In Psalm 77, King David tells of his dismay and trials. He writes them down for the generations of Jews who will come after him so that they can know and carry David’s experiences with them and thus accept their own experiences as King David did. The Jews are building on the river of tribulation as a huge investment in future redemption. Meanwhile, the Jews are connected to David and other righteous people and hopefully to themselves. Jews must always realize that G-d is with them in dark times. He holds their hands.
- Text Psalm 77
- Hebrew text of Psalm 77 – תהילים עז
- Listen to Psalm 77
- Explanation of Psalm 77 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
- Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 77
- Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
- Psalm 1 to 92
Text Psalm 77
For the conductor on jeduthun, a song by Asaph. My voice is to G‑d and I will cry out; my voice is to G‑d, and listen to me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my wound oozes at night and does not abate; my soul refuses to be comforted. I remember G-d and I stir; I speak and my mind grows weak forever.
….The waters saw You, O G-d, the waters saw You, they trembled, even the depths trembled. They poured out wide waters ; the air uttered a voice, even your arrows went abroad. The sound of Your thunder is like a wheel; lightning lit up the world; the earth shook and trembled. In the sea was Your way, and Your way in the mighty waters, and Your steps were not known.
Hebrew text of Psalm 77 – תהילים עז
- To win over Al-Yidtun (Yidtun) to add a psalm. My voice is to God and I cried out my voice to God and He heard me. 3 In the day of my trouble, Lord, I will pray for you, a night that is awake and will not expire because of you, my soul is comforted. D I will remember God, and I will be silent, and my soul will be enveloped in peace. You hold the guard of my eyes, I tremble and will not speak. And I thought days in advance were years of the world. 7 I will remember my music at night with my heart, and my soul will seek. The Lord will forsake the worlds and will not desire any more. 9 The office for eternity, his mercy finished saying to generation and generation. Y He forgot the store to the mother, jumped at the mercy of Sela. 11 And he said, My illness is two years in the upper right. 12 I will remember her exploits, for I have remembered your terror from before. 13 And I have spoken in all your actions and in your plots. The hand of God is in the holiness of your way, from a God as great as God. You are the miracle-working God, you have declared your strength among the peoples. 16 You have redeemed the sons of Jacob and Yosef Selah in the arms of your people. 17 See water, God, see water. 18 Let the thick water flow, let the clouds move over your rocks. 19 The voice of your thunder in the roll of lightening lightnings will cause anger and the earth will shake. For in the seas your path and for you (and for you) in many waters and your footsteps were not known. 11 You rested like a sheep of your people in the hands of Moses and Aaron.
Listen to Psalm 77
Listen to Psalm 77 in Hebrew.
Explanation of Psalm 77 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
According to the Jewish sages, Gd sympathizes when Jews are affected by suffering. Because G-d is infinite, His suffering is limitless. A person cannot imagine the pain that G-d experiences.
HaShem always hears the Jews and shares in their misery. King David tells us that it is not a sin to feel hurt, even if the Jews see no way out. As long as the Jews remain aware that G-d helps them to rise above everything. Every Jew experiences difficulties in his or her life. But once he or she recovers, he or she can see how G-d has been helpful. In the face of new trials, Jews should weep for the temporary loss of their previous trust in G-d and strengthen themselves with hope. In times of gloom, Jews must take courage from the past, realize where they come from and who they represent. In the darkest of times, Jews looked to HaShem and found promise and strength.
The Psalmist goes further to express that fears lurk in the heart. Jews are too human. They hold grudges and find it difficult to forgive. The Psalmist wonders whether G-d has sidetracked the Jews. The answer is: no! G‑d redeems the Jews again and again and takes them to new heights. He chose Moses and Aaron as leaders of the Jewish people who would free the Jews from their slavery. The Jews know in their hearts that HaShem is near and will deliver them.
Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 77
Per verse the commentary of Rashi, the Jewish Bible commentator who lived from 1040-1105. Rashi is considered the teacher of teachers. All traditional Jews regard Rashi as an authority on the Jewish Bible and Talmud. Hence it is important to record his commentary on the Psalms. Rashi uses new Hebrew supplemented with Old French words. His language is sometimes somewhat oracularly short. For further explanation it is wise to consult an orthodox Jewish rabbi.
Verse 1
For the conductor on jeduthun, a song of Asaph.
on jeduthun : Concerning the decrees and laws concerning Israel.
Verse 3
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my wound oozes at night and does not abate; my soul refuses to be comforted.
my wound : Hebrew ידי, literally, my hand; my wound.
my wound oozes : In this exile, which is like the night, it exudes pus and bile.
and does not diminish : It does not seep.
