Discovery BoxPsalms 79:8 
Context79:8 Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations! 1
Quickly send your compassion our way, 2
for we are in serious trouble! 3
Psalms 102:13
Context102:13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion. 4
For it is time to have mercy on her,
for the appointed time has come.
1 tn Heb “do not remember against us sins, former.” Some understand “former” as an attributive adjective modifying sins, “former [i.e., chronologically prior] sins” (see BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן). The present translation assumes that ראשׁנים (“former”) here refers to those who lived formerly, that is, the people’s ancestors (see Lam 5:7). The word is used in this way in Lev 26:45; Deut 19:14 and Eccl 1:11.
2 tn Heb “may your compassion quickly confront us.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating a tone of prayer.
3 tn Heb “for we are very low.”
4 tn The imperfect verbal forms are understood as expressing the psalmist’s confidence in God’s intervention. Another option is to take them as expressing the psalmist’s request or wish, “You, rise up and have compassion!”
