Psalms 95:7-8

95:7 For he is our God;

we are the people of his pasture,

the sheep he owns.

Today, if only you would obey him!

95:8 He says, “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah,

like they were that day at Massah in the wilderness,


tn Heb “of his hand.”

tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).

sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.

sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).

tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”