TRV
Translation
King James Version
Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.
Complete Jewish Bible
Has God forgotten to be compassionate? Has he in anger withheld his mercy?" (Selah)
Berean Standard Bible
Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah
American Standard Version
Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? [Selah
World English Bible Messianic
Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he, in anger, withheld his compassion?” Selah.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Hath God forgotten to be mercifull? hath he shut vp his teder mercies in displeasure? Selah.
Young's Literal Translation
Hath God forgotten His favours? Hath He shut up in anger His mercies? Selah.
In the KJVVerse 15,103 of 31,102
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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.
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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
Enchiridion 29:112
It is quite in vain, then, that some—indeed very many—yield to merely human feelings and deplore the notion of the eternal punishment of the damned and their interminable and perpetual misery. They do not believe that such things will be. Not that they would go counter to divine Scripture—but, yielding to their own human feelings, they soften what seems harsh and give a milder emphasis to statements they believe are meant more to terrify than to express the literal truth. "God will not forget," they say, "to show mercy, nor in his anger will he shut up his mercy." This is, in fact, the text of a holy psalm. But there is no doubt that it is to be interpreted to refer to those who are called "vessels of mercy," those who are freed from misery not by their own merits but through God's mercy. Even so, if they suppose that the text applies to all people, there is no ground for them further to suppose that there can be an end for those of whom it is said, "Thus these shall go into everlasting punishment." Otherwise, it can as well be thought that there will also be an end to the happiness of those of whom the antithesis was said: "But the righteous into life eternal."
Augustine of HippoAD 430
City of God 21.24
Let no man then so understand the words of the Psalmist, "Shall God forget to be gracious? shall he shut up in his anger his tender mercies" as if the sentence of God were true of good men, false of bad men, or true of good men and wicked angels, but false of bad men. For the Psalmist's words refer to the vessels of mercy and the children of the promise, of whom the prophet himself was one; for when he had said, "Shall God forget to be gracious? shall he shut up in his anger his tender mercies?" and then immediately subjoins, "And I said, Now I begin: this is the change wrought by the right hand of the Most High," he manifestly explained what he meant by the words, "Shall he shut up in his anger his tender mercies?" For God's anger is this mortal life, in which man is made like to vanity, and his days pass as a shadow. Yet in this anger God does not forget to be gracious, causing his sun to shine and his rain to descend on the just and the unjust; and thus he does not in his anger cut short his tender mercies, and especially in what the Psalmist speaks of in the words, "Now I begin: this change is from the right hand of the Most High;" for he changes for the better the vessels of mercy, even while they are still in this most wretched life, which is God's anger, and even while his anger is manifesting itself in this miserable corruption; for "in his anger he does not shut up his tender mercies." And since the truth of this divine canticle is quite satisfied by this application of it, there is no need to give it a reference to that place in which those who do not belong to the city of God are punished in eternal fire. But if any persist in extending its application to the torments of the wicked, let them at least understand it so that the anger of God, which has threatened the wicked with eternal punishment, shall abide, but shall be mixed with mercy to the extent of alleviating the torments which might justly be inflicted; so that the wicked shall neither wholly escape, nor only for a time endure these threatened pains, but that they shall be less severe and more endurable than they deserve. Thus the anger of God shall continue, and at the same time he will not in this anger shut up his tender mercies.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 77
"Or will God forget to be merciful?" [Psalm 77:9]. In you, from you unto another there is no mercy unless God bestow it on you: and shall God Himself forget mercy? The stream runs: shall the spring itself be dried up? "Or shall God forget to be merciful: or shall He keep back in anger His mercies?" That is, shall He be so angry, as that He will not have mercy? He will more easily keep back anger than mercy.
