Psalms 74:8-9

74:8 They say to themselves, ¹ 

“We will oppress all of them.” ² 

They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land. ³ 

74:9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence; ⁴ 

there are no longer any prophets ⁵ 

and we have no one to tell us how long this will last. ⁶ 

Psalms 74:22-23

74:22 Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! ⁷ 

Remember how fools insult you all day long! ⁸ 

74:23 Do not disregard ⁹  what your enemies say, ¹⁰ 

or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you. ¹¹ 

[74:8]  ¹ tn Heb “in their heart.”

[74:8]  ² tc Heb “[?] altogether.” The Hebrew form נִינָם (ninam) is problematic. It could be understood as the noun נִין (nin, “offspring”) but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:159) emends יָחַד (yakhad, “altogether”) to יָחִיד (yakhid, “alone”) and translate “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a Qal imperfect first common plural from יָנָה (yanah, “to oppress”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the Hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the Hiphil נוֹנֵם (nonem, “we will oppress them”).

[74:8]  ³ tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”

[74:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).

[74:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”

[74:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “and [there is] not with us one who knows how long.”

[74:22]  ⁷ tn Or “defend your cause.”

[74:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”

[74:23]  ⁹ tn Or “forget.”

[74:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the voice of your enemies.”

[74:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the roar of those who rise up against you, which ascends continually.”