For the incident reported in these verses, see Numbers 20.1-13; see further references in Psalms 81.7; 95.8. At the beginning of verse 32 it is important to specify that it was the LORD whom the people made angry; otherwise, as Revised Standard Version shows, him could be taken to refer back to Phinehas.

The historical narrative in Numbers is not too clear as to the precise nature of Moses’ sin; here the text says it was his rash words which brought him trouble, that is, God kept him from entering Canaan. On their account may be stated more clearly “because of what they did.”

Verse 33a has been taken in different ways. The Masoretic text is “they rebelled against his spirit,” the verb marah here being the same as the one in verse 7; his spirit is probably Yahweh’s (so New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Dahood, Kirkpatrick, Briggs), although it could be Moses’ (who is the subject of the following line).

But the Masoretic text consonants can be assigned other vowels to become a causative form of the verb marar “be bitter” (so two Hebrew manuscripts, and the Septuagint, Syriac, and Jerome); in this case they made his spirit bitter refers to Moses (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New English Bible, New American Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). Either interpretation is possible; the majority prefer the second one. In either case the subject of verse 33b is Moses, not God. In many languages made his spirit bitter or Good News Translation‘s “made him so bitter” must be recast to say “they made him so angry….”

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 .