The psalmist emphasizes God’s “compassion” for his people (see comments on “abundant mercy” in 51.1). Although their sins deserved it, he did not destroy them totally; instead he forgave them (see 65.3b for comments on “forgive”; and for iniquity see comments on 51.2). Often “he held back his anger” (Good News Translation) and did not arouse all his fury. The psalmist uses vivid human language to describe God’s emotions, and a translation should use the same kind of language.

The connection between the last part of verse 38 and verse 39 can be made clearer by ending verse 38 with a comma, and starting verse 39 “because he remembered…” (see Bible en français courant, New Jerusalem Bible).

Good News Translation “only mortal beings” in verse 39a translates the Hebrew word flesh, a word which is used to characterize human beings as weak, frail, mortal. The expression “mortal beings” of Good News Translation is sometimes rendered “people who die” or “people and nothing more.” Wind in verse 39b translates ruach, which may mean also “breath” or “spirit.” Here it is a figure for how easily and quickly a person disappears, ceases to be, dies (see related thoughts, 103.14-16); New Jerusalem Bible has “a passing breath that does not return.”

In line b it may be necessary in translation to repeat the subject pronoun, “they are like a wind….” If the figure of the wind is unclear, it is possible to say, for example, “they live a short while and then die” or “their lives do not last very long.”

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 .