Psalms 77:9-10

77:9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has his anger stifled his compassion?”

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

that the sovereign One ¹  might become inactive. ² 

Isaiah 63:7-15

A Prayer for Divine Intervention

63:7 I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord,

of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds.

I will tell about all ³  the Lord did for us,

the many good things he did for the family of Israel, ⁴ 

because of ⁵  his compassion and great faithfulness.

63:8 He said, “Certainly they will be my people,

children who are not disloyal.” ⁶ 

He became their deliverer.

63:9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. ⁷ 

The messenger sent from his very presence ⁸  delivered them.

In his love and mercy he protected ⁹  them;

he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. ¹⁰ 

63:10 But they rebelled and offended ¹¹  his holy Spirit, ¹² 

so he turned into an enemy

and fought against them.

63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. ¹³ 

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

along with the shepherd of ¹⁴  his flock?

Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, ¹⁵ 

63:12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, ¹⁶ 

who divided the water before them,

gaining for himself a lasting reputation, ¹⁷ 

63:13 who led them through the deep water?

Like a horse running on flat land ¹⁸  they did not stumble.

63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, ¹⁹ 

so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.

In this way ²⁰  you guided your people,

gaining for yourself an honored reputation. ²¹ 

63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,

from your holy, majestic palace!

Where are your zeal ²²  and power?

Do not hold back your tender compassion! ²³ 

[77:10]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.

[63:7]  ³ tn Heb “according to all which.”

[63:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “greatness of goodness to the house of Israel which he did for them.”

[63:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “according to.”

[63:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “children [who] do not act deceitfully.” Here the verb refers to covenantal loyalty.

[63:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “in all their distress, there was distress to him” (reading לוֹ [lo] with the margin/Qere).

[63:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “the messenger [or “angel”] of his face”; NIV “the angel of his presence.”

[63:9]  ⁹ tn Or “redeemed” (KJV, NAB, NIV), or “delivered.”

[63:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all the days of antiquity”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “days of old.”

[63:10]  ¹¹ tn Or “grieved, hurt the feelings of.”

[63:10]  ¹² sn The phrase “holy Spirit” occurs in the OT only here (in v. 11 as well) and in Ps 51:11 (51:13 HT), where it is associated with the divine presence.

[63:11]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ sn See the note at v. 10.

[63:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “who caused to go at the right hand of Moses the arm of his splendor.”

[63:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “making for himself a lasting name.”

[63:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in the desert [or “steppe”].”

[63:14]  ¹⁹ tn The words “to graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[63:14]  ²⁰ tn Or “so” (KJV, ASV), or “thus” (NAB, NRSV).

[63:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “making for yourself a majestic name.”

[63:15]  ²² tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.

[63:15]  ²³ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.