Psalms 76:1--78:72 
ContextFor the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.
76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; 2
in Israel his reputation 3 is great.
he dwells in Zion. 5
76:3 There he shattered the arrows, 6
the shield, the sword, and the rest of the weapons of war. 7 (Selah)
76:4 You shine brightly and reveal your majesty,
as you descend from the hills where you killed your prey. 8
76:5 The bravehearted 9 were plundered; 10
they “fell asleep.” 11
All the warriors were helpless. 12
76:6 At the sound of your battle cry, 13 O God of Jacob,
both rider 14 and horse “fell asleep.” 15
76:7 You are awesome! Yes, you!
Who can withstand your intense anger? 16
76:8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be. 17
The earth 18 was afraid and silent
76:9 when God arose to execute judgment,
and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)
76:10 Certainly 19 your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise; 20
you reveal your anger in full measure. 21
76:11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them!
Let all those who surround him 22 bring tribute to the awesome one!
the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. 24
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.
77:1 I will cry out to God 26 and call for help!
I will cry out to God and he will pay attention 27 to me.
77:2 In my time of trouble I sought 28 the Lord.
I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night. 29
I 30 refused to be comforted.
77:3 I said, “I will remember God while I groan;
I will think about him while my strength leaves me.” 31 (Selah)
77:4 You held my eyelids open; 32
I was troubled and could not speak. 33
77:5 I thought about the days of old,
about ancient times. 34
77:6 I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang;
I will think very carefully.”
I tried to make sense of what was happening. 35
77:7 I asked, 36 “Will the Lord reject me forever?
Will he never again show me his favor?
77:8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever?
Has his promise 37 failed forever?
77:9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has his anger stifled his compassion?”
77:10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
that the sovereign One 38 might become inactive. 39
77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago! 40
77:12 I will think about all you have done;
I will reflect upon your deeds!”
77:13 41 O God, your deeds are extraordinary! 42
What god can compare to our great God? 43
77:14 You are the God who does amazing things;
you have revealed your strength among the nations.
77:15 You delivered 44 your people by your strength 45 –
the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)
77:16 The waters 46 saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and trembled. 47
Yes, the depths of the sea 48 shook with fear. 49
77:17 The clouds poured down rain; 50
the skies thundered. 51
Yes, your arrows 52 flashed about.
77:18 Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind;
the lightning bolts lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook. 53
77:19 You walked through the sea; 54
you passed through the surging waters, 55
but left no footprints. 56
77:20 You led your people like a flock of sheep,
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
A well-written song 58 by Asaph.
78:1 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction!
Listen to the words I speak! 59
78:2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past. 60
78:3 What we have heard and learned 61 –
that which our ancestors 62 have told us –
78:4 we will not hide from their 63 descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts, 64
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
78:5 He established a rule 65 in Jacob;
he set up a law in Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to make his deeds known to their descendants, 66
78:6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,
might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. 67
78:7 Then they will place their confidence in God.
They will not forget the works of God,
and they will obey 68 his commands.
78:8 Then they will not be like their ancestors,
who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation that was not committed
and faithful to God. 69
78:9 The Ephraimites 70 were armed with bows, 71
but they retreated in the day of battle. 72
78:10 They did not keep their covenant with God, 73
and they refused to obey 74 his law.
78:11 They forgot what he had done, 75
the amazing things he had shown them.
78:12 He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors,
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. 76
78:13 He divided the sea and led them across it;
he made the water stand in a heap.
78:14 He led them with a cloud by day,
and with the light of a fire all night long.
78:15 He broke open rocks in the wilderness,
and gave them enough water to fill the depths of the sea. 77
78:16 He caused streams to flow from the rock,
and made the water flow like rivers.
78:17 Yet they continued to sin against him,
and rebelled against the sovereign One 78 in the desert.
78:18 They willfully challenged God 79
by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.
78:19 They insulted God, saying, 80
“Is God really able to give us food 81 in the wilderness?
