Purpose: To wrestle with an experience of rejection, in spite of covenant faithfulness.
Content: God delivered Israel's favored ancestors. Israel, who has been faithful to the covenant, should also experience that favor. However, the reality is that God has been causing defeat and humiliation. Israel wrestles with this reality, and pleads for deliverance according to God's faithfulness.
Message: When confused and disappointed, God’s people can still appeal to his covenant and character.
Author: The Korahites
Videos
Overview Video
Poetic Features Video
Video forthcoming
Exegetical Issues Video
Overview
Translation
Click 'Expand' to the right to see our Close-but-Clear translation of Psalm 44.
3. You, by your strength, dispossessed nations, and then you planted them.
You would afflict the people groups, and then you would set them free.
4. For they did not take possession of the land by means of their sword;
nor did their power give victory for them.
But rather your right hand, and your power, and the light of your countenance [gave the victory];
for you were pleased with them.
5. You are my king, my God,
commanding victory for Jacob!
6. With you, we can gore our adversaries;
under your authority, we can tread down our enemies.
7. Indeed, I cannot trust in my bow,
nor can my sword give me victory.
8. But rather you delivered us from our adversaries;
and you put our enemies to shame.
9. We have been boasting in God all day long,
and we will keep declaring your name forever. Selah.
10. Even so, you have rejected [us]—that is, you have put us to shame.
And you do not go forth with our armies.
11. You make us retreat before the adversary,
and our enemies have plundered for themselves.
12. You give us up as sheep for consumption,
and you have scattered us among the nations.
13. You sell your people without compensation,
and you have not made a profit by them.
14. You turn us into an object of scorn to our neighbors—
An object of scornful derision to those who surround us.
15. You turn us into a parable among the nations—
An object of pity among the people groups.
16. All day long, my shame is before me,
and my shamefacedness has covered me,
17. because of the voice of the reviling taunter,
because of the vengeful enemy.
18. All this has come upon us, even though we have not neglected you;
Nor have we broken faith with your covenant.
19. Our heart has not backslid—
that is, our steps have not deviated from your path.
20. Yet you have crushed us in the place of jackals,
and thus you have covered us with deepest shadow.
21. If we have neglected our God's name—
that is, if we had spread our palms in prayer to another god—
22. could not God investigate this,
since he knows the heart's secrets?
23. Yet we have been killed because of you all day long.
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
24. Awake! Why do you sleep, Lord?
Wake up! Do not keep rejecting [us] forever!
25. Why are you hiding your countenance?
Why are you neglecting our affliction and oppression?
26. For our soul has sunk down into the dust;
our belly clings to the earth.
27. Arise to our aid,
and redeem us because of your faithfulness!
The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources.
For links to other translations of Psalm 44, click here.
Verse-by-Verse
Click the link to view all of Psalm 44 Verse-by-Verse, or click on an individual verse below.
