God will punish those who do not keep the covenant, but he will not break the covenant: he will remain faithful to his promises. In verse 33 him refers to David, which Good News Translation makes explicit (see 2 Sam 7.15). In verse 33a the Masoretic text is “I will not break off”; many Hebrew manuscripts have the verb “take away,” as in 2 Samuel 7.15. In this verse again steadfast love and faithfulness are paired as the two outstanding characteristics of Yahweh in dealing with his people.

The translator should coordinate the rendering of violate my covenant with the expressions used and discussed at verse 31.

In verse 34b the Hebrew word translated the word that went forth is, like the English word “utterance,” derived from a verb meaning “to go out, emit.” Here, in parallel with my covenant in line a, it means “the promise I made (to him).”

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 .