USB ~ Psalms 77

Confidence in God During National Distress

1 For the leader; According to Jeduthun. A psalm of Asaph.

2 I cry aloud to God, I cry to God to hear me.

3 On the day of my distress I seek the Lord; by night my hands are stretched out unceasingly; a I refuse to be consoled.

4 When I think of God, I groan; as I meditate, my spirit grows faint. b Selah

5 You have kept me from closing my eyes in sleep; I am troubled and cannot speak.

6 I consider the days of old; the years long past

7 I remember. c At night I ponder in my heart; and as I meditate, my spirit probes:

8 “Will the Lord reject us forever, d never again show favor?

9 Has God’s mercy ceased forever? The promise to go unfulfilled for future ages?

10 Has God forgotten how to show mercy, in anger withheld his compassion?” Selah

11 † I conclude: “My sorrow is this, the right hand of the Most High has abandoned us.” e

12 †I will recall the deeds of the LORD; yes, recall your wonders of old. f

13 I will ponder all your works; on your exploits I will meditate.

14 Your way, God, is holy; what god is as great as our God? g

15 You are the God who does wonders; among the peoples you have revealed your might. h

16 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. i Selah

17 The waters saw you, God; the waters saw you and lashed about, even the deeps of the sea† trembled. j

18 The clouds poured down their rains; the thunderheads rumbled; your arrows flashed back and forth. k

19 The thunder of your chariot wheels resounded; your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. l

20 Through the sea was your way; your path, through the mighty waters, though your footsteps were unseen. m

21 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. n

Footnotes

†. Psalm 77 A community lament in which the speaker (“I”) describes the anguish of Israel at God’s silence when its very existence is at stake (Ps 77:2-11). In response the speaker recites the story of how God brought the people into existence (Ps 77:12-20). The question is thus posed to God: Will you allow the people you created to be destroyed?

†. 77:11 I conclude: lit., “I said.” The psalmist, after pondering the present distress and God’s promises to Israel, has decided that God has forgotten the people.

†. 77:12 I will recall: the verb sometimes means to make present the great deeds of Israel’s past by reciting them, cf. Ps 78:42; 105:5; 106:7.

†. 77:17 The deeps of the sea: Heb. tehom; the same word is used in Gn 1:2, where it alludes to the primeval seas which in ancient Semitic cosmography are tamed by God in creation, cf. Ps 74:12-17; 89:12-13 and notes.

77:3 Ps 50:15; 88:2.
77:4 Jon 2:8.
77:7 Ps 143:5; Dt 32:7.
77:8-10 Ps 13:2; 44:24; 74:1; 80:5; 89:47; Lam 3:31.
77:11 Ps 17:7; 18:36; Ex 15:6, 12.
77:12 Ps 143:5.
77:14 Ps 18:31; Ex 15:11.
77:15 Ps 86:10; 89:6.
77:16 Gn 46:26-27; Neh 1:10.
77:17 Ps 18:16; 114:3; Na 1:4.
77:18 Ps 18:14-15; 29; 144:6; Jb 37:3-4; Wis 5:21; Hab 3:10-11; Zec 9:14.
77:19 Ps 18:8; 97:4; 99:1; Ex 19:16; Jgs 5:4-5.
77:20 Neh 9:11; Wis 14:3; Is 51:10; Hab 3:15.
77:21 Ps 78:52; Is 63:11-14; Hos 12:14; Mi 6:4.