78:11 They forgot what he had done, 1
the amazing things he had shown them.
78:42 They did not remember what he had done, 2
how he delivered them from the enemy, 3
106:18 Fire burned their group;
the flames scorched the wicked. 4
106:21 They rejected 5 the God who delivered them,
the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,
12:1 So remember 6 your Creator in the days of your youth –
before 7 the difficult 8 days come,
and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;
2:32 Does a young woman forget to put on her jewels?
Does a bride forget to put on her bridal attire?
But my people have forgotten me
for more days than can even be counted.
1 tn Heb “his deeds.”
2 tn Heb “his hand,” symbolizing his saving activity and strength, as the next line makes clear.
3 tn Heb “[the] day [in] which he ransomed them from [the] enemy.”
4 sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
5 tn Heb “forgot.”
6 tn The imperative זְכֹר (zekhor, “Remember!”) is a figurative expression (metonymy of association) for obeying God and acknowledging his lordship over one’s life (e.g., Num 15:40; Deut 8:18; Pss 42:6-7; 63:6-8; 78:42; 103:18; 106:7; 119:52, 55; Jer 51:50; Ezek 20:43; Jonah 2:7; Mal 4:4). The exhortation to fear God and obey his commands in 12:13-14 spells out what it means to “remember” God.
7 tn The temporal adjective עַד (’ad, “before”) appears three times in 12:1-7 (vv. 1b, 2a, 6a). Likewise, the temporal preposition בְּ (bet, “when”) is repeated (vv. 3a, 4b). These seven verses comprise one long sentence in Hebrew: The main clause is 12:1a (“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth”), while 12:1b-7 consists of five subordinate temporal clauses (“before…before…when…when…before…”).
8 tn The adjective רָעָה (ra’ah, “evil”) does not refer here to ethical evil, but to physical difficulty, injury, pain, deprivation and suffering (e.g., Deut 31:17, 21; 32:23; 1 Sam 10:19; Neh 1:3; 2:17; Pss 34:20; 40:13; 88:4; 107:26; Eccl 11:10; Jer 2:27; Lam 3:38); see HALOT 1263 s.v. רָעָה 4.b; BDB 949 s.v. רָעָה 2.