I have frequently been struck by the fact that the Psalms are difficult to read and understand. I am referring to the various existing translations into English. After joining a group that was studying the Psalms, I became so dismayed by the translations we were using that I decided to try my hand at making better ones. By and large, the group was pleased with the results of my efforts and urged me to continue. Later, I decided to translate the entire book and publish it. Along the way, I found myself, at times, in sharp disagreement with the work of other translators, thinking that they were just plain wrong. The most egregious example of this occurs in the last verse of Psalm 137. I also found that other translations of Psalm 101 are insensible and incoherent. They don't clearly indicate what the Psalm is about. On the other hand, other translations have many interesting ideas about the meaning of these texts.

I have been reading and studying Hebrew for 40 years and feel that I have enough of a grasp of the language to provide a sensitive and sensible translation.