Psalm 44 Emotional

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Sheep to Be Slaughtered

Psalm 44

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Emotional Analysis

  What is Emotional Analysis?

This layer explores the emotional dimension of the biblical text and seeks to uncover the clues within the text itself that are part of the communicative intent of its author. The goal of this analysis is to chart the basic emotional tone and/or progression of the psalm.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Emotional Analysis Creator Guidelines.

• Analysis
• Think-Feel-Do

Emotional Analysis Chart

  Legend

If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.

Emendations/Revocalizations legend
*Emended text*	Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation.
*Revocalized text*	Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization.

Verse	Text (Hebrew)	Text (CBC) 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 designed to be "close" to the Hebrew, while still being "clear." Specifically, the CBC encapsulates and reflects the following layers of analysis: grammar, lexical semantics, phrase-level semantics, and verbal semantics. It does not reflect our analysis of the discourse or of poetics. 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.	The Psalmist Feels	Emotional Analysis Notes
1	לַמְנַצֵּחַ לִבְנֵי־קֹרַח מַשְׂכִּיל	For the director. By the Korahites. A maskil.
2	אֱלֹהִים בְּאָזְנֵינוּ שָׁמַעְנוּ	God, we have heard [it] with our ears—	• Confident that the report heard with their ears is true. • Hopeful that God's past actions will continue to the present.	• For the applicability of God's past actions to the present, see Story Behind notes. • The phrase בְּאָזְנֵינוּ "with our ears" (v. 2a) is non-propositional, and thus not strictly necessary from an informational standpoint. Its inclusion likely highlights the assuredness of the testimony, as it is based on firsthand experience ("we heard it for ourselves").
	אֲבוֹתֵינוּ סִפְּרוּ־לָנוּ פֹּעַל	Our ancestors have recounted to us the deeds
	פָּעַלְתָּ בִימֵיהֶם בִּימֵי קֶדֶם	which you did in their times—in times long ago
3	אַתָּה יָדְךָ גּוֹיִם הוֹרַשְׁתָּ	You, by your strength, dispossessed nations,	• Confident in God's strength.
	וַתִּטָּעֵם	and then you planted them.	• Confident in God's care for his covenant people.	• For the associations between "planting" and God's promises of covenant blessing, see Story Behind notes.
	תָּרַע לְאֻמִּים	You would afflict the people groups,	• Impressed by God's power to afflict people groups.
	וַתְּשַׁלְּחֵם	and then you would set them free.	• Grateful that God set his people free.	• For the background of "you set them free," see Story Behind notes.
4	כִּי לֹא בְחַרְבָּם יָרְשׁוּ אָרֶץ	For they did not take possession of the land by means of their sword;	• Confident in God's power.
	וּזְרוֹעָם לֹא־הוֹשִׁיעָה לָּמוֹ	nor did their power give victory for them.	• Confident in God's power.
	כִּי־יְמִינְךָ וּזְרוֹעֲךָ וְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ	But rather your right hand, and your power, and the light of your countenance [gave the victory];	• Confident in God's strength. • Hopeful for God's favor.	• For the association between "the light of your countenance" and favor, see Story Behind notes.
	כִּי רְצִיתָם	for you were pleased with them.
5	אַתָּה־הוּא מַלְכִּי *אֱלֹהָי*	You are my king, my God,	• Reverent in light of God's authority and power. • Hopeful that God will deliver Israel.
	*מְצַוֶּה* יְשׁוּעוֹת יַעֲקֹב	commanding victory for Jacob!
6	בְּךָ צָרֵינוּ נְנַגֵּחַ	With you, we can gore our adversaries;	• Confident in God's ability to help Israel. • Impressed by God's power to gore adversaries.
