TRV
Translation
Complete Jewish Bible
Has his grace permanently disappeared? Is his word to all generations done away?
American Standard Version
Is his lovingkindness clean gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for evermore?
World English Bible Messianic
Has his loving kindness vanished forever? Does his promise fail for generations?
Young's Literal Translation
Hath His kindness ceased for ever? The saying failed to all generations?
In the KJVVerse 15,102 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 77 verses 1–10
1 ¶ To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of Asaph. I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.
4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
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 made diligent search.
7 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?
8 Is his mercy 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.
10 And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
We have here the lively portraiture of a good man under prevailing melancholy, fallen into and sinking in that horrible pit and that miry clay, but struggling to get out. Drooping saints, that are of a sorrowful spirit, may here as in a glass see their own faces. The conflict which the psalmist had with his griefs and fears seems to have been over when he penned this record of it; for he says (Psa 77:1), I cried unto God, and he gave ear unto me, which, while the struggle lasted, he had not the comfortable sense of, as he had afterwards; but he inserts it in the beginning of his narrative as an intimation that his trouble did not end in despair; for God heard him, and, at length, he knew that he heard him. Observe,
I. His melancholy prayers. Being afflicted, he prayed (Jam 5:13), and, being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly (Psa 77:1): My voice was unto God, and I cried, even with my voice unto God. He was full of complaints, loud complaints, but he directed them to God, and turned them all into prayers, vocal prayers, very earnest and importunate. Thus he gave vent to his grief and gained some ease; and thus he took the right way in order to relief (Psa 77:2): In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. Note, Days of trouble must be days of prayer, days of inward trouble especially, when God seems to have withdrawn from us; we must seek him and seek till we find him. In the day of his trouble he did not seek for the diversion of business or recreation, to shake off his trouble that way, but he sought God, and his favour and grace. Those that are under trouble of mind must not think to drink it away, or laugh it away, but must pray it away. My hand was stretched out in the night and ceased not; so Dr. Hammond reads the following words, as speaking the incessant importunity of his prayers. Compare Psa 143:5, Psa 143:6.
II. His melancholy grief. Grief may then be called melancholy indeed, 1. When it admits of no intermission; such was his: My sore, or wound, ran in the night, and bled inwardly, and it ceased not, no, not in the time appointed for rest and sleep. 2. When it admits of no consolation; and that also as his case: My soul refused to be comforted; he had no mind to hearken to those that would be his comforters. As vinegar upon nitre, so is he that sings songs to a heavy heart, Pro 25:20. Nor had he any mind to think of those things that would be his comforts; he put them far from him, as one that indulged himself in sorrow. Those that are in sorrow, upon any account, do not only prejudice themselves, but affront God, if they refuse to be comforted.
III. His melancholy musings. He pored so much upon the trouble, whatever it was, personal or public, that, 1. The methods that should have relieved him did but increase his grief, Psa 77:3. (1.) One would have thought that the remembrance of God would comfort him, but it did not: I remembered God and was troubled, as poor Job (Job 23:15); I am troubled at his presence; when I consider I am afraid of him. When he remembered God his thoughts fastened only upon his justice, and wrath, and dreadful majesty, and thus God himself became a terror to him. (2.) One would have thought that pouring out his soul before God would give him ease, but it did not; he complained, and yet his spirit was overwhelmed, and sank under the load. 2. The means of his present relief were denied him, v. 4. He could not enjoy sleep, which, if it be quiet and refreshing, is a parenthesis to our griefs and cares: "Thou holdest my eyes waking with thy terrors, which make me full of tossings to and fro until the dawning of the day." He could not speak, by reason of the disorder of his thoughts, the tumult of his spirits, and the confusion his mind was in: He kept silence even from good while his heart was hot within him; he was ready to burst like a new bottle (Job 32:19), and yet so troubled that he could not speak and refresh himself. Grief never preys so much upon the spirits as when it is thus smothered and pent up.
IV. His melancholy reflections (Psa 77:5, Psa 77:6): "I have considered the days of old, and compared them with the present days; and our former prosperity does but aggravate our present calamities: for we see not the wonders that our fathers told us off." Melancholy people are apt to pore altogether upon the days of old and the years of ancient times, and to magnify them, for the justifying of their own uneasiness and discontent at the present posture of affairs. But say not thou that the former days were better than these, because it is more than thou knowest whether they were or no, Ecc 7:10. Neither let the remembrance of the comforts we have lost make us unthankful for those that are left, or impatient under our crosses. Particularly, he called to remembrance his song in the night, the comforts with which he had supported himself in his former sorrows and entertained himself in his former solitude. These songs he remembered, and tried if he could not sing them over again; but he was out of tune for them, and the remembrance of them did but pour out his soul in him, Psa 43:4. See Job 35:10.
