Psalms 74–23
Psalm 74:1-23
Psa.74.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- משכיל: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- לאסף: VERB,qal,inf
- למה: ADV
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- זנחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעשן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אפך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- בצאן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרעיתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2ms
Parallels
- Psalm 13:1 (verbal): Both open with a cry of abandonment—'How long, O LORD? Will you forget me/ us forever?'—expressing the same complaint of divine forsaking.
- Psalm 44:23-24 (verbal): A communal lament that pleads 'Awake...Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever,' echoing the plea in 74:1 against permanent rejection.
- Lamentations 5:20 (verbal): 'Why dost thou forget us for ever?' repeats the same language and theme of God’s apparent, enduring abandonment of his people.
- Ezekiel 34:11-16 (thematic): Uses shepherd/sheep imagery and God's responsibility for his flock—paralleling 74:1's reference to 'the sheep of your pasture' and the theme of divine care/abandonment.
Alternative generated candidates
- A Maskil of Asaph. O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
- A maskil of Asaph. O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
Psa.74.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- זכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עדתך: NOUN,f,sg,construct+2ms
- קנית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- גאלת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- שבט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נחלתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,m
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- שכנת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:9 (verbal): Speaks of Israel as the LORD's portion/heritage (נחלה), paralleling 'שבט נחלתך' — God’s people as his allotted inheritance.
- Psalm 132:13-14 (verbal): Declares that the LORD has chosen Zion as his dwelling place — directly parallels 'הר־ציון זה שכנת בו' (Mount Zion where you dwell).
- Isaiah 43:1 (thematic): God's language of redemption and possession ('I have redeemed you… you are mine') echoes 'קנית קדם גאלת' — God’s past purchase and redemption of his people.
- Titus 2:14 (thematic): New Testament formulation: Christ 'gave himself… to purify for himself a people for his own possession,' echoing the idea of a redeemed people as God's inheritance.
Alternative generated candidates
- Remember your congregation, which you purchased long ago; you redeemed the tribe that is your heritage—this Mount Zion, where you dwell.
- Remember your congregation, which you purchased long ago— the tribe you redeemed as your inheritance; remember Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
Psa.74.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הרימה: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- פעמיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- למשאות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נצח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- הרע: ADJ,m,sg,def
- אויב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בקדש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 79:1-3 (thematic): Describes nations invading God’s inheritance and defiling the sanctuary—same theme of enemy desecration and ruin of the holy place.
- Lamentations 2:6-8 (verbal): Speaks of the Lord giving up his sanctuary to contempt and the city and temple laid waste—language and image closely parallel the temple’s destruction.
- Isaiah 64:10-11 (thematic): Zion and the holy cities are described as a wilderness and the holy house as burned—echoes the desolation of the sanctuary in Psalm 74:3.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17-19 (structural): Historical account of Babylonian forces burning the temple and carrying the people away—provides the historical setting behind complaints about the sanctuary’s destruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- Turn your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has damaged everything in your sanctuary.
- Lift up your feet to the perpetual ruins; every enemy has broken down the sanctuary.
Psa.74.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שאגו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- צרריך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+2fs
- בקרב: PREP
- מועדך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2fs
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- אותתם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3mp
- אתות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 79:1-4 (thematic): A communal lament over enemies profaning the sanctuary and desolating Israel; echoes the complaint that foes have entered and sought to destroy God’s meeting-place.
- Lamentations 2:6-7 (verbal): Describes the Lord’s sanctuary being profaned and the place of meeting laid waste—language and theme closely parallel the invasion and desecration in Ps 74:4.
- 2 Chronicles 36:18-19 (structural): Historical account of Babylonian forces burning the temple and breaking down Jerusalem’s walls—concrete historical parallel to enemies occupying and ravaging the sacred space.
- 1 Samuel 4:10-11 (allusion): Philistine victory resulting in the capture of the Ark and its placement in a foreign temple; an earlier instance of enemies triumphing over Israel’s holy place.
