The psalm opens with a reminder to God of all the great things that God had done for the people of Israel, particularly how he had driven the heathen nations from the land of Canaan and let Israel occupy it (verses 2-3). The psalmist concentrates on the military victories which God had given his people in the past (in their days, in the days of old), because it is a recent disastrous military defeat that causes the psalmist to compose his lament.

Our fathers in verse 1b means “our ancestors.”

If the translator follows the structure of Good News Translation in verse 1, some recasting may be required, since the referent of “it” in lines a and b occurs in line c. It will be necessary therefore in many languages to place line c first, to be followed by lines a and b; for example, “You did great things for our ancestors when they lived, O God; with our ears we have heard about them, they have told us about them.”

With thy own hand means “by means of your own power (or, strength).”

Drive out the nations: this refers to the expulsion of the various Canaanite peoples (the nations … the peoples) from the land of Canaan as the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, invaded the land. The term “heathen” or nations is rendered in some languages “the people who worship false gods.”

In verse 2b the verb plant is used figuratively of settling the people of Israel in Canaan (see Exo 15.17; 2 Sam 7.10; Jer 11.17).

The Hebrew term translated the peoples and “the other nations” is often rendered as “the tribes.” The verb translated afflict (verse 2c) means literally “to do evil to”–a strong word; and set free translates the verb “send out,” which is probably the figure of a vigorous tree whose branches grow and spread out, a figure of prosperity (so Good News Translation “caused … to prosper”). Dahood and New English Bible take it in the sense of “send out roots,” the idea of firmness, stability; New Jerusalem Bible takes the verb to refer to the heathen nations, “you drove them out,” but the structure of the verse seems to favor taking the Israelites as the object of the verb. Good News Translation‘s “caused your own to prosper” may in some languages be translated “you made your own people have good things” or “you gave good gifts to your own people.”

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 .