Psalm 44:9-26 – Rise up, O Lord!

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 29 Nov 2020

Omitting greyed-out text should bring delivery down to 45 minutes.

Introduction

vs. 09-14 – Nine complaints against God

vs.15-22 – The Godly During a National Crisis

vs. 23-26 – The Request: Please Rise Up!

    1. עוּרָה Awake/ArouseYourself/Please stir yourself upand there is a paragogic he at the end of this verb which I believe is a form of respectful address to his master. He is being respectful – saying “please” as it were – yet bold in his prayer.

    2. הָקִיצָה Arise/Awake/Rouse yourself/Please become active

    3. and whereas in v.9 he had brought up the complaint that God hadput off זָנַחְתָּ His people, now he says אַל תִּזְנַח Stop putting off/don’t reject us any longer.

    1. We can pray for God to “help” and “redeem” because He has already promised that that’s what He does!

    1. We can call upon God to rise up and swing into action because men after God’s own heart have prayed this same thing, and we can follow their example:

    1. Yet more important than the examples of saints, is the basis upon which we make our requests, and that is lovingkindness of God Himself.


Psalm 44 - Side-by side comparison of versionsA

LXX (Ps.43)

Brenton (LXX)

DRB (Vulgate)

KJV

NAW

Masoretic Txt

1 Εἰς τὸ τέλος· τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορε εἰς σύνεσιν [ψαλμόςB].
2 Ὁ θεός, ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ἡμῶν ἠκούσαμεν, οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀνήγγειλαν ἡμῖν ἔργον, ὃ εἰργάσω ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῶν, ἐν ἡμέραις ἀρχαίαις.

1 For the end, a Psalm [for] instruction, for the sons of Core. O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, the work which thou wroughtest in their days, in the days of old.

1 Unto the end, for the sons of Core, [to] give understanding. 2) We have heard, O God, with our ears: our fathers have declared to us, The work thou hast wrought in their days, [and] in the days of old.

1 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

1 For the con­certmaster, a thought-provo­king one by the sons of Korah: O God, we’ve heard with our own ears; our fathers re­counted for us the accomplish­ment You accompli­shed in their days - in the early days.

1 לַמְנַצֵּחַ, לִבְנֵי קֹרַח, מַשְׂכִּיל.
2
אֱלֹהִים! בְּאָזְנֵינוּ שָׁמַעְנוּ, אֲבוֹתֵינוּ סִפְּרוּ לָנוּ, פֹּעַל פָּעַלְתָּ בִימֵיהֶם בִּימֵי קֶדֶםC.

3 X ἡ χείρ σου ἔθνη ἐξωλέθρευσεν, καὶ κατεφύτευσας αὐτούς, ἐκάκωσας λαοὺςD καὶ ἐξέβαλεςE αὐτούς.

2 Thine hand utterly destroyed the heathen, and thou didst plant them: thou didst afflict the nations, and cast them out.

3) Thy hand destroyed the Gentiles, and thou plantedst them: thou didst afflict the peopleX and cast them out.

2 How thou didst drive out the heathen [with] thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the peopleX, and cast them outF.

2 It was You – Your hand – that disinherited na­tions. Instead You planted them. You caused calamity to the peoples but them you released.

3 אַתָּה יָדְךָ גּוֹיִם הוֹרַשְׁתָּ וַתִּטָּעֵםG, תָּרַע לְאֻמִּים וַתְּשַׁלְּחֵם.

4 οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳH αὐτῶν ἐκληρονόμησαν γῆν, καὶ ὁ βραχίων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔσωσεν αὐτούς, ἀλλ᾿ ἡ δεξιά σου καὶ ὁ βραχίων σου καὶ ὁ φωτισμὸς τοῦ προσώπου σου, ὅτι εὐδόκησας ἐν αὐτοῖς.

3 For they inherited not the land by their own sword, and their own arm did not deliver them; but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou wert well pleased in them.

