Psalms 77–20
Psalm 77:1-20
Psa.77.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- למנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- ידותון: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאסף: VERB,qal,inf
- מזמור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 39:1 (verbal): Shares the musical direction 'למנצח על־ידותון' (To the chief musician, to Jeduthun) in its superscription.
- Psalm 50:1 (structural): Also labeled 'מזמור לאסף' (A Psalm of Asaph), showing common authorship attribution in the psalm headings.
- Psalm 73:1 (structural): Begins with the same authorial superscription 'מזמור לאסף' (A Psalm of Asaph), linking it to the Asaph collection.
- Psalm 78:1 (structural): Another psalm headed 'מזמור לאסף' (A Psalm of Asaph), reflecting the corporate/collection identity of these psalms.
Alternative generated candidates
- To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of Asaph. A song.
- To the choirmaster: upon Jeduthun. A Maskil of Asaph. A song.
Psa.77.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- קולי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1
- אל: NEG
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואצעקה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- קולי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1
- אל: NEG
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והאזין: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 55:16-17 (verbal): Same wording and rhythm—'As for me, I will call upon God... evening, and morning, and at noon... he shall hear my voice'—expresses repeated crying to God and confidence that He hears.
- Psalm 18:6 (verbal): 'In my distress I called upon the LORD... he heard my voice'—a closely related verbal motif of crying out in distress and God’s hearing.
- Jonah 2:2 (verbal): Jonah’s prayer begins 'I cried by reason of my affliction unto the LORD'—an Old Testament example of crying to God in distress with expectation of hearing.
- Psalm 34:17 (thematic): 'The righteous cry, and the LORD hears'—shares the theme that the faithful cry aloud and God responds by hearing and delivering.
- Psalm 118:5 (thematic): 'I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me'—thematic parallel of calling out in trouble and receiving God’s attentive help.
Alternative generated candidates
- I cry aloud to God — I cry aloud; I cry aloud to God, and he will hear me.
- My voice to God—I cry aloud; my voice to God—may he give ear to me.
Psa.77.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ביום: PREP
- צרתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+suff:1,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- דרשתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,ms,sg
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נגרה: VERB,qal,perf,3,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- תפוג: VERB,qal,impf,3,sg
- מאנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הנחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,def
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
Parallels
- Ps.18:6 (verbal): Both speak of calling/crying to the LORD in distress (Ps 77: ‘in the day of my trouble I sought the LORD’ → Ps 18: ‘In my distress I called upon the LORD’).
- Lam.3:55-57 (thematic): Shared lament motif: crying to God from the depths/night, pleading for God to hear and not hide his ear to the supplicant’s cry.
- Ps.42:3 (verbal): Day-and-night language of unrelieved anguish and longing for God (‘my tears have been my food day and night’ echoes the sleepless, persistent seeking of God in Ps 77:3).
- Job 30:20 (verbal): Expression of unanswered complaint and an afflicted soul (‘I cry to you, and you do not answer me’) parallels Ps 77:3’s sense that the soul would not be comforted.
- Ps.86:6-7 (thematic): A psalmist’s plea for God’s ear in continual distress (‘Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer… I cry unto thee…’) parallels the persistent seeking of God in Ps 77:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- In the day of my distress I sought the LORD; by night my hand was stretched out and would not relent; my soul refused to be comforted.
- In the day of my distress I sought the LORD; by night my hand was outstretched and would not be withdrawn; my soul refused to be comforted.
Psa.77.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אזכרה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואהמיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,c,sg
- אשיחה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- ותתעטף: VERB,hitpael,imperfect,3,f,sg
- רוחי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Psalm 42:4 (verbal): Both speak of remembering and pouring out the soul/complaining to God; memory of God’s presence leads to an outpouring of grief and lament.
- Psalm 63:6 (verbal): Uses the same pair of verbs—remembering and meditating—(’azkar, vehitgashesh) in the context of devotional reflection, linking memory and inner spiritual exercise.
- Lamentations 3:20 (thematic): Expresses the same motif of recollection paired with a bowed or fainted soul—memory of suffering causes the spirit to be downcast.
- Isaiah 26:9 (thematic): Speaks of longing with soul and spirit for God in the night; connects the Psalm’s inward agitation and spiritual yearning for God.
- Psalm 77:10–12 (structural): Immediate context: moves from the speaker’s fainting recollection to a deliberate remembering of the Lord’s deeds and wonders—contrast/resolution to v.4’s distress.
Alternative generated candidates
- I remember God and moan; I meditate, and my spirit is troubled. Selah.
