A well-written song 2 by Asaph.
74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? 3
Why does your anger burn 4 against the sheep of your pasture?
74:9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence; 5
there are no longer any prophets 6
and we have no one to tell us how long this will last. 7
74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?
Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
1 sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586
2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
3 sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.
4 tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.
5 tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).
6 tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”
7 tn Heb “and [there is] not with us one who knows how long.”