4) For they got not the possession of the land by their own sword: neither did their own arm save them. But thy right hand and thy arm, and the light of thy counten­ance: because thou wast pleased with them.

3 For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy counten­ance, because thou hadst a favourI unto them.

3 So it was not by their own sword that they inherited the land, and their arm-strength is not what brou­ght deli­verance to them, for it was Your right hand and Your arm-strength and the light of Your face by which you favored them.

4 כִּי לֹא בְחַרְבָּם יָרְשׁוּ אָרֶץ, וּזְרוֹעָם לֹא הוֹשִׁיעָה לָּמוֹ, כִּי יְמִינְךָ וּזְרוֹעֲךָJ וְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ כִּי רְצִיתָם.

5 σὺ εἶ αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεύς μου [καὶ] ὁ θεός [μουK] ἐντελλόμενοςL [τὰς] σωτηρίας Ιακωβ·

4 Thou art indeed my King and my God, who com­mandest deliver­ances for Jacob.

5) Thou art thyself my king and my God, who commandest the saving of Jacob.

4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverancesMN for Jacob.

4 You are the same one who is my King, O God. Command the de­liv­er­ances of Jacob.

5 אַתָּה הוּא מַלְכִּי אֱלֹהִים, צַוֵּהO יְשׁוּעוֹת יַעֲקֹב.

6 ἐν σοὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺςP ἡμῶν κερατιοῦμεν [καὶ] ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου ἐξουθενώσομενQ τοὺς ἐπανιστανομέ νους ἡμῖν.

5 In thee will we push down our enemies, and in thy name will we bring to nought them that rise up against us.

6) Through thee we will push down our enemies [with the horn]: and through thy name we will despise them that rise up against us.

5 Through thee will we push down our enemiesR: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

5 With You we will ram through our oppressors; in Your name we will step on those who rise up against us.

6 בְּךָ צָרֵינוּ נְנַגֵּחַS, בְּשִׁמְךָ נָבוּסT קָמֵינוּ.

7 οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ τόξῳ μου ἐλπιῶ, καὶ ἡ ῥομφαία μου οὐ σώσει με·

6 For I will not trust in my bow, and my sword shall not save me.

7) For I will not trust in my bow: neither shall my sword save me.

6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

6 For it is not in my bow that I will trust, and my sword isn’t going to deliver me,

7 כִּי לֹא בְקַשְׁתִּי אֶבְטָח, וְחַרְבִּי לֹא תוֹשִׁיעֵנִי.

8 ἔσωσας γὰρU ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν θλιβόντων ἡμᾶς καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντας ἡμᾶς κατῄσχυνας.

7 For thou hast saved us from them that afflicted us, and hast put to shame them that hated us.

8) But thou hast saved us from them that afflict us: and hast put them to shame that hate us.

7 But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

7 for You deliv­ered us from our oppressors, and those who hated us You put to shame.

8 כִּי הוֹשַׁעְתָּנוּ מִצָּרֵינוּ, Vוּמְשַׂנְאֵינוּ הֱבִישׁוֹתָ.

9 ἐν τῷ θεῷ ἐπαιν­εσθησόμεθα Wὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ [ἐν] τῷ ὀνόματί σου ἐξομολογησόμεθα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Διάψαλμα.

8 In God will we make our boast all the day, and to thy name will we give thanks for ever. Pause.

9) In God shall we glory all the day long: and in thy name we will give praise for ever.

8 In God we boast all the dayX [long], and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

8 It is in God that we have boasted all the day, and it is Your name for­ever that we will praise! Selah

9 בֵּאלֹהִים הִלַּלְנוּ כָל הַיּוֹם, וְשִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם נוֹדֶה, סֶלָה.

10 νυνὶ δὲ ἀπώσω καὶ κατῄσχυνας ἡμᾶς καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσῃY ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἡμῶν·

9 But now thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and thou wilt not go forth with our hosts.

10) But now thou hast cast us off, and put us to shame: and thou , O God, wilt not go out with our armies.

