Bear pain: according to the Revised Standard Version footnote this translates the Syriac (see also New American Bible); the Hebrew text means “hold counsels.” The Masoretic text is etsot, which normally means “plans”; Syriac (see the margin of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia) is atsabot “pains.” The verb means “to place, put”; and “to put pain,” as Briggs points out, is a unique expression, so that the scribes (according to him), by deleting one letter from the Hebrew noun, changed the original “pains” into “plans” of the Masoretic text. But according to some scholars the Hebrew text can be translated “How long shall I continue devising plans (in my mind)?” That is, the psalmist in vain tries to think of ways to improve the situation. So New Jerusalem Bible “How long must I nurse rebellion in my soul?” taking the word to have the same meaning here that it has in 106.43b (so K-B, Holladay). Some scholars hold that the Hebrew word itself can mean pain, anguish (see references in Anderson); so Good News Translation, New English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy; New Jerusalem Bible “cares”; Bible de Jérusalem “grief”; Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “worry”; Dahood “doubts.”

In translation it is often necessary to distinguish between physical pain and emotional distress, distress being appropriate in this passage. Sorrow is frequently spoken of by figures of speech such as “a heavy heart” or “a spoiled heart.”

Soul translates nefesh (see 3.2), which is parallel to heart in the next line. For an earlier use of heart, see 4.7.

All the day (Good News Translation “day and night”) translates a word meaning “by day, in the daytime,” which seems to represent the intensity and extensiveness of the psalmist’s sorrow, since grief is ordinarily associated with the nighttime.2 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project says the Hebrew may be interpreted in two ways: (1) “all the day,” “for length of days,” meaning every day; (2) “(even) by day,” that is, in daytime as well as at night. What Good News Translation has done on a translational basis is done on a textual basis by New English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, following the Septuagint, which adds “and by night.” New Jerusalem Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible en français courant translate “all day”; New American Bible “every day.” All the day must often be expressed as “all the time,” “without sleeping,” or “without closing the eyes.”

Be exalted translates the verb “to be high” (see also 12.8). My enemy is taken by Good News Translation to be a collective noun, “my enemies” (as it clearly is in verse 4a, parallel with “my adversaries” in verse 4b). Dahood understands it to mean death and translates “my Foe” (as in verse 4). “Enemies” must sometimes be rendered as “people who hate me” or “people who fight me.” The entire expression in line c may sometimes be expressed in translation as “How long will the people who hate me win their battle?” or as a negative request, “Don’t let those who hate me cause me to fall.”

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 .

They track me down; now they surround me: in the Hebrew text the verse begins with a noun phrase, “our steps”; with a change of vowels the text becomes a verbal phrase, “they advance on me”; so Revised Standard Version and other translations. There is one Hebrew manuscript that has “they advance on me.” The next verb they surround has in the Masoretic text (the qere) the first plural suffix “us”; the singular “me” is ketiv. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (“C” decision) prefers the text “they advance (against me), now they surround me.” New Jerusalem Bible, however, follows the Hebrew text and translates “Now they hem in our feet on every side”; there is no great difference in meaning. Good News Translation has recast the first line, combining the force of the two verbs “they advance” and “they surround.”

They set their eyes means “they watch,” with the implication “watch for an opportunity,” “wait for a chance.”

There is some difficulty with the form of the verb in line b which means “to turn, bend” (see its use in verse 6, “incline”), which is here translated to cast. Most scholars agree that this is the sense intended. New American Bible, however, takes it to refer to the enemies, “crouching to the ground, they fix their gaze….” And New Jerusalem Bible translates the line “they set their eyes roaming over the land,” which is not a natural English sentence.

Ground: Dahood combines the last word in the Hebrew text of verse 11 with the first word of verse 12 to get “land of Perdition,” that is Sheol, and which some other scholars consider likely. If the translator adopts this interpretation, the translation can be “they are waiting for a chance to send me to my grave (or, to put me to death).”

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 .

The speakers in this verse are the people of Israel, at worship in the Temple.

Line a is difficult to understand: Be exalted … in thy strength means either “Show your greatness by using your power” or else “Because of your strength you are exalted” (that is, praised, as Good News Translation has it). Bible en français courant has “Lord, show your great power.” Dahood takes the verb here to mean “Rejoice, O Yahweh, in your triumph”; Anderson takes it as an emphatic statement, “You shall be exalted”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “Rise with your power” (so Jerusalem Bible); others “Rise, LORD, show your power.” The translation of this verse will depend upon which interpretation the translator follows.

Be exalted as an impersonal command is difficult in many languages, since it is far more common to command someone to act. If one follows the Good News Translation rendering, it will often be necessary to change from a noun phrase to a verb phrase; for example, “Because you do great deeds, we say you are a great LORD.”

Unless syntactic reasons make it impossible, the translator should preserve the envelope structure of the psalm by employing in verse 13 the same expression used in verse 1 for in thy strength.

In line b the two verbs may be understood as indicating two distinct actions: sing and praise. It may be, however, that the meaning is “By means of songs (or, singing) we will praise your powers.”

Instead of the abstract quality power at the end of the verse, New Jerusalem Bible translates “Your mighty deeds,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “your victories”; either one of these two is recommended as a good dynamic equivalence translation.

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 answer to the priests’ question in line a, the pilgrims reply in lines b, c.

Verse 8a is a question asked perhaps by the priests, the same as in the reply given in verse 4. But there is likely to be some misunderstanding of the reading unless the change of speakers is clearly marked. This may be done outside the text or within the text.

The great king is described as strong and mighty, mighty in battle. This should be represented quite literally of strength and might in fighting battles.

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 .

Because: Revised Standard Version places this first; but since it introduces a fairly long statement, it is better to use the Good News Translation construction, with the statement first and the consequence following, both standing as independent clauses.

Regard: the verb means “to perceive, notice, be aware of.” Here the negative do not regard means do not think important, think to be of no value, despise. Do not regard may sometimes be rendered “they do not say what God has done is great” or “they say that God has done nothing.”

In this verse the psalmist uses the same words for Yahweh’s “works” that he used for the enemies’ deeds in verse 4: the works (of the LORD) uses the word in verse 4a, and the work (of his hands) corresponds to verse 4c. The work of his hands may be rendered “the great things he has made” or “the things he has created.”

In line c the verbs are “tear down” and “(not) rebuild,” which describe a permanent destruction. This line is taken as a statement by Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and New International Version (also Briggs, Anderson, Weiser, Dahood); most translations, however, take it as a wish: “May he tear them down…!”

This kind of language seems to identify the psalmist’s enemies as pagan Gentiles.

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 .

The psalmist describes his condition before he had confessed his sins and received forgiveness. He sees his illness and misery as the result of the LORD’s punishing him.

The Hebrew of verse 3a is “When I was silent,” which is taken by nearly all commentators to mean “When I did not confess my sins” (Good News Translation). The psalmist describes his weakened condition as “my bones wasted away” (the same verb is used in 102.26 of clothes that wear out); for the same idea see 31.10. The expression declared not my sin, referring to confession of sin, is expressed variously in different languages; for example, “to accuse oneself of sins,” “to count up one’s sins,” “to whiten one’s stomach,” “to cause one’s wrongs to say good-bye,” and “to say openly ‘I have sinned.’ ”

The word translated groaning is used of a lion “roaring” (see Job 4.10; Isa 5.29); here it may be weeping or else anguished prayer.

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 .