The psalmist declares his dedication to the Law of God with the expressive statement thou hast taught me; New Jerusalem Bible, however, takes the reference to be to God’s goodness (verse 16) and translates “You have let me experience it.” But it is better to translate as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done. For from my youth see verse 5, and see 9.1 for the expression thy wondrous deeds. The main translation problem in thou hast taught me is the absence of an object. In languages which must supply an object, it is most probable that what the psalmist has learned from his youth are the wondrous deeds in verse 17b. These refer to the great acts of God in dealing with Israel. Therefore it may be necessary in some languages to recast verse 17 to say, for example, “O God, ever since I was a child you have taught me your wonderful acts, and I still tell people about them.”
The petition in verse 18a-b is similar to that in verse 9. The decision there, whether the psalmist is already old or not yet old, should be reflected here as well. Gray hairs in the expression old age and gray hairs simply reinforces old age. In languages where “gray hair” is not used in this way, it will be necessary to employ a different qualifier or reinforcer; for example, “old age and having only one hair” or “old age and walking with a stick.”
In the last half of verse 18, the order of the Hebrew text is “until I proclaim your power (literally ‘your arm’) to a generation, to all who come your might (literally ‘your mighty acts’).” Proclaim thy might must often be recast; for example, “I will tell everyone that you have done great and wonderful things for your people.”
It is not necessary, as Revised Standard Version has done, to join “your might” (Thy power) to verse 19 (similarly New American Bible). But there is quite a variety in the different ways that translations arrange the text of verses 18b-19a. New Jerusalem Bible is as follows: “until I proclaim Your strength to the next generation, Your mighty acts, to all who are to come.” This is the order favored by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy divides and arranges the text as Good News Translation does.
The final to all the generations to come is poetic exaggeration; this does not mean, however, that in every case the reader will understand it quite literally. Some translations, however, prefer to be more moderate: Bible en français courant “to young people and to those who will come after them”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “my children and grandchildren.”
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 .