9 But thou hast cast off, and put us to shameZ; and goest not forth with our armies.

9 However, you have put off and caused us em­barrassment, and you {God} have not de­ployed with our armies.

10אַףAA זָנַחְתָּ וַתַּכְלִימֵנוּ וְלֹא תֵצֵא בְּצִבְאוֹתֵינוּ.

11 ἀπέστρεψας ἡμᾶς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω παρὰ τοὺς ἐχ­θροὺςAB ἡμῶν, καὶ οἱ μισοῦντες ἡμᾶς διήρπαζον ἑαυτοῖς.

10 Thou hast turned us back before our enemies; and they that hated us spoiled for themselves.

11) Thou hast made us turn our back to our enemies: and they that hated us plundered for themselves.

10 Thou makest us to turn backAC from the enemyAD: and they which hate us spoilAE for themselves.

10 You caused us to retreat from the oppres­sor, such that those those who hate us have taken plun­der for themselves.

11תְּשִׁיבֵנוּ אָחוֹר מִנִּי צָר וּמְשַׂנְאֵינוּ שָׁסוּ לָמוֹAF.

12 ἔδωκας ἡμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα βρώσεως καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν διέσπειρας ἡμᾶς·

11 Thou madest us as sheep [for] meat; and thou scatteredst us among the nations.

12) Thou hast given us up like sheep [to be] eat­en: thou hast scat­tered us among the nations.

11 Thou hast given us like sheep appointed [for] meatAG; and hast scattered us among the heathenAH.

11 You’ve been dishing us up like lamb meat, and widely scat­tering us among the nations.

12תִּתְּנֵנוּ כְּצֹאן מַאֲכָל וּבַגּוֹיִם זֵרִיתָנוּ.

13 ἀπέδου τὸν λαόν σου ἄνευ τιμῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἦν πλῆθος ἐν τοῖς ἀλ­λάγμασιν αὐτῶνAI.

12 Thou hast sold thy people without price, and there was no profit by their exchange.

13) Thou hast sold thy people for no price: and there was no reckoning in the exchange of them.

12 Thou sellest thy people for nought XAJ, and dost not increaseAK thy wealth by their priceAL.

12 You’ve been selling your peo­ple without val­ue, not even mak­ing a profit with their sale-price.

13תִּמְכֹּר עַמְּךָ בְלֹא הוֹן וְלֹא רִבִּיתָ בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם.

14 ἔθου ἡμᾶς ὄνειδος τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν, μυκτηρισμὸν καὶ καταγέλωτα τοῖς κύκλῳ ἡμῶν·

13 Thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision them that are round about us.

14) Thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours, a scoff and derision to them that are round about us.

13 Thou makest us a reproachAM to our neighbours, a scornAN and a derision to them that are round about us.

13 You’ve been setting us up to be a stigma for our neighbors – a taunt and a joke for those around us.

14תְּשִׂימֵנוּAO חֶרְפָּה לִשְׁכֵנֵינוּ לַעַג וָקֶלֶס לִסְבִיבוֹתֵינוּ.

15 ἔθου ἡμᾶς εἰς παραβολὴν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, κίνησιν κεφαλῆς ἐν τοῖς λαοῖςAP.

14 Thou hast made us a proverb among the Gentiles, a shaking of the head among the nations.

15) Thou hast made us a byword among the Gentiles: a shaking of the head among the peopleX.

14 Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the headAQ among the peopleXAR.

14 You’ve been setting us up to be a worst-case-scen­ario among the nations, a shak­ing of the head among the peoples.

15תְּשִׂימֵנוּ מָשָׁל בַּגּוֹיִם מְנוֹד רֹאשׁ בַּלְאֻמִּים.

16 ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἡ ἐντροπή μου κατ­εναν­τίον μού ἐστιν, καὶ ἡ αἰσχύνη τοῦ προσώ­που μου ἐκάλυψέν με

15 All the day my shame is before me, and the confusion of my face has covered me,

16) All the day [long] my shame is before me: and the confusion of my face hath covered me,

15 My confusionAS is continuallyAT before me, and the shame of my face hath covered meAU,

15 All the time my humiliation is before me, and my blush has covered my face,

16כָּל הַיּוֹם כְּלִמָּתִי נֶגְדִּי וּבֹשֶׁת פָּנַי כִּסָּתְנִי.