78:20 Yes, 82 he struck a rock and water flowed out,
streams gushed forth.
But can he also give us food?
Will he provide meat for his people?”
78:21 When 83 the Lord heard this, he was furious.
A fire broke out against Jacob,
and his anger flared up 84 against Israel,
78:22 because they did not have faith in God,
and did not trust his ability to deliver them. 85
78:23 He gave a command to the clouds above,
and opened the doors in the sky.
78:24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them the grain of heaven. 86
78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. 87
He sent them more than enough to eat. 88
78:26 He brought the east wind through the sky,
and by his strength led forth the south wind.
78:27 He rained down meat on them like dust,
birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores. 89
78:28 He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp,
all around their homes.
78:29 They ate until they were stuffed; 90
he gave them what they desired.
78:30 They were not yet filled up, 91
their food was still in their mouths,
78:31 when the anger of God flared up against them.
He killed some of the strongest of them;
he brought the young men of Israel to their knees.
78:32 Despite all this, they continued to sin,
and did not trust him to do amazing things. 92
78:33 So he caused them to die unsatisfied 93
and filled with terror. 94
78:34 When he struck them down, 95 they sought his favor; 96
they turned back and longed for God.
78:35 They remembered that God was their protector, 97
and that the sovereign God was their deliverer. 98
78:36 But they deceived him with their words, 99
and lied to him. 100
78:37 They were not really committed to him, 101
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.
78:38 Yet he is compassionate.
He forgives sin and does not destroy.
He often holds back his anger,
and does not stir up his fury. 102
78:39 He remembered 103 that they were made of flesh,
and were like a wind that blows past and does not return. 104
78:40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness,
and insulted him 105 in the desert!
78:41 They again challenged God, 106
and offended 107 the Holy One of Israel. 108
78:42 They did not remember what he had done, 109
how he delivered them from the enemy, 110
78:43 when he performed his awesome deeds 111 in Egypt,
and his acts of judgment 112 in the region of Zoan.
78:44 He turned their rivers into blood,
and they could not drink from their streams.
78:45 He sent swarms of biting insects against them, 113
as well as frogs that overran their land. 114
78:46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
the fruit of their labor to the locust.
78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail,
and their sycamore-fig trees with driving rain.
78:48 He rained hail down on their cattle, 115
and hurled lightning bolts down on their livestock. 116
78:49 His raging anger lashed out against them, 117
He sent fury, rage, and trouble
as messengers who bring disaster. 118
78:50 He sent his anger in full force; 119
he did not spare them from death;
he handed their lives over to destruction. 120
78:51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power 121 in the tents of Ham.
78:52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep;
he led them through the wilderness like a flock.
78:53 He guided them safely along,
while the sea covered their enemies.
78:54 He brought them to the border of his holy land,
to this mountainous land 122 which his right hand 123 acquired.
78:55 He drove the nations out from before them;
he assigned them their tribal allotments 124
and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down. 125
78:56 Yet they challenged and defied 126 the sovereign God, 127
and did not obey 128 his commands. 129
78:57 They were unfaithful 130 and acted as treacherously as 131 their ancestors;
they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow. 132
78:58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines, 133
and made him jealous with their idols.
78:59 God heard and was angry;
he completely rejected Israel.
78:60 He abandoned 134 the sanctuary at Shiloh,
the tent where he lived among men.
78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; 135
he gave the symbol of his splendor 136 into the hand of the enemy. 137
78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation. 138
78:63 Fire consumed their 139 young men,
and their 140 virgins remained unmarried. 141
78:64 Their 142 priests fell by the sword,
but their 143 widows did not weep. 144
78:65 But then the Lord awoke from his sleep; 145
he was like a warrior in a drunken rage. 146
78:66 He drove his enemies back;
he made them a permanent target for insults. 147
78:67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,
and Mount Zion, which he loves.
78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; 148
as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. 149
78:70 He chose David, his servant,
and took him from the sheepfolds.
