OET interlinear PSA 50:5

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-quotations

אִסְפוּ־לִ֥⁠י חֲסִידָ֑⁠י

gather to=me O_of,my_faithful_[people]

This verse is a direct quotation of God. The ULT indicates that by putting the verse inside quotation marks. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could also use a natural way of introducing direct quotations in your language. Alternate translation: [He says, “Gather my faithful ones to me]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative

אִסְפוּ־לִ֥⁠י חֲסִידָ֑⁠י

gather to=me O_of,my_faithful_[people]

Asaph does not identify to whom God is giving this command. (God is not addressing the heavens and the earth. Their role is to serve as witnesses.) The focus is more on the results than on the agents. It may be more natural in your language to express this with a form other than a command form. Alternate translation: [Let my faithful ones be gathered to me]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular

אִסְפוּ

gather

The implied “you” in the imperative Gather is plural, so if you retain the command form, use its plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

חֲסִידָ֑⁠י

O_of,my_faithful_[people]

Asaph is using the adjective faithful as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. (The ULT indicates this by supplying the word ones.) Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can use an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [the ones who are faithful to me]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

כֹּרְתֵ֖י בְרִיתִ֣⁠י

(Some words not found in UHB: gather to=me O_of,my_faithful_[people] made_of covenant_of,(of)_my by sacrifice )

God is using the cutters of my covenant as a common expression of this culture to mean “those who made a covenant with me.” He is using the term “cut” because in some covenant ceremonies, the participants would cut up animals and then walk between the pieces. This was to indicate, “If I break this covenant, may I be destroyed in this same way.” It is not necessary to understand this background to covenant ceremonies in order to understand what God says in the rest of this psalm, so you do not have to use the term “cut” in your translation. You could simply say “make,” or you could use an expression from your own language and culture. Alternate translation: [those who made a covenant with me]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

עֲלֵי־זָֽבַח

by sacrifice

God is not using the phrase by sacrifice to refer to animals that were slaughtered and cut up when he made his covenant with the Israelites. (There is no description in the Bible of such a ceremony connected with that covenant.) He means that this covenant was sealed and was to be continually acknowledged by sacrificial worship, which is the main theme of this psalm. You could indicate this explicitly in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [that was sealed and was to be continually acknowledged by sacrificial worship]