17 ἀπὸ φωνῆς ὀνειδίζοντος καὶ παραλαλοῦντος, ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐχθροῦ καὶ ἐκδιώκοντος.

16 because of the voice of the slanderer and reviler; because of the enemy and avenger.

17) At the voice of him that reproacheth and detracteth me: at the face of the enemy and persecutor.

16 For the voice of him that reproachethAV and blasphemethAW; by reasonAX of the enemy and avenger.

16 because of the voice of the fault-finder and reviler, because of the presence of an enemy and an avenger.

17 מִקּוֹל מְחָרֵף וּמְגַדֵּף מִפְּנֵי אוֹיֵב וּמִתְנַקֵּם.

18 ταῦτα πάντα ἦλθεν ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπελαθ­όμεθά σου καὶ οὐκ ἠδικήσαμενAY ἐν διαθήκῃ σου,

17 All these things are come upon us: but we have not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt unright­eous­ly in thy covenant.

18) All these things have come upon us, yet we have not forgotten thee: and we have not done wickedly in thy covenant.

17 All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely inAZ thy covenant.

17 All this came on us, yet we had not forgot­ten you, and we had not been treacherous with your covenant,

18כָּל זֹאת בָּאַתְנוּ וְלֹא שְׁכַחֲנוּךָ וְלֹא שִׁקַּרְנוּ בִּבְרִיתֶךָ.

19 καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστη εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἡ καρ­δία ἡμῶν· καὶ ἐξέκλινας τὰς τρίβους ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ σου.

18 And our heart has not gone back; but thou hast turned aside our paths from thy way.

19) And our heart hath not turned back: neither hast thou turned aside our steps from thy way.

18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declinedBA from thy way;

18 {and} our heart has not turned back. Yet you extended our steps away from your path

19 BBלֹא נָסוֹג אָחוֹר לִבֵּנוּ וַתֵּטBC אֲשֻׁרֵינוּ מִנִּי אָרְחֶךָ.

20 ὅτι ἐταπείνωσας ἡμᾶς ἐν τόπῳ κακώσεωςBD, καὶ ἐπεκάλυψεν ἡμᾶς σκιὰ θανάτου.

19 For thou hast laid us low in a place of affliction, and X the shadow of death has covered X us.

20) For thou hast humbled us in the place of affliction: and X the shadow of death hath covered us.

19 Though thou hast sore brokenBE us in the place of dragonsBF, and covered X us with the shadow of death.

19 so that you have crushed us in a place of jack­als, and you’ve been covering us over with the shadow of death.

20כִּיBG דִכִּיתָנוּBH בִּמְקוֹם תַּנִּים וַתְּכַס עָלֵינוּ BIבְצַלְמָוֶת.

21 εἰ ἐπελαθόμεθα τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ εἰ διεπετάσαμεν χεῖρας ἡμῶν πρὸς θεὸν ἀλλότριον,

20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have spread out our hands to a strange god;

21) If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have spread forth our hands to a strange god:

20 If we have for­gotten the name of our God, or stretchedBJ out our hands to a strangeBK god;

20 If we ignored the name of our God and reached out our hands to a foreign god,

21אִם שָׁכַחְנוּ שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵינוּ וַנִּפְרֹשׂ כַּפֵּינוּ לְאֵל זָר.

22 οὐχὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐκζητήσει ταῦτα; αὐτὸς γὰρ γινώσκει τὰ κρύφια [τῆς] καρδίας.

shall not God search these thing[s] out? 21 for he knows the secrets of the heart.

22) Shall not God search out these thing[s]: for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

21 Shall not God searchBL this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

21 wouldn’t God find out about this? In­deed, He knows the secrets of a heart!

