Discovery BoxPsalms 81:8-13 
Context81:8 I said, 1 ‘Listen, my people!
I will warn 2 you!
O Israel, if only you would obey me! 3
81:9 There must be 4 no other 5 god among you.
You must not worship a foreign god.
81:10 I am the Lord, your God,
the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it!’
81:11 But my people did not obey me; 6
Israel did not submit to me. 7
81:12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; 8
they did what seemed right to them. 9
81:13 If only my people would obey me! 10
If only Israel would keep my commands! 11
1 tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Verses 8-10 appear to recall what the
2 tn Or perhaps “command.”
3 tn The Hebrew particle אִם (“if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (GKC 321 §109.b). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
4 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 9 have a modal function, expressing what is obligatory.
5 tn Heb “different”; “illicit.”
6 tn Heb “did not listen to my voice.”
7 tn The Hebrew expression אָבָה לִי (’avah liy) means “submit to me” (see Deut 13:8).
8 tn Heb “and I sent him away in the stubbornness of their heart.”
9 tn Heb “they walked in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite (“walked”) or a customary imperfect (“were walking”).
10 tn Heb “if only my people were listening to me.” The Hebrew particle לוּ (lu, “if not”) introduces a purely hypothetical or contrary to fact condition (see 2 Sam 18:12).
11 tn Heb “[and if only] Israel would walk in my ways.”
