This verse seems to be the beginning of a hymn celebrating God’s power and majesty as “The Rider of the Clouds,” with which verses 5-6 do not form a consistent whole. All three verses, however, praise God’s power and his care for helpless and oppressed people.

For name in line a see 5.11.

The meaning of line b is doubtful. The verb translated “prepare a way” by Good News Translation means lift up (Revised Standard Version), and in other contexts it means “build a highway” (see Isa 40.3; 57.14; 62.10). So the Septuagint here has “make a road,” and this is the meaning assigned by Oesterley, Dahood, Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version footnote. Others, however, take the verb to mean “lift up a song”; so Briggs and Anderson, citing Syriac and Targum (also Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, An American Translation, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Zürcher Bibel, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). It is up to the translator to decide which meaning to adopt.

Upon the clouds translates a Hebrew word which usually means “in the deserts” (so Oesterley, Zürcher Bibel, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New English Bible, Revised Standard Version footnote). Some, following the Septuagint, emend the Hebrew text to “on the clouds” (Briggs, New American Bible). The majority, however, take the Masoretic text word to be a defective spelling for “on the clouds,” thus requiring no emendation (so Dahood), and this is the meaning represented by Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, An American Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy. The clouds were thought of as God’s chariot (see 18.9-11; Deut 33.26; Isa 19.1). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives three possible interpretations of the Masoretic text and recommends the following: “Prepare the highway for him who rides upon the clouds; LORD is his name, and exult before him!”

In line c the name of God is Yah (see King James Version “JAH”), a shortened form of the usual Yahweh, and one which is found in the exhortation “Hallelujah!” (that is, “Praise Yah!”).

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 .