The statement in verse 4a probably refers to the festivals, during which there was a recital of Yahweh’s miracles and actions on behalf of his people; this was the way in which he constantly reminded his people of what he had done for them. But the Hebrew “He made a memorial for his wonderful deeds” can be understood to mean “He wants his wonderful deeds to be commemorated” (Bible en français courant) or “He has won renown for His wonders” (New Jerusalem Bible; similarly New English Bible). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “he has himself provided that his wonders should not be forgotten.”

Verse 4b uses the same two words that are used in 103.8a, but in reverse order.

The statement in verse 5a probably has as its background the quails and the manna that Yahweh gave to his people during the years of wandering in the wilderness. And in verse 5b the force of the statement is that Yahweh never fails to keep the promises he made in his covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai (see 25.10).

In verse 6 the psalmist singles out the conquest of Canaan as the supreme example of Yahweh’s power. The Hebrew phrase the power of his works may be taken to mean “his greatest power, his mighty power,” or “His powerful works” (New Jerusalem Bible); New English Bible has “what his strength could do.” Shown his people the power of his works must often be recast to say, for example, “He has shown his people how powerful he is.” If the translator is following Good News Translation, care must be taken that “his people” in verse 6a not conflict with “us” in verse 4a; if “us” is used in verse 4a, perhaps verse 6a should read “… to us, his people.”

The word heritage in line b refers to the territory occupied by the peoples of Canaan; the nations are the Canaanite people. In some languages “lands of foreigners” must be adjusted to say “lands that had belonged to foreigners” or “land that belonged to people of other nations.”

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 .