In this verse the Hebrew is simply “And singers like dancers all my springs in you.” It is assumed that the words “all my springs (are) in you” represent what “singers and dancers” say. But some Hebrew manuscripts have “princes” instead of “singers” (so Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible). And the Hebrew word translated “(like) dancers” is taken by Bible de Jérusalem and New Jerusalem Bible to be from another root, “to beget”; so New Jerusalem Bible translates, “princes no less than native-born.”
Springs is used figuratively as a source; so Good News Translation “the source of all our blessings”; or else “Zion is the source of all our blessedness.” Toombs refers to 46.4, which speaks of the river “that brings joy to the city of God” (see also 36.8, 9).7 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives the following translation of this verse: “and singing as well as dancing (they say) ‘all my springs (are) in you.’ ” In this context, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project says, “springs” refers to origin.
Instead of my springs the Septuagint and Vulgate have “dwelling place,” which Biblia Dios Habla Hoy and New American Bible adopt: “My home is in you” (so Briggs). Actually the Septuagint is “and they all rejoice (whose) dwelling (is) in you.” New English Bible emends the Hebrew “all my springs” to “they all chant”; Dahood emends to “all who have suffered.”
The least that can be said is that verse 7 in the Masoretic text is difficult and obscure, and that it takes a bit of good will to make sense of it without any changes in the Hebrew text. If the translator follows the lead of Good News Translation, “source of all our blessings” will have to be recast in some languages to say, for example, “Zion is the place from which we receive all good things” or “We get all the good things from Zion.” Probably the best model to follow is Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch: “All dance for joy and sing, ‘Zion, in you we are at home!’ ”
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 .