Mazmur 78:38

78:38 Yet he is compassionate.

He forgives sin and does not destroy.

He often holds back his anger,

and does not stir up his fury. ¹ 

Mazmur 106:7-10

106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,

they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,

and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea. ² 

106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, ³ 

that he might reveal his power.

106:9 He shouted at ⁴  the Red Sea and it dried up;

he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.

106:10 He delivered them from the power ⁵  of the one who hated them,

and rescued ⁶  them from the power ⁷  of the enemy.

[78:38]  ¹ tn One could translate v. 38 in the past tense (“he was compassionate…forgave sin and did not destroy…held back his anger, and did not stir up his fury”), but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narrational summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for v. 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.

[106:7]  ² tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.

[106:7]  sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.

[106:8]  ³ tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[106:9]  ⁴ tn Or “rebuked.”

[106:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

[106:10]  ⁶ tn Or “redeemed.”

[106:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “hand.”