- Ezekiel 10:18-19 (thematic): The departure of the divine glory from the temple because of abominations—theological parallel to the loss/defilement of the meeting-place when enemies invade.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your foes roar in the midst of your meeting place; they raise their banners as signs.
- Your adversaries roar in the midst of your appointed meeting; they set up their banners as signs.
Psa.74.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- יודע: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- כמביא: PREP+VERB,hiph,part,0,m,sg
- למעלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בסבך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קרדמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 79:1-10 (thematic): A communal lament over foreign invasion and desecration of the sanctuary/city; parallels Ps 74's complaint about enemies who profane and destroy God's house.
- Lamentations 2:6-8 (structural): Depicts the downfall and profaning of the sanctuary and city—same structural theme of temple destruction and humiliation found in Psalm 74.
- Isaiah 10:33-34 (verbal): Uses imagery of felling trees and cutting down Lebanon; echoes the wood/ax/thicket imagery of violent cutting or destruction present in Ps 74:5.
- Ezekiel 31:8-12 (thematic): Speaks of great trees (cedars) being cut down and ruined; parallels the motif of powerful, sudden destruction of once-protected wood/trees applied to nations or sanctuaries.
- Zechariah 11:2-3 (allusion): Calls for doors to be opened so fire may devour the cedars of Lebanon—uses forest/cedar destruction imagery that echoes the violent woodcutting/thicket motif in Ps 74:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- It seemed to them like one who lifts an axe in a dense wood.
- They plot as men who raise axes among the thick trees of the forest.
Psa.74.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- פתוחיה: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יחד: ADV
- בכשיל: PREP
- וכילפת: CONJ
- יהלמון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 25:9 (structural): Describes the Babylonian destruction of the house of the Lord and the breaking down of Jerusalem’s structures—narrative parallel to enemies’ violent dismantling of the sanctuary’s work in Ps 74:6.
- 2 Chronicles 36:19 (thematic): Reports the burning of the house of God and the carrying off of its vessels; parallels the desecration and physical destruction of the sanctuary described in Ps 74:6.
- Lamentations 2:7 (thematic): Laments that the Lord has set Zion’s sanctuary on fire and treated it as a ruin—the same theme of the sanctuary’s profanation and devastation found in Ps 74:6.
- Ezekiel 6:6 (verbal): Speaks of altars and incense‑altars being desolate and broken—a close verbal parallel in imagery of sacred objects and structures being smashed, as in Ps 74:6.
- Psalm 79:1–3 (thematic): Laments foreign nations invading God’s inheritance, defiling the temple, and leaving Jerusalem a ruin—thematically parallel to the enemies’ destruction of the sanctuary’s carved work in Ps 74:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now together they break down all its carved work with axes and hammers.
- Now their mouths are opened together; with a single crash they have felled the carved work.
Psa.74.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שלחו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- באש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מקדשך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,sg
- לארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חללו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משכן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 79:1 (verbal): Uses similar language of nations defiling the holy place and trampling God’s sanctuary—verbal/thematic echo of the sanctuary being profaned.
- 2 Kings 25:9–10 (structural): Describes the Babylonian burning of the temple and breaking of Jerusalem’s walls—the historical event behind the lament over the sanctuary’s destruction.
- 2 Chronicles 36:19 (verbal): Chronicles explicitly records that they burned the house of God and tore down the walls, repeating the image of the sanctuary set afire and desecrated.
- Lamentations 2:6 (thematic): Speaks of the Lord kindling a fire against Zion and laying waste the sanctuary—shares the theme of temple destruction and desecration lamented in Psalm 74:7.
- Ezekiel 10:18–19 (allusion): Describes the departure of the Lord’s glory from the temple prior to destruction; thematically related to the profaning and loss of God’s dwelling place in Psalm 74:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name and leveled it to the ground.
- They sent your sanctuary ablaze to the ground; they profaned the dwelling place of your name.
