Numbers 10:36

10:36 And when it came to rest he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel!” ¹ 

Psalms 74:1-2

Psalm 74 ² 

A well-written song ³  by Asaph.

74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? ⁴ 

Why does your anger burn ⁵  against the sheep of your pasture?

74:2 Remember your people ⁶  whom you acquired in ancient times,

whom you rescued ⁷  so they could be your very own nation, ⁸ 

as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!

Psalms 80:14

80:14 O God, invincible warrior, ⁹  come back!

Look down from heaven and take notice!

Take care of this vine,

Psalms 90:13

90:13 Turn back toward us, O Lord!

How long must this suffering last? ¹⁰ 

Have pity on your servants! ¹¹ 

Zechariah 1:12

1:12 The angel of the Lord then asked, “Lord who rules over all, ¹²  how long before you have compassion on Jerusalem ¹³  and the other cities of Judah which you have been so angry with for these seventy years?” ¹⁴ 

¹ sn These two formulaic prayers were offered by Moses at the beginning and at the end of the journeys. They prayed for the Lord to fight ahead of the nation when it was on the move, and to protect them when they camped. The theme of the first is found in Ps 68:1. The prayers reflect the true mentality of holy war, that it was the Lord who fought for Israel and defended her. The prayers have been included in the prayer book for synagogue services.

² sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies.

³ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

⁴ sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.

⁵ tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.

⁶ tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.

⁷ tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).

⁸ tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).

⁹ tn Heb “O God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also vv. 4, 7 for a similar construction.

¹⁰ tn Heb “Return, O Lord! How long?”

¹¹ tn Elsewhere the Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) + the preposition עַל (’al) + a personal object has the nuance “be comforted concerning [the personal object’s death]” (see 2 Sam 13:39; Jer 31:15). However, here the context seems to demand “feel sorrow for,” “have pity on.” In Deut 32:36 and Ps 135:14, where “servants” is also the object of the preposition, this idea is expressed with the Hitpael form of the verb.

¹² sn Note that here the angel of the Lord is clearly distinct from the Lord who rules over all himself.

¹³ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹⁴ sn The seventy years refers to the predicted period of Babylonian exile, a period with flexible beginning and ending points depending on the particular circumstances in view (cf. Jer 25:1; 28:1; 29:10; Dan 9:2). Here the end of the seventy years appears to be marked by the completion of the temple in 516 b.c., exactly seventy years after its destruction in 586.