V. His melancholy fears and apprehensions: "I communed with my own heart, Psa 77:6. Come, my soul, what will be the issue of these things? What can I think of them and what can I expect they will come to at last? I made diligent search into the causes of my trouble, enquiring wherefore God contended with me and what would be the consequences of it. And thus I began to reason, Will the Lord cast off for ever, as he does for the present? He is not now favourable; and will he be favourable no more? His mercy is now gone; and is it clean gone for ever? His promise now fails; and does it fail for evermore? God is not now gracious; but has he forgotten to be gracious? His tender mercies have been withheld, perhaps in wisdom; but are they shut up, shut up in anger?" Psa 77:7-9. This is the language of a disconsolate deserted soul, walking in darkness and having no light, a case not uncommon even with those that fear the Lord and obey the voice of his servant, Isa 50:10. He may here be looked upon, 1. As groaning under a sore trouble. God hid his face from him, and withdrew the usual tokens of his favour. Note, Spiritual trouble is of all trouble most grievous to a gracious soul; nothing wounds and pierces it like the apprehensions of God's being angry, the suspending of his favour and the superseding of his promise; this wounds the spirit; and who can bear that? 2. As grappling with a strong temptation. Note, God's own people, in a cloudy and dark day, may be tempted to make desperate conclusions about their own spiritual state and the condition of God's church and kingdom in the world, and, as to both, to give up all for gone. We may be tempted to think that God has abandoned us and cast us off, that the covenant of grace fails us, and that the tender mercy of our God shall be for ever withheld from us. But we must not give way to such suggestions as these. If fear and melancholy ask such peevish questions, let faith answer them from the Scripture: Will the Lord cast off for ever? God forbid, Rom 11:1. No; the Lord will not cast off his people, Psa 94:14. Will he be favourable no more? Yes, he will; for, though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, Lam 3:32. Is his mercy clean gone for ever? No; his mercy endures for ever; as it is from everlasting, it is to everlasting, Psa 103:17. Doth his promise fail for evermore? No; it is impossible for God to lie, Heb 6:18. Hath God forgotten to be gracious? No; he cannot deny himself, and his own name which he hath proclaimed gracious and merciful, Exo 34:6. Has he in anger shut up his tender mercies? No; they are new every morning (Lam 3:23); and therefore, How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? Hos 11:8, Hos 11:9. Thus was he going on with his dark and dismal apprehensions when, on a sudden, he first checked himself with that word, Selah, "Stop there; go no further; let us hear no more of these unbelieving surmises;" and he then chid himself (Psa 77:10): I said, This is my infirmity. He is soon aware that it is not well said, and therefore, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? I said, This is my affliction" (so some understand it); "This is the calamity that falls to my lot and I must make the best of it; every one has his affliction, his trouble in the flesh; and this is mine, the cross I must take up." Or, rather, "This is my sin; it is my iniquity, the plague of my own heart." These doubts and fears proceed from the want and weakness of faith and the corruption of a distempered mind. note, (1.) We all know that concerning ourselves of which we must say, "This is our infirmity, a sin that most easily besets us." (2.) Despondency of spirit, and distrust of God, under affliction, are too often the infirmities of good people, and, as such, are to be reflected upon by us with sorrow and shame, as by the psalmist here: This is my infirmity. When at any time it is working in us we must thus suppress the rising of it, and not suffer the evil spirit to speak. We must argue down the insurrections of unbelief, as the psalmist here: But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. He had been considering the years of ancient times (Psa 77:5), the blessings formerly enjoyed, the remembrance of which did only add to his grief; but now he considered them as the years of the right hand of the Most High, that those blessings of ancient times came from the Ancient of days, from the power and sovereign disposal of his right hand who is over all, God, blessed for ever, and this satisfied him; for may not the Most High with his right hand make what changes he pleases?
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–10. Public domain.
