The main theme of this strophe (letter he, verses 33-40) seems to be a desire to understand God’s laws; to the prayer for understanding is joined the promise to keep God’s law at all times. A suggested adaptation of the Good News Translation heading may be “The psalmist prays that God will help him to understand God’s Law” or “The psalmist asks God to teach him what God’s Law means.”

In verse 33a the way of thy statutes is like the phrase in verse 32a. Good News Translation translates “the meaning of your laws.” In line b the Hebrew word translated to the end (it appears also in verse 112) may mean “reward” (as in 19.11); so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “my reward will be in keeping them” (also New English Bible). It is better to follow Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation here.

Verse 34 practically repeats verse 33; the two verbs keep and observe are also used (in reverse order) in 105.45. It is probably better to follow Revised Standard Version in line a and translate Give me understanding, instead of Good News Translation “Explain your law to me.” So the translation can be “Make me able to understand your law, so that I will be able to obey it….” See Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Enable me to understand clearly your rules (laws).” Observe it with my whole heart may have to be recast, using a different body part to represent the whole person.

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 .