- I remember God, and I groan; I meditate, and my spirit is overwhelmed. Selah.
Psa.77.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אחזת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- שמרות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- עיני: NOUN,f,pl,cons+1s
- נפעמתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,_,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- אדבר: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 39:2 (verbal): Expresses the same reaction of being struck dumb/silent in affliction—"I was mute and opened not my mouth" parallels the Psalm 77 speaker's silence.
- Job 40:4 (thematic): Job's response "I will lay my hand upon my mouth" echoes the theme of being silenced and unable to answer in the presence of overwhelming distress or the divine.
- Lamentations 3:28 (thematic): Lamentations counsels sitting alone and keeping silence under suffering—paralleling Psalm 77's mood of stunned, speechless lament.
- Habakkuk 3:16 (thematic): Habakkuk describes a bodily, speech‑stopping reaction to God's presence (trembling, lips quivering), comparable to the astonishment and silence of Psalm 77.
- Zephaniah 1:7 (thematic): The injunction to "hold thy peace" before the Lord captures the same reverent/awestruck silence and fear that Psalm 77 depicts in the believer's response to God's acts.
Alternative generated candidates
- Sleep seizes my eyelids; I am stunned and cannot speak.
- I considered the night watches; my eyes grew dim; I was dismayed and would not speak.
Psa.77.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- חשבתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מקדם: PREP
- שנות: NOUN,f,pl,cs
- עולמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Deut.32:7 (verbal): Uses the same exhortation to 'remember the days of old' / 'consider the years of long ago,' prompting reflection on ancient events and their lessons.
- Ps.143:5 (verbal): Opens with the identical recollection 'I remember the days of old' and links that memory to meditating on God's deeds—same language and personal reflection.
- Ps.77:11 (structural): Later verse in the same psalm develops the thought of v.6: the speaker resolves to remember the LORD's deeds and wonders of old, making explicit the purpose of recalling past days.
- Ps.105:5 (thematic): Calls to 'remember the wonders he has done' and to recount God's miracles of old—shares the theme of recalling God's past acts as grounds for trust and praise.
Alternative generated candidates
- I ponder former days, the years of long ago.
- I pondered former days, the years of ages long ago.
Psa.77.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אזכרה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- נגינתי: NOUN,f,sg,suf
- בלילה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עם: PREP
- לבבי: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- אשיחה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- ויחפש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- רוחי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
Parallels
- Ps.63:6 (verbal): Explicitly links remembering/meditating on God 'in the night'—parallels the nocturnal remembrance and meditation of Ps 77:7.
- Ps.119:55 (verbal): Speaks of remembering God's name 'in the night,' echoing Ps 77:7's theme of night-time remembrance and devotion.
- Isa.26:9 (thematic): Expresses night-time remembrance and an earnest seeking of God with the inner self, paralleling Ps 77:7's meditation and searching of the spirit.
- Ps.4:4 (verbal): Calls for communing with one's heart upon the bed and being still—similar language and practice of inner, nocturnal reflection found in Ps 77:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- I remember my song in the night; I commune with my heart and search my spirit.
- I recall my song by night; with my heart I commune, and my spirit searches.
Psa.77.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הלעולמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- יזנח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יסיף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לרצות: VERB,qal,inf
- עוד: ADV
Parallels
- Psalm 42:9 (verbal): Both psalms voice a personal complaint that God has been forgotten or withdrawn, using similar language of God’s absence and the psalmist’s sense of abandonment.
- Psalm 22:1 (thematic): A famous lament that asks why God has forsaken the speaker; thematically parallels the questioning of whether God will forever reject or cease to show favor.
- Psalm 88:14 (verbal): Another psalm that explicitly asks why God has cast off and hidden his face, closely echoing the language and mood of perceived divine rejection in Ps 77:8.
- Lamentations 3:31-33 (verbal): Directly addresses and counters the idea of eternal rejection—declaring that the LORD will not cast off forever and emphasizing God’s compassion despite temporary affliction.
- Isaiah 54:7-8 (allusion): Promises that any divine hiding or anger is momentary and will be followed by enduring mercy—responds to the question in Ps 77:8 about whether God will never show favor again.
Alternative generated candidates
- Will the LORD spurn forever and never again be favorable?
- Has God cast off forever? Will the LORD nevermore be gracious?
Psa.77.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- האפס: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חסדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- גמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לדר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 13:1 (thematic): A personal lament asking 'How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?'—shared theme of wondering whether God has forgotten or ceased his steadfast love.
