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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 77

1 For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph. I will cry out to God and call for help. I will cry out to God and he will pay attention to me. 2 In my time of trouble I sought the Lord. I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night. I refused to be comforted. 3 I said, “I will remember God while I groan; I will think about him while my strength leaves me.” (Selah) 4 You held my eyelids open; I was troubled and could not speak. 5 I thought about the days of old, about ancient times. 6 I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang; I will think very carefully.” I tried to make sense of what was happening. 7 I asked, “Will the Lord reject me forever? Will he never again show me his favor? 8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever? Has his promise failed forever?⁠ 9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has his anger stifled his compassion?” (Selah) 10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought that the right hand of the Most High has changed.⁠ 11 I will remember the works of the Lord. Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago. 12 I will think about all you have done; I will reflect upon your deeds.” 13 O God, your deeds are extraordinary. What god can compare to our great God? 14 You are the God who does amazing things; you have revealed your strength among the nations. 15 You delivered your people by your arm21—the⁠ children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah) 16 The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and trembled. Yes, the depths of the sea shook with fear.⁠ 17 The clouds poured down rain; the skies thundered. Yes, your arrows flashed about. 18 Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind; the lightning bolts lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook. 19 You walked through the sea; you passed through the surging waters, but left no footprints. 20 You led your people like a flock of sheep, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 63:8 and Psalm 77:10

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Psalm 77 reflects on God’s silence in the present, contrasting it with his acts of rescue in the past, mentioning his “right hand,” to mourn that it is no longer active. This contrasts with Psalm 63, where God’s “right hand” is still seen as active.

Passages

Psalm 63:8

Hebrew Bible
5 As with choice meat you satisfy my soul. My mouth joyfully praises you, 6 whenever I remember you on my bed, and think about you during the nighttime hours. 7 For you are my deliverer; under your wings I rejoice. 8 My soul clings to you20; your right hand upholds me. 9 Enemies seek to destroy my life, but they will descend into the depths of the earth. 10 Each one will be handed over to the sword; their corpses will be eaten by jackals.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Psalm 77:10

Hebrew Bible
7 I asked, “Will the Lord reject me forever? Will he never again show me his favor? 8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever? Has his promise failed forever? 9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has his anger stifled his compassion?” (Selah) 10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought that the right hand of the Most High has changed. 11 I will remember the works of the Lord. Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

"... Psalm 77 struggles with the question why God in the present does no act any longer in such a prodigious way he acted when Israel moved out from Egypt. Apparently God has changed his course of action. In the words of verse 10: "the right hand of the Most High has changed". This insight provokes a relecture and reflection of the ancient traditions: "I will remember your wonders of old, I will meditate on all your work" (verses 11-12). That leads to a new understanding of the Exodus and God's acting in it. The latter is depicted as an epiphany of Yahweh as weather god in a thunderstorm with echoes of a battle with the chaotic water (verse 16-18). These are phenomena which could be experienced also in the time of the author. This appearance of Yahweh is very impressive, but it cannot be empirically demonstrated: "Your way was through the sea ... yet your footprints were unseen" (verse 19). And in the end the acting of God cannot be separated from the acting of human beings: "You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron" (verse 20). This critical relecture of the Exodus story does not question the Exodus event. But at least it is based on the assumption that the reality and the acting of God in the world have been substantially the same in the distant past and in the author's present ..."
Thomas Krüger, “Recent Developments in the History of Ancient Israel and Their Consequences for a Theology of the Hebrew Bible,” BN 144 (2010): 5–13.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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