The word generation, as in 12.7, refers to people who have certain moral qualities. Such is the generation may be rendered sometimes as “The people are like this” or “The people who come to God are like this.”

The two synonymous Hebrew verbs for seek are used in the sense of going to the Temple to worship Yahweh. If a rendering like Good News Translation “come into the presence” is used, care should be taken that the readers not understand that the psalmist was talking about going to heaven.

In line b the Masoretic text has “those who seek your face, Jacob”; two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac have “your face, God of Jacob” (the Septuagint has “those who seek the face of the God of Jacob”), which is the meaning preferred by Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy.6 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers “your face, Jacob” (“B” decision) but does not explain what this means. A translator should only prefer the vocative “Jacob” if he or she makes clear to the reader what it means.

For Selah see comments on 3.2.

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 .