Psa.74.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בלבם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,pl
- נינם: PART
- יחד: ADV
- שרפו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- מועדי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- אל: NEG
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- 2 Kings 25:9 (verbal): Describes the burning of the house of the Lord and destruction of Jerusalem—the historical event echoed by the psalm’s report that God’s meeting-places were burned.
- 2 Chronicles 36:19 (verbal): Parallel account of the temple and city being burned and razed by the enemy, matching the psalm’s language about sanctuaries being burned and profaned.
- Psalm 79:1 (thematic): A lamentsimilar to Psalm 74: nations have entered God’s inheritance and defiled the sanctuary; both psalms mourn foreign devastation of holy places.
- Lamentations 2:6–7 (thematic): Speaks of the Lord allowing the sanctuary and appointed festivals to be taken away and the holy place ruined—echoing the theme of sacred sites destroyed and profaned.
- Isaiah 64:10 (thematic): Depicts Zion and the holy cities as desolate and laid waste, resonating with Psalm 74:8’s picture of God’s meeting-places burned and abandoned.
Alternative generated candidates
- They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy them altogether”; they burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
- They said in their hearts, “Let us sweep them away altogether”; they kindled a fire against all the meeting-places of God in the land.
Psa.74.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אותתינו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+1,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- ראינו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,pl
- אין: PART,neg
- עוד: ADV
- נביא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- אתנו: PRON,1,pl
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- מה: PRON,int
Parallels
- 1 Samuel 3:1 (verbal): ‘The word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision’ closely parallels Psalm 74:9’s complaint that there are no prophets/signs and divine revelation is scarce.
- 1 Samuel 28:6 (verbal): Saul’s report that the LORD did not answer him ‘by dreams or by Urim or by prophets’ echoes Psalm 74:9’s theme of prophetic silence and the absence of signs.
- Psalm 44:23-24 (thematic): Both passages lament God’s apparent hiddenness and failure to show saving signs, pleading for God not to forget or reject his people.
- Psalm 77:7-9 (thematic): Like Psalm 74:9, this psalm struggles with divine silence and asks how long God will withhold his presence and wonders from the people.
- Habakkuk 1:2 (thematic): ‘How long, O LORD, must I cry for help?’ expresses the same anguished question about the duration of God’s absence and apparent non-intervention found in Psalm 74:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
- We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
Psa.74.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- עד: PREP
- מתי: ADV,int
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יחרף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- צר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ינאץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אויב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
- לנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 74:22-23 (structural): Same psalm; the prayer continues by calling God to arise, remember the reproach suffered and vindicate his name against the enemy—direct continuation of the complaint in v.10.
- Psalm 79:9-10 (thematic): Another communal lament that cries 'How long?' and complains that the nations reproach/ask where God's presence is—parallels the enemy's blaspheming of God's name and the plea for vindication.
- Psalm 13:1 (verbal): Uses the identical opening lament 'How long, O LORD?' to express a sense of prolonged suffering and divine hiddenness—the same rhetorical motif of urgent complaint.
- Habakkuk 1:2-4 (thematic): Prophetic lament beginning 'How long, O LORD?' accusing God of silence while wickedness prospers—parallel in tone, structure, and complaint about enemy injustice.
- Psalm 44:13-17 (thematic): Speaks of being made a byword and a reproach among the nations and of neighbors' mockery—parallels the theme of enemies reproaching and dishonoring God's people and name.
Alternative generated candidates
- How long, O God, shall the adversary revile? Will the enemy insult your name forever?
- How long, O God, will the adversary scoff? Will the enemy reproach your name forever?
Psa.74.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- למה: ADV
- תשיב: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- ידך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,f,sg
- וימינך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:2,ms
- מקרב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חיקך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כלה: ADV
Parallels
- Psalm 10:1 (thematic): Both verses lament God's apparent distance in time of trouble—asking why the LORD stands far off or withdraws his hand and presence.
- Psalm 44:24 (verbal): Uses similar language of God's hidden face and seeming forgetfulness; a direct lament over God's withdrawal from his people.