- Psalm 74:1 (thematic): Rhetorical complaint 'O God, why do you cast us off for ever?'—uses similar language of being cast off/abandoned forever and divine anger.
- Lamentations 5:20 (verbal): Direct verbal parallel: 'Why dost thou forget us for ever?' echoes the Psalm's question whether God's mercy/faithfulness has ended for all generations.
- Psalm 136 (refrain) (structural): The repeated refrain 'for his mercy endureth for ever' functions as a theological counterpoint to the Psalm's anxious question about whether God's mercy has ceased.
- Psalm 89:46 (thematic): Another lamenting question—'How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever?'—similar motif of pleading over whether God's favor/presence will continue.
Alternative generated candidates
- Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Has his promise failed from generation to generation?
- Has his steadfast love ceased for ever? Has his promise failed for all generations?
Psa.77.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- השכח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חנות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אם: CONJ
- קפץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- באף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רחמיו: NOUN,m,pl,suff3ms
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Psalm 42:9 (verbal): The psalmist asks, 'Why have you forgotten me?'—a close verbal echo of questioning God's apparent forgetting or withdrawal of favor in Ps 77:10.
- Psalm 13:1 (thematic): Both psalms lament perceived divine forgetfulness and hiding of God's face: 'Will you forget me forever?' parallels 'Has God forgotten to be gracious? ... has he shut up his compassion.'
- Psalm 44:24 (verbal): This verse asks why God 'hide[s] your face and forget our affliction,' directly reflecting the theme of God withholding mercy and hiding himself in Ps 77:10.
- Lamentations 3:42–43 (thematic): Lamentations speaks of God covering himself with wrath and persecuting Israel—a related theme of divine anger leading to the withholding of compassion found in Ps 77:10.
- Habakkuk 1:2 (thematic): Habakkuk's cry, 'How long, O LORD, shall I cry, and you will not hear?' parallels the complaint in Ps 77:10 about God's apparent unresponsiveness and withheld mercy.
Alternative generated candidates
- Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion? Selah.
- Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger shut up his compassion? Selah.
Psa.77.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- חלותי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,suff,1,sg
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- שנות: NOUN,f,pl,cs
- ימין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עליון: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 105:5 (verbal): Directly urges remembrance of God’s wonders and miraculous acts—language and theme mirror ‘I will remember your wonders of old.’
- Psalm 78:4 (thematic): Calls for recounting the LORD’s glorious deeds and wonders to the next generation; shares the motif of recalling and proclaiming ancient acts of God.
- Psalm 143:5 (verbal): “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all your works” closely parallels the psalmist’s personal remembering of God’s past wonders.
- Exodus 15:11 (allusion): The Song of the Sea celebrates God’s unique wonders in the deliverance at the sea; Psalm 77 later recalls the sea‑deliverance and thus alludes to this older tradition.
- Isaiah 63:7 (thematic): A vow to recount the LORD’s steadfast love and praises for what he has done in the past—reflects the same commitment to remember and tell of God’s ancient deeds.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then I said, 'This is my affliction— the years of the right hand of the Most High.'
- Then I said, "It is my sickness—this change of the right hand of the Most High."
Psa.77.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אזכור: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- מעללי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- יה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אזכרה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- מקדם: PREP
- פלאך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 78:4 (verbal): Calls for telling coming generations about the 'deeds of the LORD' and 'wonders'—closely parallels remembering and recounting God's mighty acts.
- Psalm 105:5 (verbal): Urges remembering 'the wondrous works that he has done,' echoing the psalmist's resolve to recall God's wonders of old.
- Psalm 143:5 (thematic): 'I remember the days of old; I meditate on all your doings' — a personal recollection and meditation on God's past deeds similar to Ps 77:12.
- Psalm 111:4 (verbal): Speaks of God’s 'wondrous works' being remembered, linking the theme of memorializing God's mighty acts.
- Isaiah 63:7 (thematic): The prophet declares he will recount the LORD's 'steadfast love' and 'all that he has done'—a prophetic analogue to recalling God's past wonders.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
- But I will call to mind the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
Psa.77.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- והגיתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פעלך: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- ובעלילותיך: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,suff
- אשיחה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
Parallels
- Ps.77.11 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same Psalm: earlier verse affirms remembering the LORD’s deeds and wonders—set alongside 77:13’s meditation on God’s works.
- Ps.143.5 (verbal): Very close verbal parallel: 143:5 similarly speaks of remembering former days and meditating on all God’s works and the works of his hands.
- Ps.145.5 (verbal): Echoes the language and theme of meditating on God’s majestic and wondrous works (‘I will meditate on the glorious splendour of your majesty, and on your wondrous works’).
