere means sound of thy thunder (see “thunder” in 77.18; 81.7).

Verse 8 is understood in different ways by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Good News Translation, along with Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, New International Version, New English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy (Briggs, Oesterley, McCullough, Anderson, Dahood), takes “the waters” of verse 7 as the subject of the verbs in verse 8. New Jerusalem Bible does this by setting off verse 8a between dashes (“–mountains rising, valleys sinking–”) and connecting verse 8b directly to verse 7, with “the waters” of verse 6b as the subject of verse 8b, “(They rushed away) … to the place you established for them.” Revised Standard Version, however, follows An American Translation (see Kirkpatrick, Weiser). Good News Translation‘s interpretation is preferred, since this continues the description of water from verse 7 through verse 9.

In verse 9 Yahweh is pictured as confining the primeval waters to a closed space, so that never again would they cover the earth, as they did before creation (see Gen 1.6-9). Beginning with verse 7b, Good News Translation uses “they” and “them” six times to refer to “the waters.” In many languages it will be necessary to reintroduce the subject “waters.”

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 .