Psalms 44:1-8
1O God, we have clearly heard; ▼▼ Heb “with our ears we have heard.”
our ancestors ▼ have told us
what you did ▼
▼ Heb “the work you worked.”
in their days, in ancient times. ▼
2 You, by your power, ▼
▼ Heb “you, your hand.”
defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land; ▼ you crushed ▼
▼ The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Hiphil preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive) from רָעַע (ra’a’, “be evil; be bad”). If retained it apparently means, “you injured; harmed.” Some prefer to derive the verb from רָעַע (“break”; cf. NEB “breaking up the peoples”), in which case the form must be revocalized as Qal (since this verb is unattested in the Hiphil).
the people living there ▼▼ Or “peoples.”
and enabled our ancestors to occupy it. ▼▼ Heb “and you sent them out.” The translation assumes that the third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1), as in the preceding parallel line. See Ps 80:11, where Israel, likened to a vine, “spreads out” its tendrils to the west and east. Another option is to take the “peoples” as the referent of the pronoun and translate, “and you sent them away,” though this does not provide as tight a parallel with the corresponding line.
3 For they did not conquer ▼
▼ Or “take possession of.”
the land by their swords, and they did not prevail by their strength, ▼
▼ Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.
but rather by your power, ▼ strength ▼
▼ Heb “your arm.”
and good favor, ▼ for you were partial to ▼
▼ Or “favorable toward.”
them. 4 You are my ▼ king, O God!
Decree ▼
▼ The LXX assumes a participle here (מְצַוֶּה [metsavveh], “the one who commands/decrees”) which would stand in apposition to “my God.” It is possible that the MT, which has the imperative (צַוֵּה, tsavveh) form, has suffered haplography of the letter mem (ם). Note that the preceding word (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) ends in mem. Another option is that the MT is divided in the wrong place; perhaps one could move the final mem from אֱלֹהִים to the beginning of the next word and read מְצַוֶּה אֱלֹהָי (’elohay metsavveh, “[You are my king,] my God, the one who decrees”).
▼▼ Or “command.” This may be the Israelites’ petition prior to the battle. See the introductory note to the psalm.
Jacob’s ▼ deliverance! 5 By your power ▼
▼ Heb “by you.”
we will drive back ▼▼ Heb “gore” (like an ox). If this portion of the psalm contains the song of confidence/petition the Israelites recited prior to battle, then the imperfects here and in the next line may express their expectation of victory. Another option is that the imperfects function in an emphatic generalizing manner. In this case one might translate, “you [always] drive back…you [always] trample down.”
▼▼ The Hebrew verb translated “drive back” is literally “gore”; the imagery is that of a powerful wild ox that “gores” its enemies and tramples them underfoot.
our enemies; by your strength ▼ we will trample down ▼
▼ The image of the powerful wild ox continues; see the note on the phrase “drive back” in the preceding line.
our foes! ▼▼ Heb “those who rise up [against] us.”
6 For I do not trust in my bow,
and I do not prevail by my sword.
7 For you deliver ▼ us from our enemies;
you humiliate ▼ those who hate us.
8 In God I boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
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