78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, 150
and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and of Israel, his chosen nation. 151
78:72 David 152 cared for them with pure motives; 153
he led them with skill. 154
1 sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.
2 tn Or “God is known in Judah.”
3 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
4 sn Salem is a shorter name for Jerusalem (see Gen 14:18).
5 tn Heb “and his place of refuge is in Salem, and his lair in Zion.” God may be likened here to a lion (see v. 4).
6 tn Heb “flames of the bow,” i.e., arrows.
7 tn Heb “shield and sword and battle.” “Battle” probably here stands by metonymy for the weapons of war in general.
sn This verse may allude to the miraculous defeat of the Assyrians in 701
8 tn Heb “radiant [are] you, majestic from the hills of prey.” God is depicted as a victorious king and as a lion that has killed its victims.
9 tn Heb “strong of heart.” In Isa 46:12, the only other text where this phrase appears, it refers to those who are stubborn, but here it seems to describe brave warriors (see the next line).
10 tn The verb is a rare Aramaized form of the Hitpolel (see GKC 149 §54.a, n. 2); the root is שָׁלַל (shalal, “to plunder”).
11 tn Heb “they slept [in] their sleep.” “Sleep” here refers to the “sleep” of death. A number of modern translations take the phrase to refer to something less than death, however: NASB “cast into a deep sleep”; NEB “fall senseless”; NIV “lie still”; NRSV “lay stunned.”
12 tn Heb “and all the men of strength did not find their hands.”
13 tn Heb “from your shout.” The noun is derived from the Hebrew verb גָּעַר (ga’ar), which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 18:15; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
14 tn Or “chariot,” but even so the term is metonymic for the charioteer.
15 tn Heb “he fell asleep, and [the] chariot and [the] horse.” Once again (see v. 5) “sleep” refers here to the “sleep” of death.
16 tc Heb “and who can stand before you from the time of your anger?” The Hebrew expression מֵאָז (me’az, “from the time of”) is better emended to מֵאֹז (me’oz, “from [i.e., “because of”] the strength of your anger”; see Ps 90:11).
17 tn Heb “a [legal] decision,” or “sentence.”
18 tn “The earth” stands here by metonymy for its inhabitants.
19 tn Or “for.”
20 tn Heb “the anger of men will praise you.” This could mean that men’s anger (subjective genitive), when punished by God, will bring him praise, but this interpretation does not harmonize well with the next line. The translation assumes that God’s anger is in view here (see v. 7) and that “men” is an objective genitive. God’s angry judgment against men brings him praise because it reveals his power and majesty (see vv. 1-4).
21 tn Heb “the rest of anger you put on.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear. Perhaps the idea is that God, as he prepares for battle, girds himself with every last ounce of his anger, as if it were a weapon.
22 tn The phrase “all those who surround him” may refer to the surrounding nations (v. 12 may favor this), but in Ps 89:7 the phrase refers to God’s heavenly assembly.
23 tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.
24 tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”
25 sn Psalm 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.
26 tn Heb “my voice to God.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call out; to cry out”) should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4) both here and in the following (parallel) line.
27 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive is best taken as future here (although some translations render this as a past tense; cf. NEB, NIV). The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but v. 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).
28 tn Here the psalmist refers back to the very recent past, when he began to pray for divine help.
29 tn Heb “my hand [at] night was extended and was not growing numb.” The verb נָגַר (nagar), which can mean “flow” in certain contexts, here has the nuance “be extended.” The imperfect form (תָפוּג, tafug, “to be numb”) is used here to describe continuous action in the past.
30 tn Or “my soul.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
31 tn Heb “I will remember God and I will groan, I will reflect and my spirit will grow faint.” The first three verbs are cohortatives, the last a perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. The psalmist’s statement in v. 4 could be understood as concurrent with v. 1, or, more likely, as a quotation of what he had said earlier as he prayed to God (see v. 2). The words “I said” are supplied in the translation at the beginning of the verse to reflect this interpretation (see v. 10).
