Mazmur 77:7-12

77:7 I asked, ¹  “Will the Lord reject me forever?

Will he never again show me his favor?

77:8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever?

Has his promise ²  failed forever?

77:9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has his anger stifled his compassion?”

77:10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought

that the sovereign One ³  might become inactive. ⁴ 

77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord.

Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago! ⁵ 

77:12 I will think about all you have done;

I will reflect upon your deeds!”

Mazmur 103:17

103:17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, ⁶ 

and is faithful to their descendants, ⁷ 

Mazmur 106:1

Psalm 106 ⁸ 

106:1 Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

and his loyal love endures! ⁹ 

Mazmur 107:1

Book 5
(Psalms 107-150)

Psalm 107 ¹⁰ 

107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

and his loyal love endures! ¹¹ 

Mazmur 136:11-26

136:11 and led Israel out from their midst,

for his loyal love endures,

136:12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,

for his loyal love endures,

136:13 to the one who divided ¹²  the Red Sea ¹³  in two, ¹⁴ 

for his loyal love endures,

136:14 and led Israel through its midst,

for his loyal love endures,

136:15 and tossed ¹⁵  Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,

for his loyal love endures,

136:16 to the one who led his people through the wilderness,

for his loyal love endures,

136:17 to the one who struck down great kings,

for his loyal love endures,

136:18 and killed powerful kings,

for his loyal love endures,

136:19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,

for his loyal love endures,

136:20 Og, king of Bashan,

for his loyal love endures,

136:21 and gave their land as an inheritance,

for his loyal love endures,

136:22 as an inheritance to Israel his servant,

for his loyal love endures,

136:23 to the one who remembered us when we were down, ¹⁶ 

for his loyal love endures,

136:24 and snatched us away from our enemies,

for his loyal love endures,

136:25 to the one who gives food to all living things, ¹⁷ 

for his loyal love endures.

136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,

for his loyal love endures!

Kejadian 24:27

24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love ¹⁸  for my master! The Lord has led me ¹⁹  to the house ²⁰  of my master’s relatives!” ²¹ 

Kejadian 32:9

32:9 Then Jacob prayed, ²²  “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said ²³  to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ ²⁴ 

Keluaran 15:13

15:13 By your loyal love you will lead ²⁵  the people whom ²⁶  you have redeemed;

you will guide ²⁷  them by your strength to your holy dwelling place.

Keluaran 34:6

34:6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: ²⁸  “The Lord, the Lord, ²⁹  the compassionate and gracious ³⁰  God, slow to anger, ³¹  and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, ³² 

Nehemia 9:19

9:19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day, ³³  nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel.

Yeremia 33:11

33:11 Once again there will be sounds ³⁴  of joy and gladness and the glad celebrations of brides and grooms. ³⁵  Once again people will bring their thank offerings to the temple of the Lord and will say, “Give thanks to the Lord who rules over all. For the Lord is good and his unfailing love lasts forever.” ³⁶  For I, the Lord, affirm ³⁷  that I will restore the land to what it was ³⁸  in days of old.’ ³⁹ 

Mikha 7:18-20

7:18 There is no other God like you! ⁴⁰ 

You ⁴¹  forgive sin

and pardon ⁴²  the rebellion

of those who remain among your people. ⁴³ 

You do not remain angry forever, ⁴⁴ 

but delight in showing loyal love.

7:19 You will once again ⁴⁵  have mercy on us;

you will conquer ⁴⁶  our evil deeds;

you will hurl our ⁴⁷  sins into the depths of the sea. ⁴⁸ 

7:20 You will be loyal to Jacob

and extend your loyal love to Abraham, ⁴⁹ 

which you promised on oath to our ancestors ⁵⁰ 

in ancient times. ⁵¹ 

Lukas 1:50

1:50 from ⁵²  generation to generation he is merciful ⁵³  to those who fear ⁵⁴  him.

[77:7]  ¹ tn As in vv. 4 and 6a, the words of vv. 7-9 are understood as a quotation of what the psalmist said earlier. Therefore the words “I asked” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[77:8]  ² tn Heb “word,” which may refer here to God’s word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).

[77:10]  ³ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[77:10]  ⁴ tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khallotiy) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khalotiy), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shÿnot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.

[77:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “yes, I will remember from old your wonders.”

[77:11]  sn The psalmist refuses to allow skepticism to win out. God has revealed himself to his people in tangible, incontrovertible ways in the past and the psalmist vows to remember the historical record as a source of hope for the future.

[103:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “but the loyal love of the Lord [is] from everlasting to everlasting over those who fear him.”

[103:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”

[106:1]  ⁸ sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.

[106:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”

[107:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 107. The psalmist praises God for his kindness to his exiled people.

[107:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”

[136:13]  ¹² tn Or “cut.”

[136:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in v. 15). “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.

[136:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “into pieces.”

[136:15]  ¹⁵ tn Or “shook off.”

[136:23]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “who, in our low condition, remembered us.”

[136:25]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “to all flesh,” which can refer to all people (see Pss 65:2; 145:21) or more broadly to mankind and animals. Elsewhere the psalms view God as the provider for all living things (see Pss 104:27-28; 145:15).

[24:27]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”

[24:27]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “As for me – in the way the Lord led me.”

[24:27]  ²⁰ tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.

[24:27]  ²¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

[32:9]  ²² tn Heb “said.”