22הֲלֹא אֱלֹהִים יַחֲקָר זֹאת כִּי הוּא יֹדֵעַ תַּעֲלֻמוֹת לֵב.

23 ὅτι ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς.

22 For, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for slaughter.

22 Because for thy sake we are killed all the day long: we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are countedBM as sheep for [the] slaughter.

22 Indeed, it’s on account of you that we’ve gotten slaughtered all the time! We’ve been reckoned as a butcher’s sheep.

23כִּי עָלֶיךָ הֹרַגְנוּ כָל הַיּוֹם נֶחְשַׁבְנוּ כְּצֹאן BNטִבְחָה.

24 ἐξεγέρθητι· ἵνα τί ὑπνοῖς, κύριε; ἀνάστηθι [καὶ]BO μὴ ἀπώσῃ εἰς τέλος.

23 Awake, wherefore sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, and do not cast [us] off for ever.

23 Arise, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, and cast [us] not off to the end.

23 AwakeBP, why sleepest thou, O Lord? ariseBQ, castBR us not off for ever.

23 Please stir yourself up! Why should you be dormant, Master? Please become active; stop putting off indefinitely!

24עוּרָה לָמָּה תִישַׁן אֲדֹנָי הָקִיצָה אַל תִּזְנַח לָנֶצַח.

25 ἵνα τί τὸ πρόσ­ωπόν σου ἀπο­στρέφειςBS, ἐπιλαν­θάνῃ τῆς πτωχεί­αςBT ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν;

24 Wherefore turnest thou thy face away, and forgettest our poverty and our affliction?

24 Why turnest thou thy face away? and forgettest our want and our trouble?

24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

24 Why is it your face that you are hiding? You are ignor­ing our debase­ment and our distress!

25לָמָּה פָנֶיךָ תַסְתִּיר תִּשְׁכַּח עָנְיֵנוּBU וְלַחֲצֵנוּ.

26 ὅτι ἐταπεινώθηBV εἰς χοῦν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν, ἐκολλήθη εἰς γῆν ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν.

25 For our soul has been brought down to the dust; our belly has cleaved to the earth.

25 For our soul is humbled down to the dust: our belly cleaveth to the earth.

25 For our soul is bowedBW down to the dust: our bellyBX cleaveth unto the earth.

25 Indeed, our soul has declined down to the dust; our belly has stuck to the ground.

26כִּי שָׁחָה לֶעָפָר נַפְשֵׁנוּ דָּבְקָה לָאָרֶץ בִּטְנֵנוּ.

27 ἀνάστα, κύριε, βοήθησον ἡμῖν καὶ λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματόςBY σου.

26 Arise, O Lord, help us, and redeem us for thy name's sake.

26 Arise, O Lord, help us and redeem us for thy name's sake.

26 Arise [for] our help, and redeem us for thy BZmercies' sake.

26 {Yahweh}, please rise up to be a helper for us, and redeem us on account of your loving-kindness!

27קוּמָהCA עֶזְרָתָהCB לָּנוּ וּפְדֵנוּ לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ.



1“‘the paths of God’ does not always refer to doctrine, but sometimes to prosperous and desirable events.” ~J. Calvin

2The other main theory among commentators I read (Calvin, Delitzsch) was during the time of the Maccabees when there seemed to be more piety among the Jews as a nation than there was around the time of the exile, although there wasn’t a major battle lost or much of a diaspora.

3cf. Deut. 32:30 “How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?” (Anderson/Calvin)

4Calvin noted that even after they hauled the Jerusalemites back to Babylon as captives, they were “enraged” at the Jews for condemning Babylonian gods. The experience of Daniel and his friends would be a case in point.

5Oration in defense of Flaccus, as quoted by John Calvin in his commentary on Psalm 44.