- Ps.111.2 (thematic): Shares the theme of reflecting on and studying the LORD’s great works—‘the works of the LORD are great; studied by all who delight in them.’
- Ps.78.4 (thematic): Related theme of recounting and pondering God’s deeds and wonders for the sake of remembering and passing them on to others.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will meditate on all your work, and speak of your deeds.
- I will ponder all your work, and speak of your mighty deeds.
Psa.77.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בקדש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דרכך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- אל: NEG
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- כאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 15:11 (verbal): The Song of Moses asks 'Who is like you... doing wonders?'—language of God's uniqueness, holiness, and wondrous deeds echoes Psalm 77's 'God who does wonders.'
- Psalm 136:4 (verbal): Declares God 'who alone does great wonders,' a direct verbal parallel emphasizing God's miraculous acts and their remembrance.
- Psalm 98:1 (thematic): Calls for praise because the LORD has 'done marvelous things' and made his salvation known—same theme of God's mighty deeds being proclaimed among the peoples.
- Psalm 111:2-4 (thematic): Speaks of the LORD's great and memorable works and his mighty acts—parallels the proclamation of God's strength and wonder-working in Psalm 77:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- God, your way is in holiness; who is a great god like our God?
- God is majestic in his way; who is a great God like our God?
Psa.77.15 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- האל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- פלא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הודעת: VERB,hiph,perf,2,f,sg
- בעמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עזך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2fs
Parallels
- Psalm 96:3 (verbal): Directly echoes the language and theme: proclaiming God's glory and his marvelous works among the nations/peoples (’declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples’).
- Exodus 15:11 (allusion): Connects to the Exodus song celebrating Yahweh’s incomparable, wondrous deeds on behalf of Israel—Psalm 77 summons the memory of those mighty acts displayed among the peoples.
- Deuteronomy 4:34 (thematic): Speaks of a God who demonstrated signs and wonders and took a nation for himself from among other peoples—paralleling the theme of God’s mighty acts shown to the nations.
- Psalm 86:8 (verbal): Affirms that among the gods there is none like Yahweh and that no deeds compare with his—echoing Psalm 77’s claim of God’s wondrous power made known among the peoples.
Alternative generated candidates
- You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your power among the peoples.
- You are the God who does wonders; you have made known your strength among the peoples.
Psa.77.16 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- גאלת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בזרוע: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Exodus 6:6 (verbal): God's promise to ‘redeem you with an outstretched arm’ (Heb. בזרוע נטויה) parallels the language of redemption ‘by your arm’ in Ps 77:16.
- Exodus 15:13 (thematic): The Song of the Sea celebrates God leading the people he has redeemed—theme of divine redemption and guidance similar to Ps 77:16’s reference to redeeming the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
- Isaiah 63:11-12 (verbal): Isaiah recalls God’s past acts, explicitly mentioning that God ‘led them by the right hand of Moses, by the hand of Moses and Aaron,’ echoing the psalm’s reference to God’s redemption of Jacob and Joseph and the remembered deliverance.
- Psalm 78:54 (thematic): Psalm 78 recounts the Exodus deliverance and God’s leading of Israel into the land—an extended retelling of the same redemptive acts invoked in Ps 77:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- By your arm you redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
- By your arm you redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
Psa.77.17 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ראוך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- א: PRT
- להים: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ראוך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יחילו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אף: ADV
- ירגזו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- תהמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 15:8 (verbal): Song of the Sea imagery: God causes the waters to stand up and the deeps to congeal—language of restraining and halting the sea parallels Psalm 77's depiction of held-back waters and trembling deeps.
- Job 38:8-11 (thematic): God's decree setting bounds on the sea ('Thus far shall you come, and no farther') matches the motif of God restraining the waters and calming the deeps.
- Psalm 89:9 (verbal): Speaks of God ruling the swelling of the sea and stilling its waves—a close verbal/thematic echo of divine control over chaotic waters in Psalm 77.
- Psalm 74:13-14 (allusion): Describes God dividing the sea and subduing sea-monsters; parallels the theme of God subduing the chaotic deeps and waves found in Psalm 77.
Alternative generated candidates
- The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you and were afraid; the deeps trembled.
- The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you and trembled; the very depths were convulsed.
Psa.77.18 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- זרמו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נתנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- שחקים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אף: ADV
- חצציך: NOUN,m,pl,cs+2ms
- יתהלכו: VERB,hitp,imprf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 29:3-9 (verbal): Like Ps.77:18, Psalm 29 depicts the LORD's voice over the waters and powerful vocal/meteorological imagery (thunder, clouds) in the divine theophany.
