In verse 6a most translations take the perfect tense of the verb (literally “has given”) to refer to past action: “The land has produced” (Good News Translation; also Revised Standard Version, Bible en français courant, New English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, An American Translation, New American Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Briggs, Weiser). Some, however, contend that this is an example of what is called the precative perfect, that is, the use of the perfect to express a petition, and so should be translated “May the earth yield…” (Dahood, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version). If so, the psalm is to be thought of as a lament or a petition, not as a prayer of thanksgiving for a good harvest. The clause The earth has yielded its increase is difficult in some languages, because the land alone is not said to perform this event. Therefore in some languages one must say, for example, “On the land the harvest has grown.”

Line b of verse 6 should be translated like line a, either as a statement or as a petition. God, our God must often be translated as “the God whom we worship.”

Verse 7 is translated as a prayer by Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New English Bible, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy; this makes for a fitting conclusion to the psalm, and translators should feel free to translate the same way.

For comments on the phrase all the ends of the earth, meaning “all people everywhere,” see 2.8; 22.27; 59.13.

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 .