Psalms 44:10-14

44:10 You made us retreat ¹  from the enemy.

Those who hate us take whatever they want from us. ² 

44:11 You handed us ³  over like sheep to be eaten;

you scattered us among the nations.

44:12 You sold ⁴  your people for a pittance; ⁵ 

you did not ask a high price for them. ⁶ 

44:13 You made us ⁷  an object of disdain to our neighbors;

those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. ⁸ 

44:14 You made us ⁹  an object of ridicule ¹⁰  among the nations;

foreigners treat us with contempt. ¹¹ 

Psalms 74:10

74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?

Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

Psalms 74:18-23

74:18 Remember how ¹²  the enemy hurls insults, O Lord, ¹³ 

and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!

74:19 Do not hand the life of your dove ¹⁴  over to a wild animal!

Do not continue to disregard ¹⁵  the lives of your oppressed people!

74:20 Remember your covenant promises, ¹⁶ 

for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules. ¹⁷ 

74:21 Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame!

Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! ¹⁸ 

74:22 Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! ¹⁹ 

Remember how fools insult you all day long! ²⁰ 

74:23 Do not disregard ²¹  what your enemies say, ²² 

or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you. ²³ 

Psalms 79:4

79:4 We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors;

those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. ²⁴ 

Psalms 89:41

89:41 All who pass by ²⁵  have robbed him;

he has become an object of disdain to his neighbors.

Psalms 89:51

89:51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;

they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps. ²⁶ 

Ezekiel 36:4-7

36:4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the sovereign Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys, and to the desolate ruins and the abandoned cities that have become prey and an object of derision to the rest of the nations round about – 36:5 therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Surely I have spoken in the fire of my zeal against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who with great joy and utter contempt have made my land their property and prey, because of its pasture.’

36:6 “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I have spoken in my zeal and in my anger, because you have endured the insults of the nations. 36:7 So this is what the sovereign Lord says: I vow ²⁷  that the nations around you will endure insults as well.

[44:10]  ¹ tn Heb “you caused us to turn backward.”

[44:10]  ² tn Heb “plunder for themselves.” The prepositional phrase לָמוֹ (lamo, “for themselves”) here has the nuance “at their will” or “as they please” (see Ps 80:6).

[44:11]  ³ tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:12]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “for what is not wealth.”

[44:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “you did not multiply their purchase prices.”

[44:13]  ⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.”

[44:14]  ⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a proverb,” or “[the subject of] a mocking song.”

[44:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a shaking of the head among the peoples.” Shaking the head was a derisive gesture (see Jer 18:16; Lam 2:15).

[74:18]  ¹² tn Heb “remember this.”

[74:18]  ¹³ tn Or “[how] the enemy insults the Lord.”

[74:19]  ¹⁴ sn Your dove. The psalmist compares weak and vulnerable Israel to a helpless dove.

[74:19]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “do not forget forever.”

[74:20]  ¹⁶ tc Heb “look at the covenant.” The LXX reads “your covenant,” which seems to assume a second person pronominal suffix. The suffix may have been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word (כִּי) begins with kaf (כ).

[74:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “for the dark places of the earth are full of dwelling places of violence.” The “dark regions” are probably the lands where the people have been exiled (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:157). In some contexts “dark regions” refers to Sheol (Ps 88:6) or to hiding places likened to Sheol (Ps 143:3; Lam 3:6).

[74:21]  ¹⁸ sn Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! The statement is metonymic. The point is this: May the oppressed be delivered from their enemies! Then they will have ample reason to praise God’s name.

[74:22]  ¹⁹ tn Or “defend your cause.”

[74:22]  ²⁰ tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”

[74:23]  ²¹ tn Or “forget.”

[74:23]  ²² tn Heb “the voice of your enemies.”

[74:23]  ²³ tn Heb “the roar of those who rise up against you, which ascends continually.”

[79:4]  ²⁴ tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.” See Ps 44:13.

[89:41]  ²⁵ tn Heb “all the passersby on the road.”

[89:51]  ²⁶ tn Heb “[by] which your enemies, O Lord, taunt, [by] which they taunt [at] the heels of your anointed one.”

[36:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”