These verses relate the Israelites’ refusal to try to enter Canaan, after the spies returned from exploring the land, and a majority of them advised the people not to attempt to enter the land because of the size and strength of the inhabitants (Num 13.1–14.10). Since this happened years after the events related in the preceding verses, it is better to begin verse 24a with “Later” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) instead of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation Then. And the verb “rejected” or despised may not be natural in the context, so perhaps something like “they refused to enter” or “they were afraid to enter” may be better.

Verse 25 portrays the people in their tents, in the wilderness, refusing to advance into the land of Canaan.

Angry with their lack of faith in him, God “gave them a solemn warning” (literally “lifted his hand to them,” the gesture which accompanied an oath) “that he would make them die in the desert” (verse 26; literally make them fall).

Verse 27 in Hebrew begins “and to make fall,” the same verb as in the preceding line. The verse is otherwise the same as Ezekiel 20.23, which has the verb “and to disperse,” which is followed here by Revised Standard Version (similarly New International Version, New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). Good News Translation (also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant) has followed the Masoretic text but reverses the two lines, since it is rather ludicrous to speak of God killing their descendants and then scattering them in foreign countries (see Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). It may well be that there is a scribal error in the Masoretic text, and that the verb in verse 27a should be, as in Ezekiel 20.23, “to disperse” (parallel with “to scatter” in the following line).24-27 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (“B” decision) prefers the Masoretic text and explains, somewhat redundantly, that “to make fall down” means “to cast down.” But in this passage “to make fall down” means “to kill” and not “throw down,” which is what “cast down” means in English. Here Hebrew Old Testament Text Project cites Traduction œcuménique de la Bible as following the Masoretic text (which is correct), but gives disperser as the Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translation of the verb of the Masoretic text, not realizing that Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, like Good News Translation, has reversed the two lines and translates the verb of the Masoretic text by abattre. For translation suggestions concerning the nations (Good News Translation “the heathen”), see 9.5.

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 .