- Psalm 77:9 (thematic): Expresses the same crisis of faith—questioning whether God has forgotten to be gracious or has ceased to act on behalf of the afflicted.
- Psalm 102:2 (verbal): A personal plea not to have God's face hidden in a day of trouble, echoing the petition against divine withdrawal found in Ps 74:11.
- Habakkuk 1:2 (thematic): The prophet's 'How long?' and complaint that God does not answer parallels the complaint about God's withheld hand and seeming nonintervention.
Alternative generated candidates
- Why do you withhold your hand, your mighty right hand? From within your bosom—withdraw it not; go forth and redeem.
- Why do you withdraw your hand, O God? Why hide your right hand within your bosom?
Psa.74.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ואלהים: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכי: NOUN,pl,m,cons
- מקדם: PREP
- פעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ישועות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בקרב: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Psalm 47:7-8 (thematic): Affirms God’s kingship over the whole earth and the nations—parallels Ps 74:12’s declaration that God is king (from of old) ruling over the earth.
- Psalm 93:1 (structural): Declares the LORD’s eternal reign and the stability of his rule (‘from everlasting’), echoing the idea of God as king ‘from of old’ in Ps 74:12.
- Psalm 98:2 (verbal): Speaks of the LORD making known his salvation on earth; closely parallels Ps 74:12’s language of God ‘working salvation in the midst of the earth.’
- Isaiah 45:22-23 (thematic): Proclaims God’s universal sovereignty and summons all nations to acknowledge him— connects with Ps 74:12’s theme of divine kingship and salvific activity over the whole earth.
Alternative generated candidates
- Yet God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
- Yet God is my King from of old; he works salvation in the midst of the earth.
Psa.74.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- פוררת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בעזך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,sg
- ים: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- שברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ראשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- תנינים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- המים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Exodus 15:8–10 (structural): The Song of the Sea celebrates God overturning the waters and destroying the enemy in the sea—parallel imagery of God’s triumph over hostile waters/forces.
- Job 26:12–13 (verbal): Speaks of God’s power over the sea and striking Rahab (a mythic sea-monster), using language close to Psalm 74’s claim of breaking sea‑monsters’ heads.
- Isaiah 27:1 (allusion): Prophesies the Lord’s punishment of Leviathan, the fleeing twisting serpent—an explicit Old Testament motif of God defeating a sea‑monster like the tannīn of Psalm 74:13.
- Psalm 104:6–9 (thematic): Describes God covering and setting boundaries for the waters, portraying divine control over the sea consistent with the victory language in Ps.74:13.
- Isaiah 51:9–10 (verbal): Calls on God to awake as in former deeds when he cut Rahab and pierced the dragon—echoes the motif of God’s past triumphs over chaotic sea‑creatures referenced in Psalm 74:13.
Alternative generated candidates
- You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea‑monsters on the waters.
- You divided the sea by your might; you crushed the heads of the sea monsters on the waters.
Psa.74.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- רצצת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ראשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- לויתן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תתננו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מאכל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לעם: PREP
- לציים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Job 41 (verbal): A lengthy description of Leviathan as a powerful sea monster; like Ps 74:14, Job treats Leviathan as a creature whose power is known and who is subject to God's control.
- Isaiah 27:1 (allusion): Speaks of the LORD punishing and slaying Leviathan, the twisting serpent—language and theme closely parallel Ps 74:14's image of God crushing the monster's head.
- Psalm 104:26 (verbal): Mentions Leviathan as a creature formed by God ("which you formed to play in it"); complements Ps 74:14's portrayal of Leviathan as a created being over whom God has sovereignty.
- Genesis 1:21 (thematic): On the creation of the great sea creatures — establishes the broader creation motif that God made and rules the sea monsters, a background for Ps 74:14's subjugation imagery.
- Isaiah 51:9-10 (allusion): Calls God to recall his former deeds in defeating Rahab/the sea monster and drying the sea—uses the same mythic sea-monster motif of chaotic forces conquered by God, resonant with Ps 74:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food to the people of the desert.
