Psalms 89:1

Psalm 89 ¹ 

A well-written song ²  by Ethan the Ezrachite.

89:1 I will sing continually ³  about the Lord’s faithful deeds;

to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness. ⁴ 

Psalms 10:1

Psalm 10 ⁵ 

10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? ⁶ 

Genesis 47:9

47:9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All ⁷  the years of my travels ⁸  are 130. All ⁹  the years of my life have been few and painful; ¹⁰  the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.” ¹¹ 

Hebrews 11:13-16

11:13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, ¹²  but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners ¹³  on the earth. 11:14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 11:15 In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 11:16 But as it is, ¹⁴  they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

¹ sn Psalm 89. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign creator of the world. He recalls God’s covenant with David, but then laments that the promises of the covenant remain unrealized. The covenant promised the Davidic king military victories, but the king has now been subjected to humiliating defeat.

² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 88.

³ tn Or “forever.”

⁴ tn Heb “to a generation and a generation I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.”

⁵ sn Psalm 10. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm. Taken in isolation, Psalm 10 is a petition for help in which the psalmist urges the Lord to deliver him from his dangerous enemies, whom he describes in vivid and terrifying detail. The psalmist concludes with confidence; he is certain that God’s justice will prevail.

⁶ tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The Hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם Hiph and HALOT 835 s.v. I עלם hif) or emend the form to a Niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note c; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

⁷ tn Heb “the days of.”

⁸ tn Heb “sojournings.” Jacob uses a term that depicts him as one who has lived an unsettled life, temporarily residing in many different places.

⁹ tn Heb “the days of.”

¹⁰ tn The Hebrew word רַע (ra’) can sometimes mean “evil,” but that would give the wrong connotation here, where it refers to pain, difficulty, and sorrow. Jacob is thinking back through all the troubles he had to endure to get to this point.

¹¹ tn Heb “and they have not reached the days of the years of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.”

¹² tn Grk “the promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.

¹³ tn Or “sojourners.”

¹⁴ tn Grk “now.”