In the final strophe (verses 8-10) the psalmist portrays the establishment of universal peace, with God bringing wars to an end by destroying all weapons and commanding all nations to submit to him as supreme ruler of the world. The psalmist addresses all peoples everywhere, Come, behold, not just his fellow Israelites.
In verse 8a the works refers to the actions that follow. In verse 8b desolations translates a word meaning an event which evokes terror or wonder from those who see it, an “awesome” or “prodigious” event; so Good News Translation “amazing things”; New American Bible “astounding things”; New Jerusalem Bible “astounding deeds”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “surprising things.” This interpretation follows the Septuagint “wonders” and the Vulgate prodiga, and is the meaning given by K-B and Holladay. But New English Bible, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible are like King James Version “desolations.” It seems best here to follow Good News Translation. The expression translated “amazing things” by Good News Translation can be rendered in some languages in idiomatic terms; for example, “eyesore things,” “things that stop the heart,” and “things that fill up the throat.”
In verse 9 the psalmist lists the prodigious things that God has done: he defeats all his enemies and destroys their weapons (bows and arrows, and spears), and thus makes them stop fighting against his people and against one another.
In the expression He makes wars cease it is sometimes necessary to render war as “people fighting.” Therefore one can sometimes say “He causes people to stop fighting each other.”
It is generally agreed by modern commentators and translations (Weiser, Dahood, Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible, Bible en français courant, New International Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) that in verse 9c “shields” (as the Septuagint, Targum, and Vulgate translate) is meant, and not chariots (Revised Standard Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy); only a slight change of vowels in the Hebrew text is required, and “The War Scroll” of Qumran (6.15) uses the word in the sense of “shields.”8-9 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project notes that the Hebrew word has two meanings: “chariots of transport” and “round shields.” Here the second meaning is the one that fits the context. It is pointed out that the Masoretic text word chariots is nowhere used in the Old Testament of war chariots (see Bible en français courant footnote). Ancient shields were made of wood and leather, and frequently rubbed with olive oil; as a result they would burn easily. Where shields are only known to be made of metal, it may be advisable to include a note which will explain how shields can be said to be set on fire.
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 .