complete verse (Psalm 149:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 149:7:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “revenging punishment (on) people of other races,
    and punishing people of all races,” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “May they take revenge on the nations,
    May they punish the people of the countries,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “to take-revenge and to punish the people of the nations,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “so that they will revenge the nations,
    and beat people,” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “wakati wanalipa kisasi kwa wapagani,
    na kuwadhibu ambao hawamjui Mungu.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “ready to use them to defeat the soldiers of nations that do not worship God,
    and to punish the people of those nations,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

gentiles / nations

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo (Dinė)) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).

Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), “other ethnic groups” (source: Newari Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).

In Chichewa, it is translated with mitundu or “races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also nations.

Translation commentary on Psalm 149:6 - 149:9

In verse 6 high praises translates a word found elsewhere in the Old Testament only at 66.17 (see comments). The instruction to have their “sharp swords” (Good News Translation; literally “sword of mouths,” which probably means two-edged sword [Revised Standard Version and others]) in their hands seems to indicate that this is a war festival, before the people go out to fight the enemy. But it may also be seen as a celebration after the battle, in which the victory is being acclaimed. In languages in which the sword is unfamiliar, it may be replaced by the most common local weapon or by a generic term for weapon.

Verses 7-9 describe the war against Israel’s enemy. Verse 7 consists of two parallel and synonymous lines; for vengeance see 18.47 and 94.1. New Jerusalem Bible has “retribution.” Instead of “defeat” (Good News Translation), something like “to take vengeance on the nations” will better represent the specific meaning of the text. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “they must execute God’s judgment on all peoples.” The word translated chastisement in verse 7b means “correction, rebuke, punishment.” It is probable that the nations and the peoples have here the sense of “the pagans … the heathen” (Jerusalem Bible).

In verse 8b their nobles is parallel to their kings in line a and indicates the military leaders. In some languages the use of “chains” and “chains of iron” will tend to give the impression that the kings were bound with chains that were not made of iron. In some cases this idea is expressed as “to capture their kings and leaders and tie them up.”

In verse 9 chastisement (Good News Translation “to punish”) translates “to do mishpat,” which in this case is God’s judgment. It is not certain whether written refers primarily to messages of doom proclaimed by Israel’s prophets, or to the heavenly books which contained the records of the deeds of all people (see Dan 7.10). In either case, God is the ultimate judge, and the punishment inflicted on Israel’s enemies has been determined by him. New Jerusalem Bible has “executing the doom decreed against them” (likewise New English Bible). In this case the passive “decreed” means “that God decreed.”

In verse 9b glory translates a word meaning “splendor, dignity” (see 8.5). Good News Translation takes it to mean the same here as the synonym used in verse 5b (not the same Hebrew word). Perhaps “This is an honor for God’s people” (see Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) is meant. Good News Translation “God’s people” translates the plural of chasid (see 4.3).

The psalm ends as it begins: 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 .