The psalmist uses poetic language to picture the large flocks and rich harvests with which God blesses his people. It is recommended that, if possible, a translator read these three verses in a number of different translations in order to get some sense of how these poetic figures hang together. After that a verse-by-verse first draft may be attempted.

In verse 11a Thou crownest the year with thy bounty means that God blesses the harvest season with rich crops, as though they were a crown that God places on the land that year (see the verb “to crown” in 8.5b). Here the verb “to crown” is used not in the sense of power and authority, like those of a king, but a wreath, a garland, that indicates victory and celebration. In many languages it will not be possible to speak of “goodness” performing an action such as providing rich harvests, as in Good News Translation. However, one may often say “Because you are good you give us rich harvests.”

In verse 11b the Hebrew is “your chariot tracks drip with fatness.” This pictures God riding around in his chariot, that is, the rain clouds (see 68.4, 33), and leaving abundant blessings wherever he goes. But it is not strictly necessary to keep the figure of a chariot. New Jerusalem Bible translates “Your paths,” and Bible en français courant has “abundance flourishes wherever you have passed.” But there are differences of opinion about the word translated “chariot tracks” (used also as “paths” in 17.5; 23.3); Dahood has “pastures,” and New English Bible “palm-trees.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “Your clouds.” The word fatness here indicates abundance of good things.

The same verb, “drip, trickle,” is used in verse 12a of The pastures. The Hebrew phrase The pastures of the wilderness are the open pastures where the flocks graze; for example, “grazing lands.” The figure here is that of “pastures … filled with flocks”; see New Jerusalem Bible “The meadows are clothed with flocks.” But instead of flocks, perhaps the psalmist is speaking of grass; so Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “the pastures of the wilderness are green”; New Jerusalem Bible “the pastures of the desert grow moist”; and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “The pastures in the wilderness are moist and green.” New English Bible translates in more general terms, “… are rich with blessing.”

In verses 12b, 13a-b the three verbs “to gird oneself,” “to clothe oneself,” and “to cover oneself” are used of the hills, of the meadows, and of the valleys, which are covered with joy, flocks, and grain. The poetry is beautiful and highly effective, but a literal translation may communicate very little, if anything, to readers whose way of life is radically different from that of the psalmist and his readers. Verses 12 and 13 are difficult to translate without making several adjustments. The main problem is that in Hebrew a series of inanimate objects are said to be doing things that only humans do. Good News Translation has shifted these to passive constructions and modified the “clothing” verbs. However, in languages which will not take passive constructions here, other changes will be required. One of the most obvious adaptations that can be made would be to switch to active constructions and to supply God as the agent. In addition it will often be necessary to supply some comparisons in order to keep the poetic ideas; for example, “you make the hills like joyful people” or “you cause the hills to look like happy people.”

The psalm ends with a portrayal of all of them, the pastures, the hillsides, and the valleys, shouting and singing together for joy in gratitude to God. The referent of they shout and sing is inanimate, and in many languages this figurative usage will be misleading. In languages where inanimate subjects cannot perform these events, it will often be necessary to supply a comparison; for example, “everything will be good like people shouting and singing for joy” or “all these things will be like people who shout and sing their thanks to God.”

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 .