Psalms 44:3

44:3 For they did not conquer the land by their swords,

and they did not prevail by their strength,

but rather by your power, strength and good favor,

for you were partial to them.

Psalms 44:5-7

44:5 By your power we will drive back our enemies;

by your strength we will trample down 10  our foes! 11 

44:6 For I do not trust in my bow,

and I do not prevail by my sword.

44:7 For you deliver 12  us from our enemies;

you humiliate 13  those who hate us.


tn Or “take possession of.”

tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.

tn Heb “your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Pss 17:7; 20:6; 21:8).

tn Heb “your arm.”

tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).

tn Or “favorable toward.”

tn Heb “by you.”

tn Heb “gore” (like an ox). If this portion of the psalm contains the song of confidence/petition the Israelites recited prior to battle, then the imperfects here and in the next line may express their expectation of victory. Another option is that the imperfects function in an emphatic generalizing manner. In this case one might translate, “you [always] drive back…you [always] trample down.”

sn The Hebrew verb translated “drive back” is literally “gore”; the imagery is that of a powerful wild ox that “gores” its enemies and tramples them underfoot.

tn Heb “in your name.” The Lord’s “name” refers here to his revealed character or personal presence. Specifically in this context his ability to deliver, protect, and energize for battle is in view (see Ps 54:1).

10 sn The image of the powerful wild ox continues; see the note on the phrase “drive back” in the preceding line.

11 tn Heb “those who rise up [against] us.”

12 tn Or “have delivered,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).

13 tn Or “have humiliated,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).