Bible Commentaries
Psalms 77

Introduction

BOOK II.— PSS. XLII.– LXXII.

Psalms 42-83 are Elohistic, i.e. they use the word God (Elohim) and avoid the proper name Yahweh, probably from motives of reverence. Here and there, however, the name Yahweh has crept into the text by a natural slip of the scribes.

Verses 1-20

LXXVII. Israel’ s Present Distress and Past Glory.

Psalms 77:1-3 . The present distress.

Psalms 77:1 . with my voice: i.e. with a loud voice.

Psalms 77:4-15 . Past glory.

Psalms 77:4 . Perhaps we should translate, “ Mine eyelids are held fast,” i.e. so that they cannot close in sleep.

Psalms 77:6 . The first words ought to stand at the end of Psalms 77:5, “ The years of ancient time I call to remembrance.”— my song: inappropriate; we need some such word as “ I mused.”

Psalms 77:10 b. Render, “ This is my affliction that the right hand of the Most High is changed” ( cf. mg.) . Of course God’ s right hand had not really lost its power; but that power was no longer displayed to His people.

Psalms 77:13 . holiness ( mg.) : God’ s presence with His people and in their wanderings sanctified all the way they went. See especially Isaiah 63:9 ff.

Psalms 77:16-19 . Here we have the fragment of another poem. It describes a theophany and has no connexion with its context.

Psalms 77:20 belongs or may belong to Psalms 77.