The psalmist begins with an exhortation to praise Yahweh, who lives in Jerusalem. In verses 1-2 he uses four different phrases to speak of Jerusalem: (1) the city of our God; (2) His holy mountain, a reference to Mount Zion (see 2.6); (3) “the sides of the north” (Revised Standard Version in the far north); and (4) the city of the great King. All of these are easily understandable except “the sides of the north” in verse 2. The word translated “north” is tsafon, which is the regular Hebrew word for “north.” Mount Zion, however, is not in the north of the country but in the south, and most modern commentators believe that the Hebrew word is the name of “Mount Zaphon,” in Phoenicia. According to Canaanite mythology their gods lived there, and in this psalm the Hebrew poet has used the Canaanite phrase to speak of Mount Zion as “the (real) mountain of God.” So Good News Translation has “Zion, the mountain of God.” Most translations, like Revised Standard Version, have in the far north, usually with a footnote; New Jerusalem Bible has “Mount Zion, summit of Zaphon,” with a marginal note explaining Zaphon: “A term for the divine abode.” Bible en français courant translates “the capital city of the world.” New International Version has “Like the utmost heights of Zaphon,” with a footnote explaining Zaphon as a sacred mountain or the direction north. New English Bible translates “like the farthest reaches of the north.” The translator should feel free to choose whatever rendering best suits the needs of the receptor language.

In many languages it will be necessary in verse 1a to shift to an active voice or to the obligatory; for example, “and people should praise him.”

The expression the city of our God can be rendered in some languages as “the city where our God is worshiped” or “the city where the people worship God.”

For the translation of holy, see 2.6.

Two things are said of Mount Zion: (1) it is beautiful in elevation (Good News Translation “high and beautiful”), and (2) it is the joy of all the earth, that is, it causes people of all the world to be happy, because the blessings of the God who lives there are not reserved for the Israelites alone; they benefit all the peoples of the world. In many languages it is not possible to speak of a city as bringing joy. One must often say “the city of the great king causes the peoples to rejoice” or “the city of the great king causes the people of the world to rejoice.”

The city of Jerusalem was protected by citadels, that is, “fortified places” or “fortresses,” and there was safety and security in the city, because God lived there. Good News Translation has reversed the order of the two lines for reasons of style. The expression Within her citadels may sometimes be translated “inside the place of protection in the city.” The expression has shown himself a sure defense can sometimes be rendered as “God has shown that where he is there is safety” or “God has shown the people that they are protected when they are with him.”

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 .