One of the characteristics of this psalm is the occurrence of the same Hebrew consonant repeated in consecutive words or lines. This is a form of alliteration or sound repetition, and no clear patterning is evident. Translators are not expected to imitate alliteration in Hebrew, but the information is called to the translator’s attention in case alliteration is used as a poetic device to enhance the sound of poetic lines in the receptor language. Only in verse 20 is the consonant used in alliteration the same as the acrostic consonant. In verse 1 the Hebrew negative ʾal appears as the first word in each line, just as “Don’t” appears in Good News Translation.
The advice in verse 1 is repeated in verses 7 and 8, dealing with what must have been a real problem at the time. The righteous are not to Fret themselves or be envious because of the apparent success of the wicked, or wrongdoers; their success is temporary, and they will soon disappear and die. Each of the two verses consists of two parallel and synonymous lines. The figure of “grass that dries up” and of “plants that wither” (Good News Translation) under the hot sun is a common one (see 1.3; 90.5-6; 91.5b-6; 103.15). It is a figure of temporary success and prosperity that is quickly ended by harsh conditions. It is not explicitly stated that it is God’s punishment that causes the ruin of wicked people, but in the thought of that time, God was ultimately responsible for everything that happened to humankind.
If the translator follows Good News Translation “jealous” in verse 1b, it is important not to place in focus the attitude of a lover who resents his rivals, which “jealous” in many languages means. “Jealous” in this context may be rendered by envious as in Revised Standard Version, or one may say “don’t desire to possess the things that evil people have” or “don’t desire to do the things wicked people do.”
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 .