The slaughter was so terrible that “blood flowed like water” in Jerusalem. Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version begin verse 3 with They, which may be slightly ambiguous due to the references in verse 2 to the vultures and wild animals. The referents in verse 3 should be clear: They have refers to the enemies; their blood refers to the Israelites, and them are the dead Israelites. In languages where the degree of ambiguity would be increased, it will be better to begin verse 3 with the noun subject.

Round about Jerusalem does not mean outside the city but all through the city. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “through all Jerusalem.” Good News Translation has repeated the simile “like water” in connection with the killing of the people and its location in Jerusalem. This is not necessary. If the expression poured out … blood or “shed … blood” has the wrong meaning, it will be better to say “they have killed the people all around Jerusalem.” If the simile is to be kept, one may say, for example, “the blood of the dead has flowed like water in Jerusalem.”

Verse 3c emphasizes again the fact that so many Israelites were slaughtered that there were hardly any survivors to bury the dead.

Verse 4 is practically identical with 44.13, except that here God is not specifically the one who caused the mocking. Our neighbors are the surrounding heathen nations, often translated as “the other tribes” or “the tribes around us who do not worship God.”

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 .