	בְּשִׁמְךָ נָבוּס קָמֵינוּ	under your authority, we can tread down our enemies.	• Confident in God's ability to defeat enemies. • Reverent in light of God's authority. • Impressed by God's power to tread down enemies.
7	כִּי לֹא בְקַשְׁתִּי אֶבְטָח	Indeed, I cannot trust in my bow,	• Confident in God's power.
	וְחַרְבִּי לֹא תוֹשִׁיעֵנִי	nor can my sword give me victory.	• Confident in God's power.
8	כִּי הוֹשַׁעְתָּנוּ מִצָּרֵינוּ	But rather you delivered us from our adversaries;	• Confident in God's power.
	וּמְשַׂנְאֵינוּ הֱבִישׁוֹתָ	and you put our enemies to shame.	• Confident in God's power. • Feeling superior to humiliated enemies.
9	בֵּאלֹהִים הִלַּלְנוּ כָל־הַיּוֹם	We have been boasting in God all day long,	• Triumphant in light of God's deeds. • Determined to praise God all day long. • Self-confident in having a correct relational orientation toward God.	• The verb הלל "to boast" refers to pride and satisfaction in God (see Story Behind notes). In the present context, this is most likely related to the deliverance described in v. 8, and thus the boasting reflects a sense of triumph. • The psalmist's commitment to worship reflects the nation's covenant faithfulness, which will be expanded upon further in vv. 18–23. This forms the basis of self-confidence in the later protestation of Israel's innocence.
	וְשִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם נוֹדֶה סֶלָה	and we will keep declaring your name forever. Selah.	• Reverent in light of God's character (name). • Determined to praise God forever. • Self-confident in having a correct relational orientation toward God.	• The psalmist's commitment to worship reflects the nation's covenant faithfulness, which will be expanded upon further in vv. 18–23. This forms the basis of self-confidence in the later protestation of Israel's innocence.
10	אַף־זָנַחְתָּ	Even so, you have rejected [us]—	• Distressed by God's apparent rejection of Israel.	• The stark contrast between Israel's praise (v. 9) and God's rejection (v. 10) is likely a rhetorical means of heightening the emotional impact of the rejection (see Poetic Features). This would support a higher-activation negative emotion such as distress.
	וַתַּכְלִימֵנוּ	that is, you have put us to shame.	• Ashamed by Israel's defeat.
	וְלֹא־תֵצֵא בְּצִבְאוֹתֵינוּ	And you do not go forth with our armies.	• Distressed by God's seeming abandonment of Israel.
11	תְּשִׁיבֵנוּ אָחוֹר מִנִּי־צָר	You make us retreat before the adversary,	• Despondent in light of military defeat.
	וּמְשַׂנְאֵינוּ שָׁסוּ לָמוֹ	and our enemies have plundered for themselves.	• Despondent in light of enemy military plundering.
12	תִּתְּנֵנוּ כְּצֹאן מַאֲכָל	You give us up as sheep for consumption,	• Despondent in light of sheep-like powerlessness.
	וּבַגּוֹיִם זֵרִיתָנוּ	and you have scattered us among the nations.	• Ashamed in light of experience of captivity.
13	תִּמְכֹּר־עַמְּךָ בְלֹא־הוֹן	You sell your people without compensation,	• Ashamed by sense of worthlessness at being given up without compensation.
	וְלֹא־רִבִּיתָ בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם	and you have not made a profit by them.	• Ashamed by sense of worthlessness at being given up for no profit.
14	תְּשִׂימֵנוּ חֶרְפָּה לִשְׁכֵנֵינוּ	You turn us into an object of scorn to our neighbors—	• Ashamed by public humilation among neighboring nations.
	לַעַג וָקֶלֶס לִסְבִיבוֹתֵינוּ	An object of scornful derision to those who surround us.
15	תְּשִׂימֵנוּ מָשָׁל בַּגּוֹיִם	You turn us into a parable among the nations—	• Ashamed for being pitied by nations.
	מְנֽוֹד־רֹ֝֗אשׁ *בַּלְאֻמִּים*	An object of pity among the people groups.
