The psalm opens with a call to the people of Israel to praise Yahweh in the Temple festival, the assembly of the faithful, that is, the meeting of the people who are faithful to Yahweh. For a new song see 96.1.

Verse 2 consists of two parallel and synonymous lines: Israel … sons of Zion (see 2.6), and his Maker … their King. For “your Creator” see comments on 100.3, where it is noted that this term does not necessarily refer to creation. In verses 2-3 Good News Translation has kept the second person of direct address of verse 1, not the third person of the Hebrew text. In both lines of verse 2 the clause “because of…” gives the reason why the people should praise Yahweh: it is because of what he has done, and still does, for them. Verse 2b shifts from general to specific categories with corresponding intensification of feeling. In English the whole unit can be rendered “Be glad, Israel, because of the one who has created you, and still more, people of Zion, because he is the one who rules over you.”

In verse 3 the people are called upon to celebrate with dancing and the playing of drums (Revised Standard Version timbrel; see 81.2) and “harps” (Revised Standard Version lyre; see 33.2a). It may be best in some languages to recast verse 3 by shifting from third-person imperatives to second-person imperatives; for example, “Dance, beat the drums, and play the musical instruments to praise him.” However, if the original form can be followed more closely, one may say “Dance in order to praise him; even more, praise God by playing the drums and the harp.”

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 .