God’s punishment is motivated by his faithfulness, that is, he keeps his promise, as expressed in his covenant with his people, to reward the righteous and punish the wicked. So the psalmist does not complain: I know … that thy judgments are right. Good News Translation‘s “your judgments are righteous” will have to be shifted in some languages to say, for example, “I know that you judge things in the right way.”

In verses 76-77 the psalmist appeals to Yahweh to show him steadfast love and mercy, because of Yahweh’s promise and the psalmist’s devotion to Yahweh’s law. For to comfort me in verse 76a, see verse 52b; and for verse 76b see similar language in verses 41b, 58b.

For verse 77a see similar request in verse 41a; for that I may live see verse 17b; and for verse 77b see verse 70b.

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 .

In this strophe (letter sin/shin, verses 161-168) the psalmist expresses his deep devotion to the law of God. The Good News Translation heading may be adjusted for translation by saying, for example, “The psalmist loves and obeys the Law of the LORD.”

Once again he refers to his enemies as Princes (verse 161; see verse 23) who persecute him without cause (see similar statements about his enemies in verses 69a, 86b, 95a, 110a, 150a). But he feels safe because of his awe for Yahweh’s law. The verb translated stands in awe has elsewhere the meaning of “be afraid, terrified” (see 14.5), and the meaning here may be “but I am afraid only of your law” (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Anderson). The idea of fear and trembling is inherent in the word (see similar language in verse 120); so New International Version “but my heart trembles at your word.” New Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible, however, have “my heart thrills at Your word,” which strikes a note of joyous anticipation; but nowhere else in the Old Testament does the verb or the related noun have any idea other than fear. So Good News Translation “respect” may not be strong enough; perhaps “deep reverence for” is better.

One form of the Masoretic text of verse 161b has the singular “your word” (so Good News Translation and others), while another form has the plural “your words” (so Revised Standard Version and others). The same variation occurs in verse 162a.

The psalmist (verse 162) likens his happiness to that of a man who discovers a great treasure, literally “a large amount of booty” (Revised Standard Version great spoil), which means wealth captured from a defeated enemy after a battle. But “treasure” well expresses the essential meaning of the word (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, New Jerusalem Bible).

In verse 163 the psalmist repeats his feeling of hatred of falsehood and his love for the Torah. Hate and abhor may have to be reduced to a single verb in some languages.

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 .

In this strophe (verses 3-5) the psalmist speaks of the happiness of having many children. The two lines of verse 3 are parallel and synonymous. Sons parallels the fruit of the womb, and heritage parallels reward. For heritage see 16.6. The parallel reward translates a word that means “wages”; there may be the connotation of being a payment for good deeds, but in parallel with heritage the word stresses the idea of an unearned gift. Good News Translation‘s “a real blessing” tries to bring out the idea of the LORD’s generosity in giving children. It is better to translate “Children” in verse 3a instead of sons, since the parallel fruit of the womb includes both male and female offspring. In some languages it may be necessary to recast Good News Translation‘s “gift from the LORD” and say, for example, “The LORD blesses people with children” or “The LORD gives people children, and these are a blessing.”

In verse 4 a man’s sons are compared to the soldier’s arrows; they are a guarantee of security. Naturally they are of greater benefit if they are born when the father is young (the sons of one’s youth), because they will be old enough to provide him real security when he is old. In languages in which arrows are unknown, the simile may not be useful. The translator may search for an equivalent comparison or avoid the comparison and say, for example, “(they) can defend him from his enemies.”

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 .

For the opening Praise the LORD, see 104.35. Verses 1b-2 are similar to 134.1; here is added a parallel line for the Temple as the courts of the house of our God (verse 2b). As in 134.1 it is impossible to say whether the servants of the LORD, you that stand in the house of the LORD (verses 1b-2a) are the officiating priests and Levites or the worshipers as such. Good News Translation here has taken it in the more general sense (so Anderson). Good News Translation, which did not use “you servants” in 134.1, uses that form here, thus providing a better model for many translations. Our God refers to the God of the priests and the Temple worshipers, and will have to be rendered in an inclusive form in languages which must make that kind of distinction, for it includes the worshipers being addressed. One may have to avoid the possessive pronoun and say instead “the God we (inclusive) worship.”

