Thou art not a God: instead of the negative form, it may be better to use a positive expression such as “you are a God who does not like (or, who hates) wickedness.” The verb translated delights is from the same root as the noun “(his) delight” in 1.2. The translation can be “is happy with, takes pleasure in.”

In describing God’s holy nature, the psalmist contrasts God’s nature with the abstract qualities wickedness and evil, meaning wicked and evil people. In some languages it may be better to make this explicit and say “… who is not happy with wicked people.”

Sojourn is a translation of the verb meaning “to dwell, stay, live.” Briggs translates “evil cannot be Thy guest”; New English Bible “evil can be no guest of thine” (and in the footnote “an evil man cannot be thy guest”). Bible en français courant has “an evildoer is not welcome in your house,” and New Jerusalem Bible “no sinner can be your guest.”

Many languages have special terms expressing temporary hospitality offered to a guest. Such an expression will render the Hebrew verb used here. However if an abstract such as evil can not be personified, it may be necessary to say, for example, “evil people can never receive hospitality from you” or “you do not give hospitality to evil men.”

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 .