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.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 77:9 captures the profound anguish of the psalmist Asaph, who, in a moment of deep spiritual distress, poses a series of agonizing rhetorical questions regarding God's character. He grapples with the terrifying fear that God, who is inherently gracious and merciful, has either forgotten His benevolent nature or, in anger, has deliberately sealed off His tender compassions. This verse vividly portrays the raw honesty of lament, where a believer confronts their deepest doubts and fears directly before God, even as they implicitly cling to the hope that God's nature remains unchanging despite their present experience of perceived abandonment.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 77:9 employs several potent literary devices to convey the psalmist's deep anguish and theological wrestling. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question, used twice in quick succession ("Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?"). These are not questions seeking information, but rather expressions of intense emotional distress, doubt, and desperation, designed to underscore the psalmist's internal turmoil and the perceived impossibility of his situation. The questions also utilize Personification, attributing human actions and emotions to God: "forgotten" and "shut up in anger." While God is indeed capable of anger, the idea of Him "forgetting" His essential nature or "shutting up" His mercies in a capricious manner reflects the psalmist's human interpretation of his suffering, rather than a theological statement about God's immutable character. The use of "Selah" acts as a Structural Marker and an invitation to Contemplation, forcing a pause that amplifies the gravity of the questions just posed, preparing the reader for the subsequent shift in the psalm's emotional and theological trajectory.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 77:9, though expressing profound doubt, ultimately serves to highlight the unchanging and boundless nature of God's grace and mercy. The very questions posed, while born of anguish, implicitly affirm the psalmist's prior knowledge of God as gracious and merciful. The psalm's resolution, which follows this verse, moves from questioning to remembering God's mighty acts, particularly the Exodus, thereby reaffirming that God's character is constant, regardless of human perception or circumstance. This verse thus becomes a powerful testament to the permission granted in scripture for believers to bring their raw, unfiltered doubts before a God who is big enough to handle them, and whose faithfulness endures forever.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 77:9 offers profound comfort and validation to anyone experiencing spiritual doubt, a "dark night of the soul," or feeling abandoned by God. It teaches us that it is not only permissible but also a vital part of a mature faith to voice our deepest fears, questions, and even accusations to God. The psalmist models a raw, unedited expression of pain and confusion before the Almighty, demonstrating that authentic prayer embraces the full spectrum of human emotion, including despair. In our own moments of distress, when God's presence feels distant or His promises seem unfulfilled, this verse reminds us that our feelings, however intense, do not define God's character. His nature as gracious and merciful remains constant and unwavering, even when our circumstances or emotions suggest otherwise. The "Selah" further encourages us to pause in our distress, not for despair, but for reflection—a deliberate turning away from our immediate feelings to remember God's past faithfulness and His eternal, unchanging promises, which is precisely what the psalmist does in the latter half of Psalm 77. This pause is an act of faith, trusting that even in the midst of profound doubt, God is still God, and His tender mercies are indeed everlasting.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is it wrong to question God's character or actions, as the psalmist does here?
Answer: Psalms 77:9 demonstrates that it is not wrong to bring our honest questions, doubts, and even accusations before God. The Bible is replete with examples of believers, from Job to Jeremiah, who wrestled openly with God in their pain. This verse, part of a lament psalm, illustrates that such raw honesty is part of an authentic relationship with God. It's a cry for understanding and reassurance, not a definitive declaration of God's failure or a rejection of faith. The psalmist's act of bringing these questions to God, rather than turning away from Him, is itself an act of underlying faith, trusting that God is big enough to handle our deepest fears and will ultimately reveal His unchanging nature, as seen in the latter half of Psalms 77.
What is the significance of "Selah" in this verse?
Answer: "Selah" is a term found frequently in the Psalms, often understood as a musical or liturgical instruction, likely indicating a pause for reflection, emphasis, or a musical interlude. In Psalms 77:9, its placement after such profound and agonizing questions ("Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?") is particularly significant. It compels the reader to pause and deeply consider the weighty, almost blasphemous, questions just posed. This pause is not for despair but for contemplation, allowing the emotional and theological weight of the questions to sink in before the psalm pivots from lament to remembrance of God's mighty deeds, beginning in Psalms 77:10. It serves as a spiritual breath, inviting us to process our distress and prepare for a renewed perspective.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Psalms 77:9 voices the harrowing fear that God might have forgotten His grace or shut up His tender mercies, the New Testament reveals the ultimate and unequivocal answer to these agonizing questions in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God's grace was not forgotten but perfectly embodied in His Son, who became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Far from shutting up His tender mercies in anger, God, in His boundless love, "did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all" (Romans 8:32). The cross stands as the eternal testament that God's compassion is not withheld but poured out to its fullest extent, reconciling a lost world to Himself through Christ's sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:19). Furthermore, Jesus, our great High Priest, sympathizes with our weaknesses, having been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Therefore, when we feel God's presence is distant or His mercies seem withdrawn, we can "draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). Christ's finished work assures us that God's grace and tender mercies are eternally open and available to all who come to Him through faith, dispelling the very fears expressed by the psalmist.