In some languages Why do you boast is expressed in idiomatic language; for example, “Why do you have a swollen heart?” or nonidiomatically, “Why do you make yourself big?”

In his opening words the psalmist calls his enemy O mighty man; the Hebrew word gibbor is used of a famous soldier, a rich man, a tyrant, or even a gangster. Here there is sharp irony; see Traduction œcuménique de la Bible bravache; New Jerusalem Bible “brave fellow.” Something like the English slang phrase “You hot shot” may convey the sarcasm of the text. Good News Translation “great man” may be understood as a compliment; something like “powerful” or even “notorious” may be better; best of all, however, will be something like “tyrant.” And the vocative O mighty man may more easily be translated as a descriptive statement, “You are such a tyrant; why do you boast of the evil things you do?”

What follows in the Masoretic text is literally “the constant love of God (is) all day,” which Good News Translation has translated “God’s faithfulness is eternal” (similarly Weiser, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, An American Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). But this statement seems inappropriate in the context, and other translations are proposed. There are several ways in which the text has been changed: (1) following in part the Syriac, instead of the Masoretic text “constant love of God,” read “against the godly,” and join the phrase All the day with what follows in verse 3 (so Oesterley, Revised Standard Version, Bible en français courant, New English Bible; Zürcher Bibel also has “against the godly” but keeps “all the day” with this line instead of joining it to the next); (2) following in part the Septuagint, take the Hebrew word chesed (see 5.7) in its Aramaic sense of “infamy” and translate “hero of infamy,” and join “all the day” with what follows in verse 3 (Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, New American Bible); (3) delete “the constant love of God” as a later gloss (Briggs). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (“B” decision) follows the Masoretic text and says that two translations are possible: (1) “(why do you boast yourself of your wickedness, O mighty man,) (while) the kindness of God (is over me) all the day?”; (2) “(why do you boast with wickedness, O mighty man,) (saying that) the kindness of God (is over you) all the day?”

The Masoretic text can be translated, but the meaning it provides does not seem as appropriate to the context as that supplied by the proposed changes in the Hebrew text.

The psalmist accuses his enemy of plotting the ruin of other people with his lies (verse 2). In some languages such terms as destruction and “ruin” are too highly generic to be used when speaking of action taken against other people. Therefore it is often necessary to say, for example, “you cause people to suffer.”

The enemy’s tongue is destructive, like a sharp razor. In some languages it will be necessary to substitute knife for sharp razor.

The vocative phrase you worker of treachery can be taken to mean lying (so Good News Translation), slander (Bible en français courant), or else evil deeds (so Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “you think only about doing bad things”).

In verse 3 the psalmist accuses the tyrant of preferring evil over good, and lying over truth (which translates the Hebrew tsedeq [see 4.1]).

For Selah see 3.2.

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 .