In these verses the psalmist recalls the plagues in Egypt (Exo 7–12).

Verse 44, the first plague: water into blood (Exo 7.17-21; see Psa 105.29). Their rivers are the rivers of the Egyptians; and their rivers in line a and their streams in line b refer to the same bodies of water. Both Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version make line b a consequence of line a. However, the use of “and” in Good News Translation is also coordinate and therefore more ambiguous. Most languages will require making line b explicitly a consequence of line a; for example, “and because of this the Egyptians could not drink the water.”

Verse 45a, the fourth plague: flies (Exo 8.20-24; see Psa 105.31a). The Hebrew text is “they ate them up” (Revised Standard Version devoured), which is not to be taken literally. Bible en français courant has “sucked their blood.” Good News Translation “tormented them” may be a bit weak; perhaps “caused them great suffering” or something similar would be better. Again it is to be noticed that them refers to the Egyptians.

Verse 45b, the second plague: frogs (Exo 8.1-7; see Psa 105.30). The use of the verb destroyed does not mean that the frogs killed the Egyptians but that they “ruined their land” (the same Hebrew verb is used in Exo 8.24, “the land was ruined” by the flies); Bible en français courant has “laid waste to everything.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy handles this verse well: “He sent among them flies and frogs, which ate and destroyed everything.” In languages in which frogs, locusts, grapevines, and fig trees are unknown, local objects may have to be used or illustrations provided, particularly if the book of Exodus has not yet been translated.

Verse 46, the eighth plague: locusts (Exo 10.1-20; see Psa 105.34-35). The Hebrew text has two different words, which Revised Standard Version translates caterpillar and locust, but it is probable that the two are synonymous, both referring to locusts (Good News Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy; see Fauna and Flora of the Bible, page jmp 53-54|fig:ffb_locust.htmjmp*). Their crops in line a is parallel with the fruit of their labor in line b, both referring to their cultivated fields, with all the plants and fruit trees they (the Egyptians) grew.

Verse 47, the seventh plague: hail and thunderstorms (Exo 9.18-26; see Psa 105.32-33). Frost in line b translates a word found only here in the Old Testament; the ancient versions so understood it, but the account in Exodus does not mention frost. The psalmist no doubt selected it as a suitable term to be in parallel position with hail. Some take the word to mean “deluge” (K-B, Holladay “devastating flood”; New English Bible “torrent of rains”; New International Version “sleet”; Bible en français courant “torrential rains”; Oesterley “hailstones”). “Fig trees” (also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) represents the Hebrew word usually rendered sycamores (Revised Standard Version), which also produce figs, but here it probably refers to fig trees (see 105.33; Fauna and Flora of the Bible, pages jmp 118-119|fig:ffb_figtree.htmjmp*).

Verse 48: it is difficult to determine whether this verse continues from verse 47 as a reference to the seventh plague, or is a description of the fifth plague, pestilence (Exo 9.1-7). He gave over their cattle to the hail is a way of saying that God caused the hail to fall on the cattle (see similar language in verses 46a and 50c). The Masoretic text in line a has hail, the same word used in verse 47a; and in line b the word is reshep, which means “flames” (as in 76.3a), and so Good News Translation “lightning” (Revised Standard Version thunderbolts). The account in Exodus 9.22, 25 specifies that the hail destroyed not only the vegetation but also the animals, and so verse 48 may be the same plague as verse 47 (so Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Dahood, Weiser).

But two Hebrew manuscripts, instead of “hail” in verse 48a, have deber “pestilence” (the same word in verse 50c); and in line b of the Masoretic text the word reshep may mean “plague” (see Hab 3.5 where reshep in line b is parallel to deber “pestilence” in line a). So verse 48 may refer to the fifth plague (Exo 9.1-7; in Exo 9.3 the word is deber); so Briggs, Good News Translation footnote, New English Bible.

Their flocks in both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation refer to sheep. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy provides a good translation model here: “Their cows and their sheep died under the hail and the lightning.” Many languages will require an active voice, “He killed the cows and sheep with hail and lightning.”

Verses 49-51 describe the last plague, the worst one of all: the death of all the first-born sons of the Egyptians (Exo 11.1–12.30; see Psa 105.36). The Hebrew text is very full: “the heat of his anger, rage, and indignation, and distress”; Good News Translation has taken “distress” to be that of the people, as the result of God’s fury. But it is better to take the word as applying to God, and translate “trouble” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “anguish” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The psalmist calls these passions God’s company of destroying angels; see New Jerusalem Bible “a detachment of destroying angels”; New Jerusalem Bible “a band of deadly messengers.” If the translator follows the restructuring of Good News Translation, it is possible that some translation problems will remain. The figure of “pouring out his anger and fierce rage” must often be recast to say, for example, “he struck them in his anger” or “because he was angry at them, he struck them. His anger was like a messenger bringing news of death” or “… like messengers who have come to kill people.”

In verse 50a the Hebrew text is “he prepared a way for his anger,” which New Jerusalem Bible translates “he gave free course to his anger.” God let loose his anger to go where it would. Line b is “he did not hold back the death of their nefesh” (see 3.2). And in line c the text is but gave their lives over to the plague. For the verb see also verses 48 and 62. The word plague in gave their lives over to the plague is sometimes rendered “a terrible disease that kills people.” Line c of verse 50 may then be rendered “but killed them by giving them a terrible disease.”

In verse 51 the two phrases all the first-born and the first issue of their strength (see also 105.36) refer to the oldest son of every Egyptian family. (Exo 12.29 adds also “the first-born of the cattle.”) It is better to shorten and combine the two, as Good News Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have done, than to have both phrases, as Revised Standard Version does.

Many languages designate the first-born child, whether son or daughter, by special terms.

In verse 51b the tents of Ham is a way of speaking about Egypt (see 105.23, 27; 106.22, where Egypt is called “the land of Ham”). Ham, one of the sons of Noah, was regarded as the ancestor of the Egyptians (see Gen 10.6).

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 .