- You crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave him as food to the people of the desert.
Psa.74.15 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- בקעת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- מעין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונחל: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- הובשת: VERB,hiphil,perf,2,m,sg
- נהרות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- איתן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 78:15-16 (verbal): Describes God splitting the rocks and bringing forth streams—'He split the rocks in the wilderness... He brought streams out of the rock'—a close verbal and thematic parallel to opening springs and rivers.
- Psalm 114:8 (verbal): Speaks of God turning rock into a pool and flint into a spring—similar image of God producing springs from rock (rock → water).
- Exodus 17:6 (thematic): God (through Moses) provides water by striking the rock in the wilderness—the theme of divine provision by opening a spring from rock echoes Ps 74:15.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (thematic): The parting/drying of the sea—'the waters were divided' and the sea made dry—parallels the motif of God controlling and drying up mighty waters.
- Isaiah 41:17-18 (allusion): God promises to open rivers and fountains in the desert and make springs of water—closely parallels the imagery of God splitting springs and providing water.
Alternative generated candidates
- You cleft springs and brooks; you dried up ever‑flowing streams.
- You cleaved open springs and torrents; you dried up mighty rivers.
Psa.74.16 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אף: ADV
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- הכינות: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- מאור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושמש: CONJ
Parallels
- Genesis 1:16 (verbal): Both passages describe God's act of creating/appointing the heavenly lights (sun and moon) to give light, paralleling Psalm 74:16's attribution of day and night and the making of light and the sun.
- Psalm 136:7-9 (thematic): A liturgical recounting that praises God for making the great lights—'the sun to rule by day'—echoing Psalm 74:16's emphasis on God's sovereignty over sun and light.
- Job 38:12-15 (thematic): God's rhetorical questions about commanding the morning and causing the light to rise highlight divine control over day and light, thematically paralleling the psalm's claim that day, night, and lights are God's ordination.
- Jeremiah 31:35 (allusion): Declares that the LORD 'gives the sun for light by day' and sets the order of moon and stars—an explicit theological assertion about God's rule over day/night that resonates with Psalm 74:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- Yours is the day, and yours also the night; you established the heavenly lights and the sun.
- Yours is the day and yours also the night; you have established light and sun.
Psa.74.17 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- הצבת: VERB,hiphil,perf,2,m,sg
- כל: DET
- גבולות: NOUN,m,pl,const
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קיץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחרף: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- יצרתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 1:14-15 (thematic): God establishes the heavenly lights to mark times and seasons—parallels Psalm’s statement that God ordained the seasons (summer and winter) as part of cosmic order.
- Psalm 104:19 (verbal): Explicitly says God made the moon for the seasons and the sun to know its setting, closely echoing Psalm 74’s attribution of seasonal ordering to God.
- Job 38:12-15 (thematic): God challenges Job about commanding the dawn and laying hold of the ends of the earth—parallel imagery of God fixing the limits/boundaries of the earth and ordering day/night and seasons.
- Jeremiah 31:35-36 (verbal): Speaks of the Lord as the establisher of the ordinances of sun and moon and warns that if these laws cease then Israel’s covenant would fail—connects God’s control of celestial order with the stability of the world and seasons.
- Job 26:10 (verbal): Describes God inscribing a circle on the waters as a boundary between light and darkness—uses boundary imagery like Psalm 74’s claim that God set the earth’s limits.
Alternative generated candidates
- You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter.
- You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.
Psa.74.18 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- זכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- אויב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חרף: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ועם: CONJ+PREP
- נבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נאצו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 52:5 (verbal): Speaks of God’s name being continually blasphemed among the nations—language closely parallel to the psalm’s complaint that a people have mocked/blasphemed God’s name.
- Ezekiel 36:20-23 (thematic): Describes the profanation of God’s holy name among the nations because of Israel’s exile and announces God’s intention to vindicate his name—same theme of enemies and peoples reproaching God.
