78:59 God heard and was angry;
he completely rejected Israel.
78:60 He abandoned 1 the sanctuary at Shiloh,
the tent where he lived among men.
78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; 2
he gave the symbol of his splendor 3 into the hand of the enemy. 4
78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation. 5
78:63 Fire consumed their 6 young men,
and their 7 virgins remained unmarried. 8
78:64 Their 9 priests fell by the sword,
but their 10 widows did not weep. 11
78:65 But then the Lord awoke from his sleep; 12
he was like a warrior in a drunken rage. 13
1 tn Or “rejected.”
1 tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.
2 tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.
3 sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).
1 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
1 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
2 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
3 tn Heb “were not praised,” that is, in wedding songs. The young men died in masses, leaving no husbands for the young women.
1 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
2 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
3 sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.
1 tn Heb “and the master awoke like one sleeping.” The
2 tn Heb “like a warrior overcome with wine.” The Hebrew verb רוּן (run, “overcome”) occurs only here in the OT. The phrase “overcome with wine” could picture a drunken warrior controlled by his emotions and passions (as in the present translation), or it could refer to a warrior who awakes from a drunken stupor.