All the people on earth are called upon to praise Yahweh (verse 4). The expression all the earth must often be rendered as “all people everywhere” or “all people living on the earth.” Verse 4b in Hebrew is a succession of three verbs: “break forth (in song) and shout for joy and sing praise,” which New Jerusalem Bible renders “break into joyous songs of praise!” In verse 5 the Hebrew is “Sing praises to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a song,” a command to use both vocal and instrumental music in praise of Yahweh. Some Hebrew manuscripts omit the second “with the harp,” which Good News Translation and others follow; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “Sing hymns to the Lord to the sound of the harp, to the sound of string instruments.” For lyre see 33.2a.

Verses 4b and 5a echo verse 4a and in some languages may need to be reduced to avoid the repetition. Sing praises may have to be translated in some languages as “Sing songs and praise God” or “Sing songs and say that God is great.” (See illustration: jmp Trumpets and Ram Horns|fig:Trumpets_Image0.jpgjmp*.)

Trumpets in verse 6 are metal instruments (see “silver trumpets” in Num 10.2), mentioned only here in the Psalms. For horn (shofar) see 47.5. In some languages it will not be possible to make a distinction between the two Hebrew terms translated trumpets and horn. In such cases the local term for a horn will be used. The Greek Old Testament used only one term. In verse 6b the phrase translated before the King (or “in the presence of”) is translated by New English Bible “acclaim the presence of the LORD our king” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible). This is a command to praise Yahweh in the Temple, where he is present with the people. For similar exhortations see 47.6; 81.2-3. In languages which must distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first person plural, Good News Translation‘s “our king” should be rendered to include the writer and his readers.

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 .