16	כָּל־הַיּוֹם כְּלִמָּתִי נֶגְדִּי	All day long, my shame is before me,	• Despondent due to being shamed all day long.
17	וּבֹשֶׁת פָּנַי כִּסָּתְנִי מִקּוֹל מְחָרֵף וּמְגַדֵּף מִפְּנֵי אוֹיֵב וּמִתְנַקֵּם	and my shamefacedness has covered me, because of the voice of the reviling taunter, because of the vengeful enemy.	• Ashamed by public humilation before reviling taunters and vengeful enemies.
18	כָּל־זֹאת בָּאַתְנוּ	All this has come upon us,
	וְלֹא שְׁכַחֲנוּךָ	even though we have not neglected you;	• Taken aback by the incongruity between covenant expectation and reality.
	וְלֹא־שִׁקַּרְנוּ בִּבְרִיתֶךָ	Nor have we broken faith with your covenant.	• Taken aback by the incongruity between covenant expectation and reality.
19	לֹא־נָסוֹג אָחוֹר לִבֵּנוּ	Our heart has not backslid—	• Taken aback by the incongruity between covenant expectation and reality.
	וַתֵּט אֲשֻׁרֵינוּ מִנִּי אָרְחֶךָ	that is, our steps have not deviated from your path.	• Taken aback by the incongruity between covenant expectation and reality.
20	כִּי דִכִּיתָנוּ בִּמְקוֹם תַּנִּים	Yet you have crushed us in the place of jackals,	• Taken aback by the incongruity between covenant expectation and reality. • Despondent in light of living in a devastated place of jackals.
	וַתְּכַס עָלֵינוּ בְצַלְמָוֶת	and thus you have covered us with deepest shadow.	• Taken aback by the incongruity between covenant expectation and reality. • Afraid from being covered with deepest shadow.	• The term צַלְמָוֶת is used in contexts that imply sorrow, fear, or danger (NIDOTTE, 3:807).
21	אִם־שָׁכַחְנוּ שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵינוּ	If we have neglected our God's name—	• Taken aback by the incongruity between covenant expectation and reality.
	וַנִּפְרֹשׂ כַּפֵּינוּ לְאֵל זָר	that is, if we had spread our palms in prayer to another god—
22	הֲלֹא אֱלֹהִים יַחֲקָר־זֹאת	could not God investigate this,
	כִּי־הוּא יֹדֵעַ תַּעֲלֻמוֹת לֵב	since he knows the heart's secrets?
23	כִּי־עָלֶיךָ הֹרַגְנוּ כָל־הַיּוֹם	Yet we have been killed because of you all day long.	• Taken aback that God causes the threat of death. • Afraid of the threat of death.
	נֶחְשַׁבְנוּ כְּצֹאן טִבְחָה	We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.	• Despondent in light of sheep-like powerlessness.
24	עוּרָה	Awake!	• Desperate for God to take action. • Distressed by God's seeming inaction.	• The one-word imperatival clause עוּרָה suggests an exclamatory, high-activation emotional state.
	לָמָּה תִישַׁן אֲדֹנָי	Why do you sleep, Lord?	• Distressed by God's seeming inaction.
	הָקִיצָה	Wake up!	• Desperate for God to take action. • Distressed by God's seeming inaction.	• The one-word imperatival clause הָקִיצָה suggests an exclamatory, high-activation emotional state.
	אַל־תִּזְנַח לָנֶצַח	Do not keep rejecting [us] forever!	• Desperate for God to reverse his seeming rejection of his people.
25	לָמָּה־פָנֶיךָ תַסְתִּיר	Why are you hiding your countenance?	• Despondent in light of God's seeming disfavor.
	תִּשְׁכַּח עָנְיֵנוּ וְלַחֲצֵנוּ	Why are you neglecting our affliction and oppression?	• Despondent in light of God's seeming neglect.
26	כִּי שָׁחָה לֶעָפָר נַפְשֵׁנוּ	For our soul has sunk down into the dust;	• Depressed in light of defeat and humiliation.
	דָּבְקָה לָאָרֶץ בִּטְנֵנוּ	our belly clings to the earth.	• Depressed in light of defeat and humiliation.
27	קוּמָה עֶזְרָתָה לָּנוּ	Arise to our aid,	• Desperate for God to take action.
	וּפְדֵנוּ לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ	and redeem us because of your faithfulness!	• Desperate for God to redeem his people. • Hopeful in light of God's faithfulness.

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