The psalmist now invites the people to join him in praising God; the setting is probably the Temple, where the psalmist is offering a thanksgiving sacrifice.

In line a his saints means God’s own people (see comments on “the godly” in 4.3, where the same Hebrew term appears). The Hebrew word is related to the noun usually translated “steadfast love” (see 5.7), and its principal component of meaning is that of faithfulness to God. The word saints or “holy people” in many translations has meanings which are not biblical. Saints are called such because of their special relationship with God. Therefore in translation they may be called by a term which represents that relationship, such as “faithful” in Good News Translation. Also they are often referred to as “God’s people,” or in the present context, “his own people.”

The second part of the verse is literally “and give praise to the remembrance of his holiness”; the Hebrew for name does not occur; the word “remembrance” (see 6.5) here means the mention of God in worship and adoration (see 135.13, where “name” and “remembrance” are used synonymously). Many translations take the Hebrew phrase “the remembrance of his holiness” to mean his holy name; this may be “at the remembrance of his holiness”; Bible en français courant “praise him by proclaiming his holiness”; Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “highly praise him by recalling his holiness”; New Jerusalem Bible “remember his unforgettable holiness.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is perhaps the best translation: “Thank him and reflect on this, that he is holy!” Good News Translation takes the phrase to mean “Remember what the Holy One has done,” with the idea of giving thanks mentioned separately in the last line. It is unnatural in some languages to speak of remembering a possessed quality such as holiness. Therefore it is often necessary to say “remember that he is holy,” or negatively, “do not forget that he is holy.” See the discussion of holy in 28.2.

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 .