Some device must be used to let the hearer know that verse 26 is the song that is being sung by the people in the procession. A colon or quotation marks, while helpful to the reader, are of no use to the hearer.

The song used in the procession (verse 26) calls on all the people to “Praise God” (literally Bless God; see comments at 16.7) in the great congregation (for similar language see 22.25; 35.18; 40.9, 10). The Hebrew plural “congregations” is taken as a superlative by Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and others; some, however, take it to refer to different groups: “in choirs” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), “in assemblies” (New Jerusalem Bible).

You who are of Israel’s fountain (verse 26b) translates the phrase “from the well, spring, of Israel”; it is a strange expression, but commentators take it to mean “all true Israelites” (so Anderson), with fountain referring to the reproductive organs of their common ancestor. In Deuteronomy 33.28 “fountain of Jacob” is parallel to “Israel” (see also Isa 48.1). New Jerusalem Bible “you who are from the fountain of Israel” seems to intend to mean “you descendants of Israel.” With a slight change in the Hebrew text, the phrase can be read “Fountain of Jacob” as a title of God. New English Bible considers the Hebrew obscure and emends the text to get “all Israel assembled” (also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). New International Version, without any textual footnote, translates “in the assembly of Israel.”

The word translated the least of them in verse 27a can mean “youngest” (Weiser, Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In the lead translates a verb which may mean “to rule, dominate”; so Jerome, New Jerusalem Bible, and Briggs, who sees in it a reference to Saul, Israel’s first king. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible rejects this word as being unintelligible, as well as the word in the next line translated in their throng, and places ellipses in the text.

In some languages it will be clearer to say “first come the people of the smallest clan called Benjamin.” “Clan,” or some other division within the ethnic group, is preferable to “tribe,” since the term “tribe” or “race” will imply that the different clans were not related.

In their throng translates another word of uncertain meaning. New Jerusalem Bible translates “who command them.” One Hebrew manuscript has “in their many-colored garments” (so Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant). It is best to stay with Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

It is not certain why these four tribes are mentioned; Benjamin and Judah were in the south, and Zebulun and Naphtali were in the north.

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 .