61 Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth... 7 The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. 8 The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you... 10 So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you." (NASB)

7“It ought to be observed, that when the faithful represent God as the author of their calamities, it is not in the way of murmuring against Him, but that they may with greater confidence seek relief, as it were, from the same hand which smote and wounded them. It is certainly impossible that those who impute their miseries to fortune can sincerely have recourse… If, therefore, we would expect a remedy from God for our miseries, we must believe that they befall us not by fortune or mere chance, but that they are inflicted upon us properly by His hand.” ~J. Calvin

8e.g. Isaiah 28:15 “traitors to the Covenant” and Jeremiah 13:25 “This is your lot, The portion of your measures from Me," says the LORD, "Because you have forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood.” (NAW)

9The original (unpointed) Hebrew can be read either way, the difference is in whether one of the vowels should be represented by a short or a long vowel. It doesn’t make a big difference in meaning except that if God (“you”) is the subject, the tone of blaming God is intensified, plus it follows the rules of grammar better, and it doesn’t require adding the word “not” to the second half of the verse, which isn’t there in the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. See endnote BD for a fuller explanation.

10The Geneva and KJV translators identified the tannim in Psalm 44 with the tannim in the book of Ezekiel (29:3, 32:2), an animal associated with large bodies of water, and they related it to the tannin, a water-dwelling creature in Genesis 1:21, Job 7:12, and Psalms 74:13 and 148:7, and a serpent-like creature in Exodus 7. Calvin called it a “whale.” But when you narrow the searches to just tannim (with the Hebrew “m” at the end), all but the two in Ezekiel are clearly desert animals, mentioned in parallel with the word for “hyenas,” and they live in dens, so there seem to be two different kinds of animals, the tannim being a hydrophilic reptile, and the tannin being a wild dog, which where I live, is called a coyote, but the variety in the Middle East seems to be called a jackal. Others, such as Aquila (a Jew in the second century AD) and Anderson (who translated Calvin’s commentaries into English) thought it was a desert snake.

11Isa. 13:22, 34:13, 35:7, Jer. 9:11, 10:22, 49:33, 51:37, Mal 1:3, perhaps also Neh. 2:13

12NAW, v.15 in Hebrew

13Jer. 2:6 also called the wilderness that the Hebrews wandered through on their way to the Promised Land from Egypt the “shadow of death… where no one dwelt.Job also mentioned his calamities as being tselmuth in 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 16:16; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; & 38:17.

14G. Wilson suggested in his commentary that this could be describing the position of a dead body.

AMy original chart includes the NASB and NIV, but their copyright restrictions have forced me to remove them from the publicly-available edition of this chart. I have included the ESV in footnotes when it employs a word not already used by the KJV, NASB, or NIV. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the Hebrew text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scrolls containing any part of Psalm 43 are 1QPsc which contains fragments of vs. 2-9 & 23-25, and 4QPsc, which contains fragments of vs. 6-9, highlighted in purple.

B2nd & 3rd century AD Jews (Aquila & Symmachus) who made translations into Greek omitted this word as the MT does.

CThis phrase “days of yore” occurs nowhere else in the O.T. with this beth preposition, but it does occur 5x with the ablative mem preposition (Isa. 23:7; 37:26; Lam. 1:7; 2:17; Mic. 7:20) and 2x with the comparative coph preposition (Isa. 51:9; Jer. 46:26). The fact that all the other instances of this figure of speech are close to the time of the exile could be an indicator that this Psalm was not written in David’s time.

DAquila used the synonym φυλα (tribes)

EAq. translated more like the MT with exapesteilas = commissioned

FNAS=spread abroad, NIV=made flourish, ESB=set free

GThe image of “planting” Israel as a nation is also in Ex. 15:17, Isa. 5:7, and Isa. 40:23-34

HChrysostom used a synonym for sword μαχαιρα

INIV=loved, ESV=delighted

JThe Dead Sea Scroll containing this verse, dating a thousand years older than the Masoretic text spells the 2nd person pronomial suffixes in this verse with כה- rather than ך-

KAquila, whose 2nd century AD Greek translation closely follows the MT, kept this pronoun which is not in the MT, as did Theodotion. Symmachus, on the other hand, in this 3rd century translation does attest to the MT by leaving off the μου

LSym. supports the MT with an imperative rather than a participle here, but presumably not Aq.

