In this section (verses 28-31) God is called upon to display his power and defeat the enemies of Israel.

In verse 28a the Masoretic text is “Your God has ordered your strength,” which is an obscure statement; presumably “your” refers to Israel. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible (“your God has decided that you will be strong”) and New Jerusalem Bible (“Your God has ordained strength for you”) follow the Masoretic text, which is what Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends. But many Hebrew manuscripts have what Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and New American Bible translate; Bible de Jérusalem and New Jerusalem Bible emend the text. If the translator follows Good News Translation “Show your power,” it will be necessary in many languages to recast this expression so as to say “show the people that you are powerful” or “show that you are strong.”

It seems better to connect the first line of verse 29 to verse 28, as Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, and New Jerusalem Bible have done, than to translate Because of thy temple at Jerusalem, as Revised Standard Version has done. Or else, a translator may choose to do what Bible en français courant and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy have done and connect verse 29 with verse 30, translating the beginning of verse 29 “From your Temple in Jerusalem…” and continuing in the same sentence to verse 30, which begins with the imperative verb “rebuke the beasts….” New English Bible reverses the two lines of verse 29 and translates “command kings to bring gifts to thee for the honour of thy temple in Jerusalem.”

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 .