praise (God)

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The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “praise (God)” in English is translated in a nuymber of ways:

In Dan a figurative expression for praising God is used: “push God’s horse.” “In the distant past people closely followed the horses ridden by chiefs, so ‘pushing’ them.” (Source: Don Slager)

Psalm 150 (image)

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Image taken from the Wiedmann Bible. For more information about the images and ways to adopt them, see here .

For other images of Willy Wiedmann paintings in TIPs, see here.

complete Psalm 150 (Natügu)

The Natügu translation of Psalm 150 features “indigenous instruments and body movements associated with [a traditional] dance to reflect the high praise of the composition.” The English back-translation follows (the Natügu original can be read right here ):

1 Let’s exalt Yahweh in his being in the House-for-worshipping.
And in his being in the High Heaven.
2 Let’s make-songs-about him for his exceeding greatness
In doing powerful things.
3-5 Let’s dance to him with leg-rattles
and strongly beat the drum to him.
Let’s dance to him by our banging things,
our smacking things, and by our shaking things in our hands.
Let’s blow the conch shell and bamboo flutes (to him).
And let’s strum the guitar and ukulele in our exalting him.
6 We who are alive should rejoice in Yahweh.
Our praising Yahweh is forever and ever.

(Source: Brenda Boerger in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. )

Translation commentary on Psalm 150:6

In this verse “all living creatures” (everything that breathes) are called upon to praise Yahweh; the psalmist may have included not just humankind but all other living beings as well.

The psalm and the book close with the final halelu-yah, Praise the LORD!

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 .