Psalm 77

Psalm 77
"I cried unto God with my voice"
Verse 19 of Psalm 77 on a grave stone in Ireland
Other name	Psalmus 76 "Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi"
Language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 77
← Psalm 76 Psalm 78 →
Book	Book of Psalms
Hebrew Bible part	Ketuvim
Order in the Hebrew part	1
Category	Sifrei Emet
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	19

Psalm 77 is the 77th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 76. In Latin, it is known as "Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi".^[1]

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.

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Transcription

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text^[2]^[3] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse	Hebrew	English translation (JPS 1917)
1	לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־[יְדוּת֗וּן] (ידיתון) לְאָסָ֥ף מִזְמֽוֹר׃‎	For the Leader; for Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
2	קוֹלִ֣י אֶל־אֱלֹהִ֣ים וְאֶצְעָ֑קָה קוֹלִ֥י אֶל־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים וְהַאֲזִ֥ין אֵלָֽי׃‎	I will lift up my voice unto God, an cry; I will lift up my voice unto God, that He may give ear unto me.
3	בְּי֥וֹם צָרָתִי֮ אֲדֹנָ֢י דָּ֫רָ֥שְׁתִּי יָדִ֤י ׀ לַ֣יְלָה נִ֭גְּרָה וְלֹ֣א תָפ֑וּג מֵאֲנָ֖ה הִנָּחֵ֣ם נַפְשִֽׁי׃‎	In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; With my hand uplifted, [mine eye] streameth in the night without ceasing; My soul refuseth to be comforted.
4	אֶזְכְּרָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֣ים וְאֶהֱמָ֑יָה אָשִׂ֓יחָה ׀ וְתִתְעַטֵּ֖ף רוּחִ֣י סֶֽלָה׃‎	When I think thereon, O God, I must moan; When I muse thereon, my spirit fainteth. Selah .
5	אָ֭חַזְתָּ שְׁמֻר֣וֹת עֵינָ֑י נִ֝פְעַ֗מְתִּי וְלֹ֣א אֲדַבֵּֽר׃‎	Thou holdest fast the lids of mine eyes; I am troubled, and cannot speak.
6	חִשַּׁ֣בְתִּי יָמִ֣ים מִקֶּ֑דֶם שְׁ֝נ֗וֹת עוֹלָמִֽים׃‎	I have pondered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
7	אֶ֥זְכְּרָ֥ה נְגִינָתִ֗י בַּ֫לָּ֥יְלָה עִם־לְבָבִ֥י אָשִׂ֑יחָה וַיְחַפֵּ֥שׂ רוּחִֽי׃‎	In the night I will call to remembrance my song; I will commune with mine own heart; And my spirit maketh diligent search
8	הַ֭לְעוֹלָמִים יִזְנַ֥ח ׀ אֲדֹנָ֑י וְלֹא־יֹסִ֖יף לִרְצ֣וֹת עֽוֹד׃‎	'Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will He be favourable no more?
9	הֶאָפֵ֣ס לָנֶ֣צַח חַסְדּ֑וֹ גָּ֥מַר אֹ֝֗מֶר לְדֹ֣ר וָדֹֽר׃‎	Is His mercy clean gone for ever? Is His promise come to an end for evermore?
10	הֲשָׁכַ֣ח חַנּ֣וֹת אֵ֑ל אִם־קָפַ֥ץ בְּ֝אַ֗ף רַחֲמָ֥יו סֶֽלָה׃‎	Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath He in anger shut up his compassions?' Selah
11	וָ֭אֹמַר חַלּ֣וֹתִי הִ֑יא שְׁ֝נ֗וֹת יְמִ֣ין עֶלְיֽוֹן׃‎	And I say 'This is my weakness, That the right hand of the Most High could change.
12	(אזכיר) [אֶזְכּ֥וֹר] מַעַלְלֵי־יָ֑הּ כִּֽי־אֶזְכְּרָ֖ה מִקֶּ֣דֶם פִּלְאֶֽךָ׃‎	I will make mention of the deeds of the LORD; Yea, I will remember Thy wonders of old.
13	וְהָגִ֥יתִי בְכׇל־פׇּעֳלֶ֑ךָ וּֽבַעֲלִ֖ילוֹתֶ֣יךָ אָשִֽׂיחָה׃‎	I will meditate also upon all Thy work, And muse on Thy doings.'
14	אֱ֭לֹהִים בַּקֹּ֣דֶשׁ דַּרְכֶּ֑ךָ מִי־אֵ֥ל גָּ֝ד֗וֹל כֵּאלֹהִֽים׃‎	O God, Thy way is in holiness; Who is a great god like unto God?
15	אַתָּ֣ה הָ֭אֵל עֹ֣שֵׂה פֶ֑לֶא הוֹדַ֖עְתָּ בָעַמִּ֣ים עֻזֶּֽךָ׃‎	Thou art the God that doest wonders; Thou hast made known Thy strength among the peoples.
16	גָּאַ֣לְתָּ בִּזְר֣וֹעַ עַמֶּ֑ךָ בְּנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֖ב וְיוֹסֵ֣ף סֶֽלָה׃‎	Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed Thy people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
17	רָ֘א֤וּךָ מַּ֨יִם ׀ אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים רָא֣וּךָ מַּ֣יִם יָחִ֑ילוּ אַ֝֗ף יִרְגְּז֥וּ תְהֹמֽוֹת׃‎	The waters saw Thee, O God; The waters saw Thee, they were in pain; The depths also trembled.
18	זֹ֤רְמוּ מַ֨יִם ׀ עָב֗וֹת ק֭וֹל נָֽתְנ֣וּ שְׁחָקִ֑ים אַף־חֲ֝צָצֶ֗יךָ יִתְהַלָּֽכוּ׃‎	The clouds flooded forth waters; The skies sent out a sound; Thine arrows also went abroad.
19	ק֤וֹל רַֽעַמְךָ֨ ׀ בַּגַּלְגַּ֗ל הֵאִ֣ירוּ בְרָקִ֣ים תֵּבֵ֑ל רָגְזָ֖ה וַתִּרְעַ֣שׁ הָאָֽרֶץ׃‎	The voice of Thy thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lighted up the world; The earth trembled and shook.
20	בַּיָּ֤ם דַּרְכֶּ֗ךָ (ושביליך) [וּֽ֭שְׁבִילְךָ] בְּמַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים וְ֝עִקְּבוֹתֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א נֹדָֽעוּ׃‎	Thy way was in the sea, And Thy path in the great waters, And Thy footsteps were not known.
21	נָחִ֣יתָ כַצֹּ֣אן עַמֶּ֑ךָ בְּֽיַד־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאַהֲרֹֽן׃‎	Thou didst lead Thy people like a flock, By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