32 tn Heb “you held fast the guards of my eyes.” The “guards of the eyes” apparently refers to his eyelids. The psalmist seems to be saying that God would not bring him relief, which would have allowed him to shut his eyes and get some sleep (see v. 2).
33 tn The imperfect is used in the second clause to emphasize that this was an ongoing condition in the past.
34 tn Heb “the years of antiquity.”
35 tn Heb “I will remember my song in the night, with my heart I will reflect. And my spirit searched.” As in v. 4, the words of v. 6a are understood as what the psalmist said earlier. Consequently the words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 10). The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive at the beginning of the final line is taken as sequential to the perfect “I thought” in v. 6.
36 tn As in vv. 4 and 6a, the words of vv. 7-9 are understood as a quotation of what the psalmist said earlier. Therefore the words “I asked” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
37 tn Heb “word,” which may refer here to God’s word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).
38 tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
39 tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khallotiy) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khalotiy), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shÿnot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.
40 tn Heb “yes, I will remember from old your wonders.”
sn The psalmist refuses to allow skepticism to win out. God has revealed himself to his people in tangible, incontrovertible ways in the past and the psalmist vows to remember the historical record as a source of hope for the future.
41 sn Verses 13-20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11-12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).
42 tn Heb “O God, in holiness [is] your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.
43 tn Heb “Who [is] a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”
44 tn Or “redeemed.”
45 tn Heb “with [your] arm.”
46 tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.
47 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
48 tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
49 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
50 tn Heb “water.”
51 tn Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”
52 tn The lightning accompanying the storm is portrayed as the
53 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
sn Verses 16-18 depict the
54 tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”
55 tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”
56 tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”
57 sn Psalm 78. The author of this lengthy didactic psalm rehearses Israel’s history. He praises God for his power, goodness and patience, but also reminds his audience that sin angers God and prompts his judgment. In the conclusion to the psalm the author elevates Jerusalem as God’s chosen city and David as his chosen king.
58 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 74.
59 tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”
60 tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה+מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).
61 tn Or “known.”
62 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 5, 8, 12, 57).
63 tn The pronominal suffix refers back to the “fathers” (“our ancestors,” v. 3).
64 tn Heb “to a following generation telling the praises of the
65 tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).
66 tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the
67 tn Heb “in order that they might know, a following generation, sons [who] will be born, they will arise and will tell to their sons.”
68 tn Heb “keep.”
69 tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).
70 tn Heb “the sons of Ephraim.” Ephraim probably stands here by synecdoche (part for whole) for the northern kingdom of Israel.
71 tn Heb “ones armed, shooters of bow.” It is possible that the term נוֹשְׁקֵי (noshÿqey, “ones armed [with]”) is an interpretive gloss for the rare רוֹמֵי (romey, “shooters of”; on the latter see BDB 941 s.v. I רָמָה). The phrase נוֹשְׁקֵי קֶשֶׁת (noshÿqey qeshet, “ones armed with a bow”) appears in 1 Chr 12:2; 2 Chr 17:17.
72 sn They retreated. This could refer to the northern tribes’ failure to conquer completely their allotted territory (see Judg 1), or it could refer generally to the typical consequence (military defeat) of their sin (see vv. 10-11).
73 tn Heb “the covenant of God.”
74 tn Heb “walk in.”
75 tn Heb “his deeds.”
76 sn The region of Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta, where the enslaved Israelites lived (see Num 13:22; Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4; Ezek 30:14).
77 tn Heb “and caused them to drink, like the depths, abundantly.”
78 tn Heb “rebelling [against] the Most High.”
79 tn Heb “and they tested God in their heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the center of their volition.
80 tn Heb “they spoke against God, they said.”
81 tn Heb “to arrange a table [for food].”
82 tn Heb “look.”
83 tn Heb “therefore.”
84 tn Heb “and also anger went up.”
85 tn Heb “and they did not trust his deliverance.”
86 sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.