- Psalm 44:13-17 (thematic): Lament over becoming a byword and object of mockery to surrounding peoples; parallels the psalmist’s plea remembering how enemies and a foolish people have reproached God.
- Psalm 79:10 (thematic): Laments foreign nations’ desecration and asks why nations taunt ‘Where is their God?’ — echoes the theme of reproach and the dishonoring of God’s name.
- Romans 2:24 (verbal): Paul charges that the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of believers’ conduct—echoes the psalm’s concern that God’s name is reproached by a people.
Alternative generated candidates
- Remember this, O LORD, that the enemy has reviled; a foolish people has spurned your name.
- Remember this—an enemy has reproached the LORD, and a senseless people has blasphemed your name.
Psa.74.19 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תתן: VERB,qal,imprf,2,_,sg
- לחית: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נפש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תורך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2m
- חית: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- ענייך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2m
- אל: NEG
- תשכח: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 22:21 (verbal): Appeals for deliverance from predators — "Save me from the lion's mouth... from the power of the dog" — similar imagery to not handing the life of your dove to wild beasts.
- Psalm 35:17 (verbal): A personal plea for rescue: "Lord, how long... rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions," echoing the request that the vulnerable not be given over to beasts.
- Psalm 9:18 (thematic): Declares that the needy will not be forgotten and the hope of the poor will not perish forever, echoing the Psalm 74 plea, "do not forget the afflicted forever."
- Psalm 10:18 (thematic): Petition for God to vindicate the fatherless and the oppressed — a wider legal/ethical parallel to the plea that God preserve and not abandon the vulnerable.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not give the life of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted forever.
- Do not give the life of your poor to the beasts; forget not the lives of your afflicted forever.
Psa.74.20 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הבט: VERB,piel,impv,2,m,sg
- לברית: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- מלאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מחשכי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נאות: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- חמס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 74:19 (structural): Immediate context: the plea not to forget the afflicted in v.19 flows into v.20’s appeal to remember the covenant as the land lies in darkness and violence.
- Exodus 24:8 (allusion): Moses’ ratification of the Sinai covenant (‘Behold the blood of the covenant’) is the foundational covenantal reference implicit in the psalmist’s plea to ‘look to the covenant.’
- Psalm 10:8-10 (verbal): Describes evildoers lying in ambush and murdering in hiding places—language and imagery parallel the ‘dark places’ and ‘haunts of violence’ of Ps.74:20.
- Isaiah 59:9-10 (thematic): Speaks of a land lacking justice, shrouded in darkness and groping like the blind—thematically echoes the psalm’s lament over pervasive violence and darkness.
- Psalm 106:45 (thematic): Speaks of God remembering his covenant and relenting for the sake of his steadfast love—connects the psalmist’s appeal to God’s covenant faithfulness as a basis for rescue from violence.
Alternative generated candidates
- Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
- Consider the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are full of the dwellings of violence.
Psa.74.21 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- ישב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- דך: ADJ,m,sg
- נכלם: VERB,niphal,perf,3,ms,sg
- עני: ADJ,m,sg
- ואביון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהללו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Ps.9:18 (thematic): Both affirm God’s concern for the needy and the afflicted and insist that their hope/praise not be extinguished (God will not forget the poor).
- Ps.72:12-14 (verbal): Describes the king’s (or God’s) rescue of the needy and poor and the resulting blessing/praise—paralleling the petition that the poor not be put to shame but laud God’s name.
- Ps.113:7-9 (thematic): Speaks of God raising the poor from the dust and exalting the needy so they may share in God’s favor—echoing the theme that the lowly should be restored and praise God.
- Isa.61:1-3 (allusion): Promises good news to the poor and comfort to the brokenhearted, reversing shame into honor—a prophetic background for pleading that the poor praise God rather than be ashamed.