[32:9]  ²³ tn Heb “the one who said.”

[32:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.

[15:13]  ²⁵ tn The verbs in the next two verses are perfect tenses, but can be interpreted as a prophetic perfect, looking to the future.

[15:13]  ²⁶ tn The particle זוּ (zu) is a relative pronoun, subordinating the next verb to the preceding.

[15:13]  ²⁷ tn This verb seems to mean “to guide to a watering-place” (See Ps 23:2).

[34:6]  ²⁸ tn Here is one of the clearest examples of what it means “to call on the name of the Lord,” as that clause has been translated traditionally (וַיִּקְרָא בְשֵׁם יְהוָה, vayyiqra’ vÿshem yÿhvah). It seems more likely that it means “to make proclamation of Yahweh by name.” Yahweh came down and made a proclamation – and the next verses give the content of what he said. This cannot be prayer or praise; it is a proclamation of the nature or attributes of God (which is what his “name” means throughout the Bible). Attempts to make Moses the subject of the verb are awkward, for the verb is repeated in v. 6 with Yahweh clearly doing the proclaiming.

[34:6]  ²⁹ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 439) suggests that these two names be written as a sentence: “Yahweh, He is Yahweh.” In this manner it reflects “I am that I am.” It is impossible to define his name in any other way than to make this affirmation and then show what it means.

[34:6]  ³⁰ tn See Exod 33:19.

[34:6]  ³¹ sn This is literally “long of anger.” His anger prolongs itself, allowing for people to repent before punishment is inflicted.

[34:6]  ³² sn These two words (“loyal love” and “truth”) are often found together, occasionally in a hendiadys construction. If that is the interpretation here, then it means “faithful covenant love.” Even if they are left separate, they are dual elements of a single quality. The first word is God’s faithful covenant love; the second word is God’s reliability and faithfulness.

[9:19]  ³³ tn Heb “did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path.”

[33:11]  ³⁴ tn Heb “33:10 Thus says the Lord, ‘There will again be heard in this place of which you are saying [masc. pl.], “It is a ruin without people and without animals,” [that is] in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem which are desolate without people and without inhabitants and without animals 33:11 the sound of….” The long run-on sentence in Hebrew has been broken down to better conform with contemporary English style.

[33:11]  ³⁵ sn What is predicted here is a reversal of the decimation caused by the Babylonian conquest that had been threatened in 7:34; 16:9; 25:10.

[33:11]  ³⁶ sn This is a common hymnic introduction to both individual songs of thanksgiving (e.g., Ps 118:1) and communal songs of thanksgiving (e.g., Ps 136 where it is a liturgical refrain accompanying a recital of Israel’s early history and of the Lord’s continuing providence).

[33:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[33:11]  ³⁸ tn Or “I will restore the fortunes of the land.”

[33:11]  sn See the study note on Jer 29:18 and compare 29:14; 30:3, 18; 31:23; 32:44; 33:7 for the meaning and usage of this idiom. The promise here repeats that in 33:7.

[33:11]  ³⁹ tn This phrase simply means “as formerly” (BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן 3.a). The reference to the “as formerly” must be established from the context. See the usage in Judg 20:32; 1 Kgs 13:6; Isa 1:26.

[33:11]  sn This refers to the reunification of Israel and Judah to the state that they were before the division after Solomon. Compare Jer 3:18; 30:3; 31:27 and see the study note on 30:3.

[7:18]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”

[7:18]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “one who.” The prayer moves from direct address (second person) in v. 18a to a descriptive (third person) style in vv. 18b-19a and then back to direct address (second person) in vv. 19b-20. Due to considerations of English style and the unfamiliarity of the modern reader with alternation of persons in Hebrew poetry, the entire section has been rendered as direct address (second person) in the translation.

[7:18]  ⁴² tn Heb “pass over.”

[7:18]  ⁴³ tn Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”

[7:18]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”

[7:19]  ⁴⁵ tn The verb יָשׁוּב (yashuv, “he will return”) is here used adverbially in relation to the following verb, indicating that the Lord will again show mercy.

[7:19]  ⁴⁶ tn Some prefer to read יִכְבֹּס (yikhbos, “he will cleanse”; see HALOT 459 s.v. כבס pi). If the MT is taken as it stands, sin is personified as an enemy that the Lord subdues.

[7:19]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “their sins,” but the final mem (ם) may be enclitic rather than a pronominal suffix. In this case the suffix from the preceding line (“our”) may be understood as doing double duty.

[7:19]  ⁴⁸ sn In this metaphor the Lord disposes of Israel’s sins by throwing them into the waters of the sea (here symbolic of chaos).

[7:20]  ⁴⁹ tn More literally, “You will extend loyalty to Jacob, and loyal love to Abraham.

[7:20]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “our fathers.” The Hebrew term refers here to more distant ancestors, not immediate parents.

[7:20]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “which you swore [or, “pledged”] to our fathers from days of old.”

[1:50]  ⁵² tn Grk “and from.” Here καί (kai) has been translated by a semicolon to improve the English style.

[1:50]  ⁵³ sn God’s mercy refers to his “loyal love” or “steadfast love,” expressed in faithful actions, as the rest of the psalm illustrates.

[1:50]  ⁵⁴ tn That is, “who revere.” This refers to those who show God a reverential respect for his sovereignty.