Verse 4
I remember G-d and I stir; I speak and my mind grows weak forever.
I remember G-d : The kindness He used to do for me in the days of my love.
I speak : about those acts of kindness and favors.
and my mind grows weak : Pasmer in Old French, to faint or swoon.
Verse 5
You held the awakening of my eyes; I knock and I don’t speak.
You held the awakening of my eyes : Hebrew שמרות, an expression of the watch (אשמרת) of the night, for [when] a person awakens from his sleep, his mind is quiet and his heart returns to him, but so am not me. In this night of exile my eyes are always stuck together, like a man who sleeps from a clogged heart, and in the troubles I see, my mind beats and I have no speech in me.
Verse 6
I think of days of old, old years.
I think of days of old : to remember the acts of kindness You performed for our ancestors.
Verse 7
I remember my music at night; I speak with my heart and my mind searches.
I remember my music at night : In the days of this exile, which is like night, I remember my melodies that I used to play in the Temple.
I speak with my heart : I think, and my mind seeks [to ascertain] what is the way of the Holy One, blessed be He, and I wonder: Will He forsake [me] forever?
Verse 9
Is His kindness ended forever? Has He issued a decree for all generations?
Is…Forever Ended : Perhaps His acts of kindness have ended?
Has He issued a decree : an everlasting decree that He will never again repent of His wrath?
Verse 10
Has G-d forgotten to be merciful? Has He, in wrath, shut off His mercy forever?,
Is….forgotten to be merciful? : Hebrew חנות, to be merciful, as עשוֹת, to do; ראוֹת, to see. Another explanation: חנות means merciful acts.
Has He, in wrath, shut off His mercy forever?: Hebrew קפץ, an expression of (Deuteronomy 15:7): ,and shut not (תקפץ) thine hand,, i.e., has He shut up mercy forever because of the anger?
Verse 11
And I said, ,This is to terrify me, the change of the right hand of the Most High.,
And I said, ,This is to terrify me, : My thoughts tell me, ,This is only to frighten and frighten me into returning to Him.”
to terrify : Hebrew חלותי, as לחלוֹתי, to terrify me, an expression of illness and fear.
the change of the right hand of the Most High : How the right hand of the Most High was changed. It was mighty with power and now He has withdrawn His right hand.
Verse 13
And I meditate on all Your works and speak of Your deeds.
And I meditate on all Your works : that You have already done for us.
Verse 14
O G-d, Your way is in holiness. Who is a power as great as G-d?
Your way is in holiness : Your way is to sanctify Your name in the world, to execute justice on the wicked.
Verse 17
The waters saw You, O G-d, the waters saw You, they trembled, even the depths trembled.
The waters saw You : [The] mighty [waters saw You] when You were revealed by the sea.
Verse 18
They poured forth wide waters; the air uttered a voice, even your arrows went abroad.
They poured forth wide waters : The air poured forth a stream of wide waters.
your arrows : Hebrew חצציך, as חִצֶי.
Verse 19
The sound of Your thunder is like a wheel; lightning lit up the world; the earth shook and trembled.
like a wheel : Hebrew בגלגל, as כגלגל. The sound of Your thunder [rolled] like a wheel over the sea to confuse the camp of the Egyptians.
Verse 20
Your way was in the sea, and Your way in the mighty waters, and Your steps were not known.
and Your steps were not known : The steps are not recognizable on the water. [The word] ועקבותי means tracks in Old French, footprints.
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
Shemot Rabbah 2:5 discusses Gd’s suffering with the Jewish people in more detail. The Jewish people attached themselves to G-d at Sinai. For the Jews said (Exodus 24:7), All that the Lord had spoken will we do and obey. Rabbi Yannai explains that G-d and the Jewish people are, so to speak, twins. Just as twins feel each other’s headaches, G-d feels the suffering of the Jewish people. Psalm 91:15 says it clearly: I am with him in sorrow.
There is another explanation. It is said I am with him in sorrow. The meaning of this is that when the Jews experience suffering they only call upon the Holy One. See Exodus 2:23: And their cry came up to G-d. And also in Exodus 14:10 it says that the Jews cried out to G-d as they stood by the Sea of Reeds. There are many more examples like this, such as in Isaiah 63:9: In all their sorrows He was in sorrow.
G-d told Moses that the thorn bush from which G-d spoke to Moses is a sign that G-d is a partner in the sorrow of the Jews in Egypt. Just as the thornbush is the lowest of all the trees in the world, so Israel was humbled and downtrodden in Egypt.
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.