Psalms 81:8-13

81:8 I said, ¹  ‘Listen, my people!

I will warn ²  you!

O Israel, if only you would obey me! ³ 

81:9 There must be ⁴  no other ⁵  god among you.

You must not worship a foreign god.

81:10 I am the Lord, your God,

the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide and I will fill it!’

81:11 But my people did not obey me; ⁶ 

Israel did not submit to me. ⁷ 

81:12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; ⁸ 

they did what seemed right to them. ⁹ 

81:13 If only my people would obey me! ¹⁰ 

If only Israel would keep my commands! ¹¹ 

[81:8]  ¹ tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Verses 8-10 appear to recall what the Lord commanded the generation of Israelites that experienced the events described in v. 7. Note the statement in v. 11, “my people did not listen to me.”

[81:8]  ² tn Or perhaps “command.”

[81:8]  ³ tn The Hebrew particle אִם (“if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (GKC 321 §109.b). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

[81:9]  ⁴ tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 9 have a modal function, expressing what is obligatory.

[81:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “different”; “illicit.”

[81:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “did not listen to my voice.”

[81:11]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew expression אָבָה לִי (’avah liy) means “submit to me” (see Deut 13:8).

[81:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “and I sent him away in the stubbornness of their heart.”

[81:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “they walked in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite (“walked”) or a customary imperfect (“were walking”).

[81:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “if only my people were listening to me.” The Hebrew particle לוּ (lu, “if not”) introduces a purely hypothetical or contrary to fact condition (see 2 Sam 18:12).

[81:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[and if only] Israel would walk in my ways.”