Copy as
Gregory of NyssaAD 395
AGAINST EUNOMIUS 6:3
Sufficient defense has been offered on these points, and as for that which Eunomius says by way of calumny against our doctrine, that “Christ was emptied to become himself” there has been sufficient discussion in what has been said above, where he has been shown to be attributing to our doctrine his own blasphemy. For a person who believes that the unchangeable [divine] nature has put on the created and perishable [human nature] is not one who speaks of the transition from like to like but one who believes that the divine nature does not change into the more lowly [human nature]. For if, as their doctrine asserts, he is created, and a human being is created also, the wonder of the doctrine disappears, and there is nothing marvelous in what is alleged, since the created nature comes to be in itself. But we who have learned from prophecy of “the change of the right hand of the Most High”—and by the “Right Hand” of the Father we understand that power of God, which made all things, which is the Lord (not in the sense of depending on him as a part upon a whole but as being indeed from him and yet contemplated in individual existence)—say thus: that neither does the right hand vary from him whose right hand it is, in regard to the idea of its nature, nor can any other change in it be spoken of besides the accommodation to the flesh. For truly the right hand of God was God himself; manifested in the flesh, seen through that same flesh by those whose sight was clear; as he did the work of the Father, being, both in fact and in thought, the right hand of God, yet being changed, in respect of the veil of the flesh by which he was surrounded, as regarded that which was seen, from that which he was by nature, as a subject of contemplation. Therefore he says to Philip, who was gazing only at that which was changed, “Look through that which is changed to that which is unchangeable, and if you see this, you have seen that Father, whom you seek to see; for he that has seen me—not him who appears in a state of change, but my very self, who am in the Father—will have seen that Father in whom I am, because the very same character of Godhead is beheld in both.” If, then, we believe that the immortal and impassible and uncreated nature came to be in the nature of the creature that is capable of suffering, and conceive the “change” to consist in this, on what grounds are we charged with saying that he “set aside his divine powers to become incarnate,” by those who keep presenting their own statements about our doctrines? For the participation of the created with the created is no “change of the right hand.” To say that the right hand of the uncreated nature is created belongs to Eunomius alone and to those who adopt such opinions as he holds. For the person with an eye that looks on the truth will discern the right hand of the Highest to be such as he sees the Highest to be—Uncreated of Uncreated, Good of Good, Eternal of Eternal without prejudice to its eternity by its being in the Father by way of generation. Thus our accuser has unawares been employing against us reproaches that properly fall on himself.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 77
And you have found what? "God will not repel for everlasting" [Psalm 77:7]. Weariness he had found in this life; in no place a trustworthy, in no place a fearless comfort. Unto whatsoever men he betook himself, in them he found scandal, or feared it. In no place therefore was he free from care. An evil thing it was for him to hold his peace, lest perchance he should keep silence from good words; to speak and babble without was painful to him, lest all his enemies, anticipating watches, should seek slanders in his words. Being exceedingly straitened in this life, he thought much of another life, where there is not this trial. And when is he to arrive there? For it cannot but be evident that our suffering here is the anger of God. This thing is spoken of in Isaiah, "I will not be an avenger unto you for everlasting, nor will I be angry with you at all times." [Isaiah 57:16] ...Will this anger of God always abide? This man has not found this in silence. For he says what? "God will not repel for everlasting, and He will not add any more that it should be well-pleasing to Him still." That is, that it should be well-pleasing to Him still to repel, and He will not add the repelling for everlasting. He must needs recall to Himself His servants, He must needs receive fugitives returning to the Lord, He must needs hearken to the voice of them that are in fetters. "Or unto the end will He cut off mercy from generation to generation?" [Psalm 77:8].
Leo the GreatAD 461
SERMON 27:2.2
What mind can understand this mystery, what tongue has the capability of explaining this grace? Iniquity turns back into innocence, oldness into newness. Strangers come into adoption, and foreigners enter on an inheritance. Godless people have started to be just, the covetous to be beneficent, the incontinent to be chaste, the “earthly” to be “heavenly.” What has effected “this change” but the “right hand of the Most High”? For “the Son of God came to undo the devil’s works.” He grafted himself into us and us into himself in such a way that God’s descent to human affairs became the elevation of human beings to those divine.
