Discovery BoxPsalms 78:38
Context78:38 Yet he is compassionate.
He forgives sin and does not destroy.
He often holds back his anger,
and does not stir up his fury. 1
Psalms 78:1
ContextA well-written song 3 by Asaph.
78:1 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction!
Listen to the words I speak! 4
Psalms 13:1--14:7
ContextFor the music director; a psalm of David.
13:1 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me? 6
How long will you pay no attention to me? 7
and suffer in broad daylight? 9
How long will my enemy gloat over me? 10
13:3 Look at me! 11 Answer me, O Lord my God!
Revive me, 12 or else I will die! 13
13:4 Then 14 my enemy will say, “I have defeated him!”
Then 15 my foes will rejoice because I am upended.
13:5 But I 16 trust in your faithfulness.
May I rejoice because of your deliverance! 17
13:6 I will sing praises 18 to the Lord
when he vindicates me. 19
For the music director; by David.
14:1 Fools say to themselves, 21 “There is no God.” 22
They sin and commit evil deeds; 23
none of them does what is right. 24
14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven 25 at the human race, 26
to see if there is anyone who is wise 27 and seeks God. 28
they are all morally corrupt. 30
None of them does what is right, 31
not even one!
14:4 All those who behave wickedly 32 do not understand – 33
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to the Lord.
14:5 They are absolutely terrified, 34
for God defends the godly. 35
14:6 You want to humiliate the oppressed, 36
even though 37 the Lord is their 38 shelter.
14:7 I wish the deliverance 39 of Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the well-being of his people, 40
may Jacob rejoice, 41
may Israel be happy! 42
[78:38] 1 tn One could translate v. 38 in the past tense (“he was compassionate…forgave sin and did not destroy…held back his anger, and did not stir up his fury”), but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narrational summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for v. 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.
[78:1] 2 sn Psalm 78. The author of this lengthy didactic psalm rehearses Israel’s history. He praises God for his power, goodness and patience, but also reminds his audience that sin angers God and prompts his judgment. In the conclusion to the psalm the author elevates Jerusalem as God’s chosen city and David as his chosen king.
[78:1] 3 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 74.
[78:1] 4 tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”
[13:1] 3 sn Psalm 13. The psalmist, who is close to death, desperately pleads for God’s deliverance and affirms his trust in God’s faithfulness.
[13:1] 4 tn Heb “will you forget me continually.”
[13:1] 5 tn Heb “will you hide your face from me.”
[13:2] 4 tn Heb “How long will I put counsel in my being?”
[13:2] 5 tn Heb “[with] grief in my heart by day.”
[13:2] 6 tn Heb “be exalted over me.” Perhaps one could translate, “How long will my enemy defeat me?”
[13:3] 6 tn Heb “Give light [to] my eyes.” The Hiphil of אוּר (’ur), when used elsewhere with “eyes” as object, refers to the law of God giving moral enlightenment (Ps 19:8), to God the creator giving literal eyesight to all people (Prov 29:13), and to God giving encouragement to his people (Ezra 9:8). Here the psalmist pictures himself as being on the verge of death. His eyes are falling shut and, if God does not intervene soon, he will “fall asleep” for good.
[13:3] 7 tn Heb “or else I will sleep [in?] the death.” Perhaps the statement is elliptical, “I will sleep [the sleep] of death,” or “I will sleep [with the sleepers in] death.”
[13:5] 7 tn The grammatical construction used here (conjunction with independent pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s defeated condition envisioned in v. 4 and confident attitude he displays in v. 5.
[13:5] 8 tn Heb “may my heart rejoice in your deliverance.” The verb form is jussive. Having expressed his trust in God’s faithful character and promises, the psalmist prays that his confidence will prove to be well-placed. “Heart” is used here of the seat of the emotions.
[13:6] 8 tn The verb form is cohortative, indicating the psalmist’s resolve (or vow) to praise the
[13:6] 9 tn Or “for he will have vindicated me.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here. The idiom גָמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.
[14:1] 9 sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.
[14:1] 10 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
[14:1] 11 sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
[14:1] 12 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
[14:1] 13 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
[14:2] 10 sn The picture of the
[14:2] 11 tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”
[14:2] 12 tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.
[14:2] 13 sn Anyone who is wise and seeks God refers to the person who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.
[14:3] 11 tn Heb “everyone turns aside.”
[14:3] 12 tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”
[14:3] 13 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
[14:4] 12 tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8.
[14:4] 13 tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question (rendered in the translation as a positive affirmation) expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-7).
[14:5] 13 tn Heb “there they are afraid [with] fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that is this vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror.
[14:5] 14 tn Heb “for God is with a godly generation.” The Hebrew noun דּוֹר (dor, “generation”) refers here to the general class of people who are characterized by godliness. See BDB 190 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.
[14:6] 14 tn Heb “the counsel of the oppressed you put to shame.” Using a second person plural verb form, the psalmist addresses the wicked. Since the context indicates their attempt to harm the godly will be thwarted, the imperfect should be taken in a subjunctive (cf. NASB, NRSV) rather than an indicative manner (cf. NIV). Here it probably expresses their desire or intent (“want to humiliate”).
[14:6] 15 tn It is unlikely that כִּי (ki) has a causal force here. The translation assumes a concessive force; another option is to understand an asseverative use (“certainly, indeed”).
[14:6] 16 tn Heb “his.” The antecedent of the singular pronoun is the singular form עָנִי (’ani, “oppressed”) in the preceding line. The singular is collective or representative here (and thus translated as plural, “they”).
[14:7] 15 sn The deliverance of Israel. This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.
[14:7] 16 tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv).
[14:7] 17 tn The verb form is jussive.
[14:7] 18 tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.
