Verses 6-8 are God’s response to the anguished prayer of his people. God proclaims his victory and his dominion over all countries, especially the ancient enemies of Israel.

The opening words of verse 6 can mean “From (or, In) his sanctuary,” that is, the Temple (the “holy place”), or “In (or, By) his holiness.” The former seems preferable here. This identifies the oracle that follows as a message of reassurance given the people, perhaps by the priest. But Taylor takes God’s message in verses 6-8 to be one which God had given in the past and which is now quoted by the psalmist in order to remind God of how he had failed to keep his promise of victory.

With exultation in line b translates the verb “I will exult,” which expresses joy over the defeat of the enemy. The expression With exultation or “In triumph” must sometimes be rendered through a causal clause; for example, “Because I have conquered” or “Because I am powerful.”

Shechem was an ancient city some fifty kilometers north of Jerusalem (see Gen 12.6). “Sukkoth Valley,” on the east side of the Jordan River, was north of the River Jabbok. It is probable that here it is representative of the whole country east of the Jordan, and that Shechem represents the country west of the Jordan. Some see here an allusion to Genesis 33.17-20, which reports Jacob’s building a house for himself at Succoth and buying some land in Shechem. In many languages it will be more meaningful to make clear that each of the areas named refers to a geographical region. Otherwise there is the possibility that some readers will understand these names to apply to persons. This is normally done by using a generic classifier; for example, “city of Shechem,” “land called Gilead,” “land called Manasseh,” etc. If further information regarding the location of these places is required, the reader can be referred to a map in the appropriate section of the Bible.

Divide up in line b and portion out in line c are parallel and synonymous, both referring to the division of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel. There is no indirect object for either of the two verbs; Good News Translation has interpreted the text as saying that God was assigning these places to his people (so Briggs). It is primarily God’s ownership that is asserted, and his right to give these places to the people of Israel.

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 .