Gregory the DialogistAD 604
LETTER 9:122
I cannot express in words, most excellent son, how much I am delighted with your work and your life. For on hearing of the power of a new miracle in our days, to wit, that the whole nation of the Goths has through your excellency been brought over from the error of the Arian heresy to the firmness of a right faith, one is disposed to exclaim with the prophet, “This is the change wrought by the right hand of the most High.” For whose breast, even though stony, would not, on hearing of so great a work, soften in praises of almighty God and love of your excellency? As for me, I declare that it delights me often to tell these things that have been done through you to my sons who consult with me, and often together with them I marvel at these things. These things also for the most part cause me to become critical of myself, in that I languish sluggish and unprofitable in listless ease, while kings are laboring in the gathering together of souls for the gains of the heavenly country.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Psalms 77:8 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Psalms 77:8 encapsulates the psalmist Asaph's profound spiritual anguish and existential doubt, as he grapples with the terrifying possibility that God's steadfast mercy has vanished and His eternal promises have irrevocably failed. This verse serves as a poignant and honest expression of the human struggle to reconcile present suffering and perceived divine silence with a foundational understanding of God's unchanging character and historical faithfulness, marking a critical turning point in the psalm's journey from despair to a renewed remembrance of divine power and fidelity.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 77:8 employs several powerful literary devices to convey the depth of the psalmist's distress. Rhetorical Question is central, as Asaph poses questions not for the purpose of receiving information, but to express overwhelming emotion and to provoke profound introspection, both for himself and for the audience. The profound Parallelism between "Is his mercy clean gone for ever?" and "doth his promise fail for evermore?" reinforces the core anxiety, linking God's unchanging character (mercy) directly to His active word and covenant actions (promise). This structure highlights the two foundational pillars of God's relationship with humanity that the psalmist fears are crumbling. The repetition of "for ever" and "for evermore" serves as both Anaphora (though not at the very beginning of clauses, it creates a strong echoing effect) and Hyperbole, emphasizing the psalmist's desperate fear that the cessation of God's faithfulness is absolute and permanent, escalating the sense of despair to an almost unbearable pitch. This lament is a raw and honest outpouring of a soul in crisis, using these devices to convey the profound spiritual struggle.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The profound questions posed in Psalms 77:8 resonate deeply with the universal human experience of doubt and suffering, yet they also implicitly underscore a foundational theological truth: God's character is immutable. The psalmist's struggle is not with a God who is unfaithful, but with a perception of unfaithfulness born from present distress and the apparent contradiction between God's historical acts and current circumstances. This tension highlights the critical importance of anchoring faith not in fluctuating circumstances or fleeting feelings, but in the unwavering nature of God's covenant love and His eternal word. The psalm ultimately moves from this agonizing questioning to a deliberate remembrance of God's mighty acts, implicitly affirming that His mercy and promises are indeed eternal, even when temporarily obscured by pain. It teaches that honest lament, when brought before God, can be a vital pathway to renewed trust in His unchanging faithfulness.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 77:8 offers profound solace and vital insight for believers navigating periods of intense spiritual struggle. It normalizes the experience of deep doubt and anguish, demonstrating that even devout individuals like Asaph wrestled with the perceived absence or silence of God. When we face overwhelming challenges, when prayers seem unanswered, or when circumstances contradict our understanding of God's goodness, this verse provides permission to voice our deepest fears and questions to God honestly and without reservation. It reminds us that our faith is not fragile because we question, but rather strengthened when we bring our authentic selves, including our doubts and pain, directly to God. The transformative journey of the psalm, moving from desperate questioning to a deliberate remembrance of God's past faithfulness, provides a powerful and practical model for our own spiritual walk: even when our feelings fluctuate wildly, we are called to anchor ourselves in the unchanging character of God and the historical evidence of His unwavering love and fidelity. This process of honest lament followed by intentional remembrance can lead to profound spiritual renewal.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is it sinful to doubt God's mercy or promises?
Answer: Psalms 77:8 powerfully demonstrates that expressing doubt and questioning God's perceived absence is a legitimate part of the human experience, even for deeply spiritual individuals like Asaph. The psalm does not condemn him for his questions; rather, it portrays an honest, raw interaction with God. While persistent, unaddressed doubt can indeed erode faith, the act of bringing our questions and anguish to God, as Asaph does, can paradoxically be a pathway to deeper faith and renewed trust. The key is not to dwell in doubt but to move through it by remembering God's character and past faithfulness, as the psalmist eventually does in Psalms 77:11-15. This process of lament leading to remembrance is a healthy and often necessary spiritual discipline that acknowledges human frailty while affirming divine steadfastness.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 77:8, with its agonizing questions about God's enduring mercy and the reliability of His promises, finds its ultimate and definitive answer in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The New Testament reveals that God's chesed—His steadfast love, covenant loyalty, and unfailing faithfulness—is most perfectly and lavishly displayed in the sending of His Son. The "promise" that the psalmist fears might fail is not only upheld but gloriously fulfilled in Christ, who is the "Yes" and "Amen" to all of God's promises (2 Corinthians 1:20). In Jesus, God's mercy is demonstrably not "clean gone for ever" but is poured out in superabundant measure through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, a profound demonstration of divine love for a sinful humanity (Romans 5:8). The New Covenant, established through His precious blood, guarantees that God's promises are eternally secure and superior to the old, mediated by Christ himself (Hebrews 8:6). Therefore, when believers face doubt or perceive God's silence, they can look to Christ as the living embodiment of God's unfailing mercy and the steadfast surety of every divine promise, knowing with absolute certainty that He "is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8), and His faithfulness will never fail.