MNIV=[who] decree[s], ESV=ordain

NNAS/NIV=victories, ESV=salvationX

OMT pointing interpreted this as an imperative, but LXX (and Syriac and NIV) interpreted it as a participle. I think it’s a matter of word spacing. The original manuscripts didn’t have much in the way of spaces, so the letters אלהיםצוה could be divided as אלהי | םצוה my god, commanding” or as אלהים | צוה God, command” either way makes sense and fits with the rest of scripture. It is unique among both imperative and participle forms of this word in the O.T. in that this is the only imperative of this word issued from man to God; all others are issued from God to a civil or ecclesiastical leader (although other imperatives are issued toward God), and it is the only participle describing God as “one who commands” (although God obviously issued many commands).

PIn v.8 of the LXX, the same Hebrew word is rendered with a different, but synonymous word.

QThis is Rahlf’s edition. The Vaticanus spelled it with a delta instead of a theta, these are alternate spellings of the same word, not two different words. Aq. & Sym. Translated closer to the MT with συμπατησομεν we will tread down together” and Chrysostom with κατακρατησομεν we will whelm down/overpower/subdue.”

RNAS=adversaries, ESV=foes, same in v.7

SThis verb is found only 9 other places in the O.T., all but the last of them describing offensive action with an animal’s horn (Ex. 21:28, 31-32; Dt. 33:17; 1 Ki. 22:11; 2 Chr. 18:10; Ezek. 34:21; Dan. 8:4; 11:40).

TThis word only occurs elsewhere in two Davidic psalms (Ps. 60:14; 108:14) a Proverb (27:7) and the major prophets (Isa. 14:19, 25; 63:6, 18; Jer. 12:10; Ezek. 16:6, 22; Zech. 10:5).

Ucf. Chrysostom = ‘οτι

VOf the two extant DSS containing this verse, one (4Q – followed by the NIV) does not contain the copula here but the other (1Q) does. LXX also contains it, so it’s genuine. Either way, it doesn’t change the meaning.

WΑq. & Sym. Translated with more-common synonyms for boasting (καυχησομεθα) and singing hymns of praise (‘υμνουμεν) – both in the Greek future tense, although the MT verb is Perfect tense.

XESV=continually

YAlexandrian, Lucian, and Veronen Greek manuscripts agree with the Vulgate’s addition of “O God” and with the future tense of “gone out/deployed.” The Hebrew verb is spelled in the imperfect tense (which can be interpreted as future) but it also has a vav prefix (which can be interpreted as throwing an imperfect verb into perfect tense), so the Hebrew supports the range of interpretation given by both Greek and English versions of the verb tense, but since this is a litany of complaints, all the actions must have happened in the past to be able to accuse God of them.

ZNASB=dishonored, NIV=humbled, ESV=disgraced

AADelitzsch argued for “nevertheless” in his commentary. G. Wilson argued that it “must” be translated “but now.”

ABSymmachus supported the MT singular.

ACNIV=retreat

ADNASB=adversary, ESV=foe

AENIV=plundered

AFSyrac and Targums read לנו "to us” - which is the NIV’s rendering, but Symmachus supported the LXX and MT.

AGNASB=to be eaten, NIV=to be devoured, ESV=for slaughter

AHAll other English versions read “nations” here and in v.14

AIcf. Symmachus ‘υπαρξεως και ου πολλην εποιησας την τιμην αυτων and Theodotian ην πλεονασμα εν τς αλαλαγματι ‘ημων

AJNASB=cheaply, NIV=for a pittance, ESV=for a trifle

AKNASB=profit, NIV=gaining [any]thing, ESV=demanding

ALNASB, NIV=sale

AMESV=the taunt

ANNASB=scoffing

AOThis condition of reproach and being mocked has been mentioned before by David in Psalm 31:11 and 35:16 (and by the Messiah in Psalm 22:6 and 8)

APSymmachus rendered φυλαις “tribes,” which might be closer to the MT.

