Revised Standard Version joins verse 13 to the preceding strophe, as seen in the paragraphing; most translations, like Good News Translation, join it to what follows.

Yahweh provides food for animals and human beings by sending rain from the sky (literally “his upper chambers,” as in verse 3), which waters the ground so that the soil brings forth abundant crops. Verse 13b is not very clear; the Hebrew seems to say “the earth is satisfied (or, filled) from the fruit (or, result) of your deeds.” This seems to mean that, as a result of what Yahweh does, the earth is completely filled with good things, or else the earth is completely satisfied. There are various conjectures; many believe the phrase the fruit of thy work refers specifically to the rain itself (Briggs, Oesterley, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy); Kirkpatrick has “fruit produced by God’s manifold operations” (also Cohen); New English Bible has “the earth is enriched by thy provisions”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “with the streams of heaven you satisfy the earth.”

Verses 14-15 list the crops of the fields and how they benefit humankind. Verse 14b in Hebrew seems to be “and plants (or, vegetation) for the service of man,” which Revised Standard Version takes to mean and plants for man to cultivate. Good News Translation has “plants for man to use,” that is, with reference to the items listed in verse 15, the basic foods needed to sustain him (so Anderson, “plants for the sustenance of man”). New American Bible has “and vegetation for men’s use.” New English Bible has “for those who toil for man” (a reference to work animals), which involves assigning other vowels to the Hebrew consonants (see also Revised Standard Version footnote). Perhaps the best way to translate is to imitate Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy: “You make the grass grow for the cattle, and the plants that people cultivate.” So line c can follow: “In this way they can get their food from the earth.”

Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation employ ellipsis in verse 14b. In some languages it will be necessary to say in 14b, for example, “you cause plants to grow for people….”

Verse 15 lists the basic crops which are cultivated; they include grapevines (wine), olive trees (oil), and wheat or barley (bread). The wine makes a person happy, and the olive oil makes a person’s face shine (verse 15a-b). The latter may be meant quite literally (so Cohen, Briggs, Toombs), since olive oil was applied to the face and the head to cleanse the skin and restore the scalp. Good News Translation takes it in a figurative sense, “to make him cheerful” (see comments at 92.10). Dahood takes it to mean “glowing health.” Perhaps it is best to take it literally; so Bible en français courant “a good appearance,” and New Jerusalem Bible “to make their faces glow” (see also New International Version). The last item is bread (or better, perhaps, “food”; so Dahood), which sustains a person’s strength (see the same verb in 41.3a; 94.18b; so New English Bible, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). New Jerusalem Bible has “that sustains man’s life.”

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 describe the condition of the Hebrews during the patriarchal age, When they were few in number and had no settled residence in Canaan (verse 12), but wandered from place to place (see Gen 12–35). Revised Standard Version of little account (verse 12b) seems not quite accurate for the Hebrew, which means “only a few (in number)”; New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible have “a handful”; New International Version “few indeed”; Dahood, “a mere handful”; see also New English Bible and Bible en français courant, and see the same Hebrew phrase in Genesis 34.30. In verse 12b sojourners is better represented by “temporary residents” or “resident aliens” than by Good News Translation “strangers”; see Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “a handful of immigrants.” In some language areas there are known groups of nomadic wanderers who may come and go according to the seasons, and terms for such groups may be applicable to these sojourners.

Verse 13 describes the situation of the Hebrews nomads, wandering from place to place. Verses 14-15 seem to refer to the incidents with the king of Egypt (Gen 12.17) and with Abimelech, king of Gerar (Gen 20.1-8), both involving Sarah, Abraham’s wife; but here these incidents are made more general. As may be seen from the reading of the two passages, the meaning of he rebuked kings on their account in verse 14b is that God warned foreign kings not to harm his servants. On their account can be represented by “on their behalf” or “in order to defend them.” The Good News Translation phrase in verse 15a “my chosen servants” is literally my anointed ones (see discussion at 2.2). Only here and in the parallel 1 Chronicles 16.22 is the plural of this word used in the Old Testament. Here it refers to the patriarchs, as does my prophets. My prophets is used in the general sense of people who speak for God, and not in the specific sense of the great figures in Israel’s history usually called the prophets. Abraham is called a prophet in Genesis 20.7.

Translators in languages deeply influenced by Islam will recognize that many of their readers will know that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are referred to as ambiyaʾ “prophets” in the Koran. The task of the translator is to determine the popular meaning of the Arabic words rasuul and nabi, if these are used. In some cases it is best to avoid terms of Koranic origin and to employ descriptive phrases.

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 .