Continuing the use of images that accompany a storm, the psalmist speaks of Yahweh’s “hiding place,” that is, his covering (see the verb in 13.1), and of his “shelter” (canopy), which is probably a temporary structure, a “booth” made of branches (as in the Festival of Shelters). Canopy here is parallel with covering in line a and in this context means something that covered and hid Yahweh as he rode down on the cherub. So it is better to imitate Good News Translation, or Bible en français courant “He hid himself in the heart of a cloud, he covered himself with thick clouds, dark as deep water” (see also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). New English Bible has “hiding place … canopy”; also possible is “hiding place … tent.” However, it is important to note that line b carries the thought of line a forward by making it more vivid. The verse may be translated in such a way as to reflect this “going beyond” in the second line by saying, for example, “He covered himself with darkness; even more, he hid himself in dark, rainy storm clouds.”

He made darkness his covering may be preserved as a figure by rendering it “he dressed himself with darkness” or “the dark night was his clothing,” or nonfiguratively, “he hid in the darkness.”

The figure in the second line, his canopy thick clouds dark with water, may sometimes be expressed by terms often used by farming and pastoral people alike who erect temporary shelters in fields and pastures; or, stated more generally, “The thing which covered him was made of dark rain clouds.”

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 .