- Psalm 18:11-15 (verbal): Both psalms use similar language of thick clouds/dark waters and cosmic disturbance (earth trembling, channels of the sea) to describe God's manifestation.
- Habakkuk 3:8-11 (thematic): Habakkuk's theophany portrays God riding over the waters, clouds/arms as instruments of judgment, and 'arrows' of God — paralleling Ps.77's clouds, roaring sound, and 'arrows' imagery.
- Exodus 15:8-10 (thematic): The Song at the Red Sea describes waters gathered, the sea's convulsion, and God's mighty act over the waters — an earlier Israelite theophanic tradition echoed in Ps.77:18's portrayal of turbulent waters and divine action.
- Nahum 1:3-6 (thematic): Nahum portrays the LORD's control of sea and storm, clouds as attendants and creation trembling before him, echoing Ps.77:18's storm-cloud and water imagery in a theophanic context.
Alternative generated candidates
- The clouds poured out streams of water; the skies gave forth their voice; your lightning-flashes sped about.
- The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth a sound; your arrows flashed on every side.
Psa.77.19 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעמך: NOUN,m,sg,pronominal_2ms
- בגלגל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האירו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ברקים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- תבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רגזה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ותרעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Psalm 29:3-9 (verbal): Closely parallels language and imagery — “the voice of the Lord… he thunders,” lightning and shaking of wilderness and mountains; a theophany in thunder and storm like Ps 77:19.
- Exodus 19:16-18 (structural): Sinai theophany: thunder, lightning, thick cloud and the mountain trembling before God — similar setting of divine voice, flashes and earth quaking.
- Psalm 18:7-15 (18:8-16 MT) (thematic): Describes God’s coming with thunder, smoke, lightning and the earth shaking; uses same cosmic-theophany motifs of divine power manifesting in storm and earthquake.
- Habakkuk 3:3-11 (allusion): A poetic theophany that depicts God coming in splendour with flashes, earthquakes and convulsions of the earth and waters — thematically resonant with the thunder, lightnings and trembling in Ps 77:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- The sound of your thunder rolled in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit the world; the earth trembled and shook.
- The voice of your thunder rolled in the whirlwind; the lightning lit the world; the earth shook and trembled.
Psa.77.20 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- בים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דרכך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ושבילך: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,suff,2,m
- במים: PREP
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ועקבותיך: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,suff,2,m
- לא: PART_NEG
- נדעו: VERB,nif,perf,3,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 14:21-22 (thematic): Describes the parting of the sea and Israel's passage on dry ground — the foundational event Psalm 77 alludes to when speaking of God’s way through the waters.
- Exodus 15:8 (verbal): In the Song of Moses the waters are gathered and stand as a heap at God’s rebuke — language and imagery echoed in Psalm 77’s depiction of God’s path through the sea.
- Psalm 114:3-6 (verbal): Poetic retelling of the sea fleeing and the waters turning back, emphasizing God’s path through the sea much like Psalm 77’s imagery of an impassable watery way made a path.
- Psalm 106:9-10 (thematic): Recalls God rebuking and drying the Red Sea to lead Israel through — a theological parallel to Psalm 77’s emphasis on God’s route through deep waters.
- Isaiah 63:11-12 (allusion): Speaks of God leading his people through the sea and guiding them by Moses’ hand, an explicit prophetic recall of the Exodus motif invoked in Psalm 77:20.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your way was through the sea, your path through mighty waters, yet your footprints were not known.
- Your way was through the sea, your path through mighty waters; yet your footprints were not known.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of Asaph. A song.
I cry aloud to God; I cry aloud to God, and he will listen to me.
In the day of my distress I sought the LORD; by night my hand was stretched out and did not withdraw; I refused to be comforted.
I call to mind God—and groan; I ponder, and my spirit grows faint. Selah
Wakefulness has seized my eyes; I am dismayed and cannot speak.
I consider the days of old, the years long past.
I remember my song by night; with my heart I meditate, and my spirit enquires.
Will the LORD spurn forever, and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love come to an end forever? Has his promise failed for all generations?
Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion? Selah
Then I said, "This is my infirmity: the right hand of the Most High has changed." But I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all your work, and speak of your mighty acts.
God is holy in his way; who is a great God like our God?
You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your strength among the peoples.
You redeemed your people by your arm—the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you and trembled; even the deeps quaked.
The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth a sound—your thunder rolled; your lightning-flashes went about.
Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
Your path was through the sea, your way through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were not seen.