After having condemned the wicked leaders in Israel (verses 4-11), the psalmist now turns to the righteous. In verse 12a the verb is the same as the first verb of verse 10a (Revised Standard Version chasten). Here the parallel with the verb teach in line b makes it probable that the meaning is “instruct” (Good News Translation, New English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), or else “discipline” (New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “correct” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Law translates torah, the special characteristic of Israel’s religion, that is, Yahweh’s instructions or commandments. Many times the specific reference is to the Pentateuch (see comments at 1.2), the written record of Yahweh’s torah; here the wider meaning of “instruction” or “commandments” is intended. LORD translates Yah (see verse 7a). In languages in which there are no synonyms for teach, and in which teach requires an object, it may be necessary to reduce verse 12 to a single line and to say, for example, “LORD, how happy is the person to whom you teach your law.”

Respite from days of trouble is what the LORD gives to those who obey his law; they will be protected from their enemies, who will be caught like animals (see 57.6 and the references there). The nominal expression days of trouble will have to be recast in some languages as a verb phrase or clause; for example, “… rest from the times in which the wicked trouble you.” Days of trouble, if translated literally, in some languages will imply that the person is free from such troubles at night.

It is clearly divine retribution at work in verse 13b, but a translation should not keep the figure of digging a pit if God is named as the subject of the active verb; it would be better to abandon the figure and say something like “until you are ready to punish the wicked.” It is possible that here pit means the grave, so that it is the death of the wicked that is in view.

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 .