87 sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).
88 tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”
89 tn Heb “and like the sand of the seas winged birds.”
90 tn Heb “and they ate and were very satisfied.”
91 tn Heb “they were not separated from their desire.”
92 tn Heb “and did not believe in his amazing deeds.”
93 tn Heb “and he ended in vanity their days.”
94 tn Heb “and their years in terror.”
95 tn Or “killed them,” that is, killed large numbers of them.
96 tn Heb “they sought him.”
97 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
98 tn Heb “and [that] God Most High [was] their redeemer.”
99 tn Heb “with their mouth.”
100 tn Heb “and with their tongue they lied to him.”
101 tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”
102 tn One could translate v. 38 in the past tense (“he was compassionate…forgave sin and did not destroy…held back his anger, and did not stir up his fury”), but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narrational summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for v. 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.
103 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive signals a return to the narrative.
104 tn Heb “and he remembered that they [were] flesh, a wind [that] goes and does not return.”
105 tn Or “caused him pain.”
106 tn Heb “and they returned and tested God.” The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate that an earlier action was repeated.
107 tn Or “wounded, hurt.” The verb occurs only here in the OT.
108 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the
109 tn Heb “his hand,” symbolizing his saving activity and strength, as the next line makes clear.
110 tn Heb “[the] day [in] which he ransomed them from [the] enemy.”
111 tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).
112 tn Or “portents, omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are referred to here (see vv. 44-51).
113 tn Heb “and he sent an insect swarm against them and it devoured them.”
114 tn Heb “and a swarm of frogs and it destroyed them.”
115 tn Heb “and he turned over to the hail their cattle.”
116 tn Heb “and their livestock to the flames.” “Flames” here refer to the lightning bolts that accompanied the storm.
117 tn Heb “he sent against them the rage of his anger.” The phrase “rage of his anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.
118 tn Heb “fury and indignation and trouble, a sending of messengers of disaster.”
119 tn Heb “he leveled a path for his anger.” There were no obstacles to impede its progress; it moved swiftly and destructively.
120 tn Or perhaps “[the] plague.”
121 tn Heb “the beginning of strength.” If retained, the plural form אוֹנִים (’onim, “strength”) probably indicates degree (“great strength”), but many ancient witnesses read “their strength,” which presupposes an emendation to אֹנָם (’onam; singular form of the noun with third masculine plural pronominal suffix).
122 tn Heb “this mountain.” The whole land of Canaan seems to be referred to here. In Exod 15:17 the promised land is called the “mountain of your [i.e., God’s] inheritance.”
123 tn The “right hand” here symbolizes God’s military strength (see v. 55).
124 tn Heb “he caused to fall [to] them with a measuring line an inheritance.”
125 tn Heb “and caused the tribes of Israel to settle down in their tents.”
126 tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”
127 tn Heb “God, the Most High.”
128 tn Or “keep.”
129 tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).
130 tn Heb “they turned back.”
131 tn Or “acted treacherously like.”
132 tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”
133 tn Traditionally, “high places.”
134 tn Or “rejected.”
135 tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.
136 tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.
137 sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).
138 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
139 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
140 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
141 tn Heb “were not praised,” that is, in wedding songs. The young men died in masses, leaving no husbands for the young women.
142 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
143 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
144 sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.
145 tn Heb “and the master awoke like one sleeping.” The
146 tn Heb “like a warrior overcome with wine.” The Hebrew verb רוּן (run, “overcome”) occurs only here in the OT. The phrase “overcome with wine” could picture a drunken warrior controlled by his emotions and passions (as in the present translation), or it could refer to a warrior who awakes from a drunken stupor.
147 tn Heb “a permanent reproach he made them.”
148 tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (kÿmo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.
149 tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”
150 tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”
151 tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”
152 tn Heb “He”; the referent (David, God’s chosen king, mentioned in v. 70) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
153 tn Heb “and he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart.”
154 tn Heb “and with the understanding of his hands he led them.”
