The psalm closes with an exhortation to offer gifts to God. Verse 10 in Hebrew is quite unclear. The first line is “for (or, surely) human anger praises you”–which Good News Translation takes to mean that, by defeating and overcoming all human opposition to him (the wrath of men), God will be praised even more. New International Version takes “the anger of man” to mean “your wrath against men”; this is not very likely. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “Even the fury of men contributes to your glory” (so Bible en français courant); Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “Man’s hatred turns into praise to you.” Dahood translates “They (that is, ‘the oppressed’ of verse 9) will praise you for your rage with other men”; New Jerusalem Bible has “The fiercest of men shall acknowledge You,” which is almost identical with An American Translation. If the translator follows either the Revised Standard Version or the Good News Translation rendering, the problem remains difficult, for it is not at all clear how the wrath of men or “Men’s anger” is made to serve a purpose quite opposite from its usual intention. Furthermore, it is not natural in some languages for an abstract such as anger to praise. Therefore it will be necessary in many languages to indicate that it is God who causes it to happen; for example, “God, you cause angry men to praise you even more.”
Line b in Hebrew is “the remainder of angers you will put around you” (the same verb is used in 65.12b, “gird themselves”). Good News Translation has taken “the remainder of angers” to mean the enemies “who survive the wars,” the wars being the expression of God’s anger against them; God’s enemies who survive will worship him. “Keep your festivals” translates the Septuagint. Bible en français courant is like Good News Translation. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates the Masoretic text: “those who survive this anger (that is, of men, in the previous line), you bind to yourself”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “even man’s least hatred turns into a crown for you.” New Jerusalem Bible, somewhat similarly, has “the survivors of your anger will huddle round you.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project is of the opinion that the verse may be translated as follows: “surely the fiercest men praise you, those who remain angry gird themselves (with sackcloth).” Another interpretation is possible: “surely the fiercest men praise you, you gird (like a diadem) those who have escaped from your wrath.” If the translator follows Good News Translation in line b, “keep your festivals” may sometimes be rendered “will worship you on your special feast days.”
New American Bible and New English Bible, using different vowels with the consonants in the Masoretic text, get “wrath of Edom” in line a and “the survivors in Hamath” in line b. Edom was the country south of Israel, and Hamath was a city in Syria, north of Israel.
Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch appears to be following the second interpretation of Hebrew Old Testament Text Project in its translation, “So that the fury of your enemies will cause your fame to increase, and all who have escaped this fury are like a crown with which you adorn yourself.” It is recommended that the translator follow either Good News Translation or Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch in translating this very obscure Hebrew verse.
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 .