For the opening words Praise the LORD, see 104.35; several Hebrew manuscripts and the Syriac omit them. Steadfast love translates chesed (see 5.7). His steadfast love endures must often be recast to say “he loves people forever.”

By means of the form of a question (verse 2), the psalmist declares that human words cannot describe “the great things” that Yahweh has done for his people, and no one can offer him all the praise he deserves. As is often the case, the question is rhetorical; it does not ask for information but is a way of making an emphatic statement. Rhetorical questions, their structure and use, vary considerably from language to language. The purpose of these questions in this verse is to make a negative emphatic statement. Accordingly, if the question form is retained, in some languages it is necessary to give a negative reply such as “No one!” In languages where this kind of rhetorical question is not used, it will be better to recast these as negative statements; for example, “No one can tell all the great things God has done; no one can praise him enough!”

In verse 3 the psalmist praises those who always obey Yahweh’s law; in line a the word is mishpat (see 7.6), literally “guard justice,” and in line b it is tsedaqah (see 4.1), literally do righteousness. The two are parallel and used synonymously. Instead of Good News Translation “his commands” in line a, a translation may prefer to say “Happy are those who act justly” (New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

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 .