The psalmist’s praise to God will be universal: among the peoples and among the nations (verse 9). Some take the immediate reference here to be fellow Israelites present at a festival in Jerusalem, people who had come from all over the world (see Weiser, Toombs). The expressions among the peoples and among the nations must in some languages be shifted to clauses; for example, “wherever people live” and “wherever there are nations.” In some languages one can say “and all the people will know it” or “and all the nations will hear about it.”

Verse 10 is almost identical in form with, and has the same meaning as, 36.5, which see. The expression steadfast love is great to the heavens and Good News Translation “reaches the heavens” is difficult to translate in some languages. Therefore one can sometimes say “you love so greatly that it is like the distance from earth to sky.”

The concluding refrain (verse 11) is a repetition of verse 5. In some languages over all the earth can be rendered, for example, “in all the places in the earth,” or simply, “everywhere.”

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 .