AQNASB, ESV=laughingstock

ARAll other English translations render this plural, as the Hebrew and Greek is.

ASNASB=dishonor, NIV, ESV=disgrace

ATLiterally in Hebrew and Greek, “all the day” thus all other English versions read “all day long.”

AUCf. NASB: “my humiliation has overwhelmed me”

AVESV=taunter (cf. v.13)

AWNASB, NIV, ESV=revile

AXLit.=face, NASB=presence, ESV=sight

AYAquila (εψευσαμεθα “engaged in falsehood”) and Symmachus (παρελογισαμεθα “sidetracked words”) seem to have corrected the LXX to the MT.

AZNASB=with, NIV/ESV=to

BANASB=deviated, NIV=strayed, ESV=departed

BBThe LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac all insert “And” at the beginning of this verse. No DSS exists for this verse.

BCThe Masoretic vowel pointing added around the 10th century to the Hebrew text indicates a third singular subject, stretched by some to include plurality, thus the English versions (and the ancient Greek witness E from Origen’s Hexapla) “our feet declined/deviated,” but the original Hebrew could just as well support this verb being second person singular (with only one difference in the vowel pointing), thus, “you turned aside” is the LXX and Vulgate rendering. The Syriac and Lucian rescension of the Greek also support this with “you did not turn aside,” although the negative is not there in any Hebrew manuscript. Delitzsch commented, “This is therefore not one of the many instances in which the לא of one clause also had influence over the clause that follows...” Symmachus’ 3rd century Greek version reads 3rd plural with a passive “our steps were turned.”

BDcf. Aq: συνετριψας ημας εν τοπω σειρηνων (“afflicted? us together in a place of sirens”) and Sym: συνεθλασας ‘ημας εν τοπω αοικητω (“You shattered us in a place of homelesness?”) seem closer to the MT.

BENASB, NIV=crushed

BFNASB, NIV, ESV=jackals

BGCalvin argued for this particle to be translated “although” or “when” instead of “because.”

BHcf. Ps. 38:2

BINeither Symmachus nor E nor the Vulgate nor the LXX have the preposition “with” but Aquila does. Nevertheless, Aq, Sym, and E all attest to the verb being 2nd person singular “you covered” agreeing with the MT over the LXX.

BJNASB=extended, NIV,ESV=spread out

BKNIV, ESV=foreign

BLNASB=find, NIV, ESV=discover

BMNASB, NIV=considered, ESV=regarded

BNEnglish versions add “to,” following the Syriac and Targums and a couple of Hebrew manuscripts which insert -ל here. cf. Jer. 12:3 which does have the lamed preposition in the MT.

BODespite the fact that Symmachus, Syriac, and Vulgate support the addition of this “and,” it is definitely not in the DSS. Aq., curiously adds “into victory.”

BPNASB=arouse yourself

BQNASB=awake, NIV, ESV=arouse yourself

BRNASB, NIV, ESV=reject

BSThe Greek versions of Aquila and Symmachus both support the MT with “hide” instead of “turn away.”

BTSymmachus and others went with translations based on κακος “bad” rather than “poor,” but the Hebrew word supports both meanings.

BUcf. Psalm 9:13, 25:18, 31:7, 42:9, 10:11-14, Hosea 4:6 for why God “forgets”

BVAq: κατεκαμφθη (“bend down” is closer to the MT), cf. Σ: κατεκυψεν (“cut down”?)

BWNASB=sunk, NIV=brought

BXNASB, NIV=body

BYAq. & Sym. followed the MT with ελεος “mercy”

BZNASB=lovingkindness, NIV=unfailing love, ESV=steadfast love

CAThe LXX and Vulgate add “O Lord.” I wish this verse had been preserved in the DSS for comparison!

CBDelitzsch commented that the paragogic he here is directional. He didn’t comment on the accompanying verbs which also end with he, which I think are supplicatory, the equivalent of saying “please.”