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Psalms 77

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A Cry of Deep Distress 1–4

1
I will cry unto God with my voice, Even unto God with my voice; and he will give ear unto me. ​
2
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: My hand was stretched out in the night, and slacked not; My soul refused to be comforted. ​
3
I remember God, and am disquieted: I complain, and my spirit is overwhelmed. [Selah ​
4
Thou holdest mine eyes watching: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Questioning God's Faithfulness 5–9

5
I have considered the days of old, The years of ancient times. ​
6
I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart; And my spirit maketh diligent search.
7
Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will he be favorable no more? ​
8
Is his lovingkindness clean gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for evermore?
9
Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? [Selah ​

Resolving to Remember God's Works 10–15

10
And I said, This is my infirmity; But I will rememberthe years of the right hand of the Most High. ​
11
I will make mention of the deeds of Jehovah; For I will remember thy wonders of old. ​
12
I will meditate also upon all thy work, And muse on thy doings.
13
Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: Who is a great god like unto God? ​
14
Thou art the God that doest wonders: Thou hast made known thy strength among the peoples.
15
Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. [Selah ​

Remembering the Wonders of the Exodus 16–20

16
The waters saw thee, O God; The waters saw thee, they were afraid: The depths also trembled. ​
17
The clouds poured out water; The skies sent out a sound: Thine arrows also went abroad. ​
18
The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lightened the world: The earth trembled and shook.
19
Thy way was in the sea, And thy paths in the great waters, And thy footsteps were not known. ​
20
Thou leddest thy people like a flock, By the hand of Moses and Aaron. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalms 77

Verse 1

I cried unto God with my voice — The title names Jeduthun, one of the three whom David set apart for the service of song (1 Chr 25:1), also in the titles of Ps 39 and Ps 62, and Asaph. 'Gave ear' is azan, to turn the ear toward. The sentence is repeated, 'unto God with my voice', as the cry is.

Verse 2

in the day of my trouble — He 'sought the Lord' (Adonai) by the call of Ps 50:15, 'call upon me in the day of trouble'. The word rendered 'sore' is yad, a hand, and 'ran' is nagar, to pour or flow. 'Refused to be comforted' is Jacob's grief in Gen 37:35, in the same two Hebrew words.

Verse 3

I remembered God, and was troubled — 'Troubled' is hamah, to groan or murmur, and 'overwhelmed' is atap, as in Ps 142:3, 'When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path.' 'Complained' is siach, to speak out. Selah marks a pause after the verse.

Verse 5

the days of old — Chashav, to reckon or consider, with the words of Deut 32:7, 'Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations'. 'Of old' is qedem, which returns in v.11 ('thy wonders of old'). Ps 143:5 does the same: 'I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works'.

Verse 7

Will the Lord cast off for ever? — Six questions run from here through v.9. 'Cast off' is zanach, the verb that Lam 3:31 denies: 'the Lord will not cast off for ever'. 'Favourable' is ratsah, the word of Ps 85:1, 'LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land'. V.8 adds: 'doth his promise fail for evermore?'

Verse 9

forgotten to be gracious — Chanan, to show grace. 'Shut up' is qaphats, to draw closed, as the hand in Deut 15:7, 'nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother'. Zion asks the same in Isa 49:14, and the LORD answers in Isa 49:15: 'Can a woman forget her sucking child?'

Verse 10

the years of the right hand of the most High — He calls his state 'my infirmity' and turns to elyon, 'the most High', and his right hand. The right hand is the one of Ex 15:6, 'Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power', which the rest of the psalm recounts (vv.15–20).

Verse 11

the works of the LORD — 'The LORD' here is Yah, the short form of the divine name, and it is the only place the psalm uses a form of the name. The same form opens the Song at the sea: 'The LORD is my strength and song' (Ex 15:2). 'Wonders' (pele) is in Ex 15:11: 'doing wonders'.

Verse 13

in the sanctuary — Qodesh, holiness or the holy place, the word of Ex 15:11, 'glorious in holiness', and of the 'holy habitation' of Ex 15:13. 'Who is so great a God as our God?' recalls Ex 15:11, 'Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods?' The way of God is a way of holiness, and the psalm now follows it into the sea.

Verse 15

Thou hast with thine arm redeemed — Ga'al, to redeem, the verb of Ex 15:13, 'the people which thou hast redeemed'; 'a stretched out arm' is promised in Ex 6:6. 'Jacob and Joseph' name the whole line; Jacob counted Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh as his own (Gen 48:5).

Verse 16

The waters saw thee — The sea is the hearer: Ps 114:3, 'The sea saw it, and fled'. 'The depths' is tehom, the word of Ex 15:5 ('The depths have covered them') and Ex 15:8 ('the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea'). The repetition, 'the waters saw thee', carries the fear.

Verse 17

thine arrows also went abroad — The arrows are lightning, as in Ps 18:14: 'he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings'. V.18 follows: 'The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.'

Verse 19

thy footsteps are not known — The way is 'in the sea… in the great waters'. 'Footsteps' is ekev, literally heels. After the passage 'the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen' (Ex 14:28), and Hab 3:15 praises the same: 'Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses'.

Verse 20

like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron — The LORD is the leader, and the two are his hand. Isa 63:11–12 asks 'where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock?' The same figure is in Ps 78:52, 'guided them in the wilderness like a flock', and Ps 80:1, 'thou that leadest Joseph like a flock'.