Psalms 20:7

20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, ¹ 

but we ²  depend on ³  the Lord our God.

Psalms 77:10-20

77:10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought

that the sovereign One ⁴  might become inactive. ⁵ 

77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord.

Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago! ⁶ 

77:12 I will think about all you have done;

I will reflect upon your deeds!”

77:13 ⁷ O God, your deeds are extraordinary! ⁸ 

What god can compare to our great God? ⁹ 

77:14 You are the God who does amazing things;

you have revealed your strength among the nations.

77:15 You delivered ¹⁰  your people by your strength ¹¹  –

the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)

77:16 The waters ¹²  saw you, O God,

the waters saw you and trembled. ¹³ 

Yes, the depths of the sea ¹⁴  shook with fear. ¹⁵ 

77:17 The clouds poured down rain; ¹⁶ 

the skies thundered. ¹⁷ 

Yes, your arrows ¹⁸  flashed about.

77:18 Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind;

the lightning bolts lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook. ¹⁹ 

77:19 You walked through the sea; ²⁰ 

you passed through the surging waters, ²¹ 

but left no footprints. ²² 

77:20 You led your people like a flock of sheep,

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalms 143:5

143:5 I recall the old days; ²³ 

I meditate on all you have done;

I reflect on your accomplishments. ²⁴ 

Isaiah 51:12-13

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. ²⁵ 

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? ²⁶ 

51:13 Why do you forget ²⁷  the Lord, who made you,

who stretched out the sky ²⁸ 

and founded the earth?

Why do you constantly tremble all day long ²⁹ 

at the anger of the oppressor,

when he makes plans to destroy?

Where is the anger of the oppressor? ³⁰ 

Isaiah 63:11-13

63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. ³¹ 

Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,

along with the shepherd of ³²  his flock?

Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, ³³ 

63:12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, ³⁴ 

who divided the water before them,

gaining for himself a lasting reputation, ³⁵ 

63:13 who led them through the deep water?

Like a horse running on flat land ³⁶  they did not stumble.

[20:7]  ¹ tn Heb “these in chariots and these in horses.” No verb appears; perhaps the verb “invoke” is to be supplied from the following line. In this case the idea would be that some “invoke” (i.e., trust in) their military might for victory (cf. NEB “boast”; NIV “trust”; NRSV “take pride”). Verse 8 suggests that the “some/others” mentioned here are the nation’s enemies.

[20:7]  ² tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s faithful people and the others mentioned in the previous line.

[20:7]  ³ tn Heb “we invoke the name of.” The Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar), when combined with the phrase “in the name,” means “to invoke” (see Josh 23:7; Isa 48:1; Amos 6:10). By invoking the Lord’s name in prayer, the people demonstrate their trust in him.

[77:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[77:10]  ⁵ tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khallotiy) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khalotiy), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shÿnot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.

[77:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “yes, I will remember from old your wonders.”

[77:13]  ⁷ sn Verses 13-20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11-12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).

[77:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “O God, in holiness [is] your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.

[77:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “Who [is] a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”

[77:15]  ¹⁰ tn Or “redeemed.”

[77:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “with [your] arm.”

[77:16]  ¹² tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.

[77:16]  ¹³ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:16]  ¹⁴ tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[77:16]  ¹⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “water.”

[77:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”

[77:17]  ¹⁸ tn The lightning accompanying the storm is portrayed as the Lord’s “arrows” (see v. 18).

[77:18]  ¹⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:19]  ²⁰ tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”

[77:19]  ²¹ tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”

[77:19]  ²² tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”

[143:5]  ²³ tn Or “ancient times”; Heb “days from before.”

[143:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the work of your hands.”

[51:12]  ²⁵ tc The plural suffix should probably be emended to the second masculine singular (which is used in v. 13). The final mem (ם) is probably dittographic; note the mem at the beginning of the next word.

[51:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, and of the son of man who [as] grass is given up?” The feminine singular forms should probably be emended to the masculine singular (see v. 13). They have probably been influenced by the construction אַתְּ־הִיא (’at-hi’) in vv. 9-10.

[51:13]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and that you forget.”

[51:13]  ²⁸ tn Or “the heavens” (also in v. 16). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[51:13]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and that you tremble constantly all the day.”

[51:13]  ³⁰ tn The question anticipates the answer, “Ready to disappear!” See v. 14.

[63:11]  ³¹ tn Heb “and he remembered the days of antiquity, Moses, his people.” The syntax of the statement is unclear. The translation assumes that “his people” is the subject of the verb “remembered.” If original, “Moses” is in apposition to “the days of antiquity,” more precisely identifying the time period referred to. However, the syntactical awkwardness suggests that “Moses” may have been an early marginal note (perhaps identifying “the shepherd of his flock” two lines later) that has worked its way into the text.

[63:11]  ³² tn The Hebrew text has a plural form, which if retained and taken as a numerical plural, would probably refer to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite tribal leaders at the time of the Exodus. Most prefer to emend the form to the singular (רָעָה, ra’ah) and understand this as a reference just to Moses.

[63:11]  ³³ sn See the note at v. 10.

[63:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “who caused to go at the right hand of Moses the arm of his splendor.”

[63:12]  ³⁵ tn Heb “making for himself a lasting name.”

[63:13]  ³⁶ tn Heb “in the desert [or “steppe”].”