The psalmist prays that God will send his light and truth which, like guides, will lead him from exile back to Mt. Zion (thy holy hill) and into the Temple (thy dwelling), where he will go to the altar and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. In many languages it is not possible to speak of sending light and truth. In such cases it will sometimes be necessary to say “show your light to me and speak your truth” or “shine your light for me and speak your true words to me.”
Bring me: it would be better if both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation had “take me (back),” since the psalmist is not in Israel. Good News Translation has introduced the name “Zion” so the reader will know that thy holy hill is, in fact, Mt. Zion. Thy dwelling is a way of speaking about the Temple. Thy holy hill is expressed in some languages as “the hill which is dedicated to you” or “the hill which belongs only to you.”
In verse 4 the Masoretic text has the altar of God (so Revised Standard Version); a few Hebrew manuscripts have “your altar, O God” (so Good News Translation). It is recommended that translators follow the Masoretic text. The expression the altar of God must be rendered in some languages as “the place where people worship God.”
In verse 4b God my exceeding joy means “God, who makes me very happy.” Good News Translation‘s “you are the source of my happiness” can be rendered in some languages as “you are the one who makes me happy” or idiomatically “you are the one who makes my heart quiet.”
For lyre see 33.2a. Where the harp is unknown, a local stringed instrument must be substituted, and where no stringed instrument is known, a generic term such as “musical instrument” can be used.
In many languages it is not possible to speak of my God as though God were someone’s possession. In such cases one may often say, for example, “O God, the God I worship.”
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 .