20 Covered me with joy. “Joy” probably stands metonymically for festive attire here.
21 Heb “so that”; or “in order that.”
22 Heb “glory.” Some view כָבוֹד (khavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see 459 II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kévediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (), 1:. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47–48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would seem odd indeed to the modern reader.
23 Or “forever.”

In other versions

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

you have loosed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

You turned my lament into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

so that I can sing to you and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.

You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,

that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

You have turned my wailing into my dancing.

You have removed my sackcloth

and clothed me with joy

so that I may sing praises to you

and not be quiet.

O Yahweh, my God,

I will give thanks to you forever.

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:

Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

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