- Luke 1:52-53 (allusion): Mary’s Magnificat echoes Israelite themes of God lifting up the humble and filling the hungry, reflecting the same concern that the lowly be exalted and praise God’s name.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not let the oppressed turn back ashamed; let the poor and needy praise your name.
- Do not let the poor and needy turn back ashamed; let the afflicted and needy praise your name.
Psa.74.22 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- קומה: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ריבה: VERB,piel,imp,2,m,sg
- ריבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- זכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חרפתך: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- נבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Psalm 35:1 (verbal): Uses the same verb of contest/contend (רִיב) — a direct plea for the LORD to 'contend' with the psalmist's enemies, paralleling 'Arise, O God, contend'.
- Psalm 7:6 (verbal): Begins with 'Arise, O LORD' (קוּם) and calls God to take up judgment against enemies — a close verbal and functional parallel plea for divine action.
- Psalm 44:23-26 (thematic): A communal lament that calls on God to 'awake' and 'rise' on behalf of his afflicted people and to remember reproach and suffering — similar structure and theme of asking God to vindicate his cause.
- Psalm 79:8-10 (thematic): Another national lament asking God to act against nations that have disgraced him and to redeem/remember his people for his name's sake — parallels the communal appeal to reverse 'reproach' and punish foes.
Alternative generated candidates
- Arise, O God; defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all day long.
- Arise, O God, contend your cause; remember the reproach that the senseless people heap on you all day long.
Psa.74.23 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תשכח: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צרריך: NOUN,m,pl,poss2ms
- שאון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קמיך: NOUN,m,sg,poss2ms
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- תמיד: ADV
Parallels
- Ps.74:18 (verbal): Same psalmic context: both verses plead that God remember the enemy's taunts and reviling of God's name—closely related language and petition.
- Ps.83:2-5 (thematic): A communal plea against conspiring enemies: calls on God not to be silent while foes plot and rise up—parallels the concern over the continual tumult of adversaries.
- Jer.20:10 (verbal): Speaks of hearing many whispering and plotting terror on every side; echoes the imagery of enemies' voices and hostile agitation surrounding the speaker.
- Ps.94:3-4 (thematic): Describes the wicked crushing God's people and boasting in their actions—similar theme of aggressive enemies whose uproar and oppression provoke a plea to God.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not forget the clamour of your foes—the uproar of those who rise against you—which goes up continually.
- Do not forget the sound of your enemies; the tumult of those who rise up against you goes up continually.
A Maskil of Asaph. Why, God, have you rejected us forever? Will your anger smolder against the flock of your pasture?
Remember your congregation, which you redeemed long ago; you purchased the tribe of your inheritance—this Mount Zion where you dwelt.
Lift up your feet to the perpetual desolations; every enemy has ravaged the sanctuary.
Your foes roar in the midst of your meeting place; they have set up their emblems as signs.
They reckon it like one who lifts an axe among a thicket of trees. Now they break down its doors together; with axes and hatchets they hew at its bolts.
They cast fire into your sanctuary; they profaned the dwelling-place of your name and brought it low to the ground.
They said in their heart, “Let us destroy them all together”; they burned up all the appointed places of God in the land.
We do not see our signs; there is no longer a prophet—there is none among us who knows how long.
How long, God, will the foe reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
Why do you withdraw your hand—your right hand—from within your bosom? Turn it out; consume them!
Yet God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
You cleaved the sea by your might; you shattered the heads of the sea-monsters upon the waters.
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.
You opened springs and torrents; you dried up the mighty rivers.
Yours is the day, and yours also the night; you established light and the sun.
You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter.
Remember this, LORD: the enemy has taunted— a senseless people has blasphemed your name.
Do not give the life of your dove to the beasts; do not forget forever the lives of your afflicted.
Be mindful of the covenant, for the corners of the earth are full of the habitations of violence.
Do not let the oppressed turn back ashamed; let the poor and needy praise your name.
Arise, God; plead your cause—remember the reproach you have borne from the foolish all day long.
Do not forget the sound of your adversaries; the tumult of those who rise up against you goes on continually.