It is much more common for the vocative (the persons addressed) to be placed immediately before or after the command, or in the following line. Here it is placed in the third line and expanded in both lines of verse 2. In languages which must place the vocative first, some adjustments will be required. For example, “You servants of the LORD, praise the LORD….” In the same way it may be necessary to repeat the command to praise the LORD in verse 2; for example, “You who serve (or, worship) in the LORD’s Temple, praise the LORD.”

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 .

These verses, in which the psalmist asks for Yahweh’s help, owe much to the figures used in 18.9-17. For verse 5a see 18.9a, where the same language is used. Here Good News Translation has followed two Hebrew manuscripts (and the Syriac and Targum) “the heavens,” and not the Masoretic text “your heavens” (see Revised Standard Version). For verse 5b see 104.32b.

For verse 6 see 18.14. It should be noticed that here Revised Standard Version them in both lines can only refer to the mountains of verse 5b. Of course the psalmist is talking about Yahweh’s “enemies.”

Verse 7a-b uses the language of 18.16; the verb translated here rescue has this sense only here and in verses 10, 11. It is classified here as an Aramaism; elsewhere in the Old Testament it means “to open (the mouth).” The many waters is here, as often, a figure of the distress and danger the psalmist is threatened with by his enemies, the aliens, that is, hostile forces from other countries. It should be noticed there are two synonymous verbs in verse 7b, rescue and deliver. Good News Translation has restructured the sentence, with one verb for each object. Hand of aliens and Good News Translation‘s “power of foreigners” may have to be recast in some languages to say, for example, “… from foreign tribes that attack me.”

The psalmist calls his enemies liars (verse 8a); whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood in line b means they “lie even under oath.” It was the custom on taking a vow to raise the right hand to heaven, a symbolic gesture calling on God to attest to the truth of the statement to be made (see 106.26). New International Version “whose right hands are deceitful” is less than natural. Good News Translation‘s “under oath,” which suggests a courtroom procedure, may have to be recast in some languages to say, for example, “who lie when they swear they are telling the truth.”

It should be noticed that verses 7c-8 (which appear also as verse 11b-d) are omitted by New English Bible as a later addition to the text; there is, however, no textual support for this omission.

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 .

In verses 4-9 the psalmist tells why the people of Israel should praise Yahweh: it is because he takes pleasure in his people (see 147.11) and he gives them victory (verse 4). In verse 4b the humble (see comments on “the afflicted” in 9.12) describes Yahweh’s people as those whose only source of help and strength is Yahweh himself, and not any human being; they are completely dependent on him for victory. Good News Translation does not link verse 4 to the preceding verse. However, the two need to be related, and in some languages it may be necessary to begin verse 4 by saying, for example, “Do this because the LORD delights in his people” or “… the LORD’s people make him happy.” The verb translated adorns occurs only here in Psalms; victory is seen as a garland, or crown, which is placed on the head of the victor. Adorns the humble with victory may be recast to say, for example, “he honors those who depend on him, by helping them defeat their enemies.”

In verse 5 the people of Israel are called, as often, the faithful (see “the godly” in 4.3); glory in line a has the specific sense of victory or triumph (New English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). If the translator ends verse 4 as suggested above, Good News Translation‘s “in their triumph” may be handled by saying “Let God’s people rejoice because they have won the battle.” It is not certain what the Hebrew on their couches in verse 5b means. Some think it refers to the seats at the religious meals; others, that it refers to prayer mats (so New English Bible “as they kneel before him”; similarly New Jerusalem Bible); others take it to mean “even when they are sick in bed”; and still others believe it means “even when they are (supposed to be) asleep” (so Good News Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible en français courant, Dahood, Cohen). Some emend the Hebrew on their couches to “according to their families” or to “in their tabernacle,” that is, the Temple (Briggs).

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 .