This strophe (letter nun, verses 105-112) contains the usual elements of praise, complaint, petition, and expression of devotion to God’s law. The Good News Translation heading may require adjusting for translation to something like “The LORD’s Law is like a light” or “The Law of the LORD shines like a light.”

Verse 105 is perhaps the best known verse of the whole psalm. The figures of lamp and light express the blessings of Yahweh, the guidance that he provides by means of his word, that is, the Law; my feet and my path are synonyms, meaning the psalmist’s behavior, his conduct, his life as a pious Israelite. A lamp to my feet means “a light that lights up the path I walk on.” In some languages it will be necessary to make explicit the function of the light, that is, to shine; for example, “a light to shine on my path” or “a light to shine in the place where I walk.”

In verse 106 the psalmist promises to obey Yahweh’s righteous ordinances. For comments on righteous ordinances see verse 7; for observe see verse 8a. In line a, instead of Revised Standard Version I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, it is better to say “I have made a solemn promise and I will keep it” or, as Bible en français courant has it, “I will keep the promise I have made”; New Jerusalem Bible has “I have firmly sworn to….”

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 .