The opening statement reflects confidence which is based on the knowledge of God’s eternal nature. Always he has been the dwelling place of his people. Instead of the Masoretic text dwelling place, some Hebrew manuscripts and the Septuagint have “refuge” (so New English Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). It may well be that the word in the Masoretic text has here the meaning “place of safety”; Bible en français courant has “our place of security.”1-2 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives both alternatives, without expressing a preference. Lord translates the title, not the personal name Yahweh. The Hebrew “for generation and generation” in verse 1b means “for all time, forever.” In some languages it will not be natural to speak of the Lord being a place, and the noun phrase must therefore be recast as a clause and in some cases as a simile; for example, “Lord, you have always protected us” or “Lord, you have always been like a home to us.”
In verse 2 the Hebrew text is literally “before the hills were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world.” The language is poetic, portraying God as giving birth. The second verb means “to have labor pains” (see also comments on “whirl” in 29.9). The birth imagery functions poetically here to hint at the birth of humankind, which suggests the limitations of time that are imposed on humans in contrast with God, who is eternal. New International Version approximates the female imagery: “were born … you brought forth”; Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “were born … you gave birth to”; and New Jerusalem Bible “were born … came to birth.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible provides a good model to follow.
It is not certain what difference, if any, is intended between the two words earth and world; it seems that the two are quite synonymous here (see 19.4; 24.1; 33.8; 77.18b-c, where they are parallel). Perhaps something like “the earth and (the rest of) the universe” can be said. In English the earth and the world is repetitious and redundant, as will be the case in most languages. Bible en français courant has only “the world,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “the earth.”
The Hebrew phrase translated from everlasting to everlasting in verse 2c expresses all time, past and future (see the same idea in 102.27). The emphasis in the Hebrew “you (are) God” is better brought out by “you are the one who is God” (see Bible en français courant). If the translator follows the restructuring of Good News Translation in this verse, it may be necessary to place “you were eternally God” at the opening and “will be God forever” at the conclusion. For example, “You always were God” or “You always were the God we worship, even before you created the hills and the world, and you will always be the God we worship.”
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 .