King James Version

I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.
Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?
Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?
Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.
And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.
I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.
Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.
The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.
Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Content

The psalm begins with a cry of distress: the psalmist has been experiencing profound difficulties, and his cries to God appear to have been ignored; only his memories of the past seem to bring anything even resembling joy. However, the psalmist then remembers God's integrity and realises that the failure of his hopes is the result of misplaced expectations of God's actions, rather than God's failure to act. Recalling God's actions in the past and his rule even over the natural world, he concludes with praise of "the God who performs miracles" (verse 14).^[4]

Interpretations

Coming from an evangelical Protestant perspective, Charles Spurgeon deemed the psalm the words of a single individual, in contrast to others who had interpreted it as representing the voice of the nation: "It utterly destroys all the beauty, all the tenderness and depth of feeling in the opening portion, if we suppose that the people are introduced speaking in the first person."^[4] John Calvin observed parallels to certain other biblical poetry, such as Psalm 118:18 and the hymn in the final chapter of Habakkuk: according to Calvin, the three share a common theme of becoming aware of ultimate divine deliverance from seemingly intractable terrors.^[5]

Uses

Judaism

Psalm 77 is recited along with Parshat HaChodesh and is recited on the third through sixth days of Sukkot.^[6]

It is one of the ten Psalms of the Tikkun HaKlali of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.^[7]^[8]

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the fifteenth day of the month.^[9]

Song

Peter van Essen's Dutch song, In het diepst van de nacht is based on Psalm 77.^{[citation needed]}

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 77 in a metred version in German, "Ich ruf zu Gott mit meiner Stimm", SWV 174, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.

References

^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter, Psalmus 76 (77). Archived 2017-05-07 at the Wayback Machine Medievalist.
^ "Psalms – Chapter 77". Mechon Mamre.
^ "Psalms 77 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
^ ^a ^b Spurgeon, Charles Haddon, The Treasury of David: Psalm 77 Archived 2013-07-09 at the Wayback Machine, digital edition, 2011. Accessed 2013-11-08.
^ Calvin, Jean. Commentary on Psalms. Vol. 3: Psalm 77:7-10. Digital edition, 2005. Accessed 2013-11-08.
^ The Artscroll Tehillim, page 329
^ Weintraub, Rabbi Simkha Y. (2018). "Psalms as the Ultimate Self-Help Tool". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
^ Greenbaum, Rabbi Avraham (2007). "The Ten Psalms: English Translation". azamra.org. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
^ Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, p. 253