The psalmist affirms Israel’s faithfulness: the people have not forgotten God, that is, have not disregarded God’s laws, nor have they been false to thy covenant he had made with them; yet God has severely punished them. As interpreted by Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New American Bible, and others, the meaning is that God has punished his people even though they had done nothing to merit such treatment. As interpreted by New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Dahood, and others, even though God had punished the people, yet they are not disloyal to him. Either interpretation is allowed by the context and the form of the Hebrew text; the former seems preferable. Anderson says both may be in view.

In some languages it will be preferable to give the ground first and then the result; for example, “We have not forgotten you nor broken the covenant you made with us, yet in spite of all that, this has happened to us.”

The term covenant is often translated by terms meaning “treaty” or “agreement” (see 25.10). There is little problem in this context because it is clear (in Good News Translation) that the treaty has been God’s initiative.

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 .