Psalm 76
New English Translation
Psalm 76[a]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.
76 God has revealed himself in Judah;[b]
in Israel his reputation[c] is great.
2 He lives in Salem;[d]
he dwells in Zion.[e]
3 There he shattered the arrows,[f]
the shield, the sword, and the rest of the weapons of war.[g] (Selah)
4 You shine brightly and reveal your majesty,
as you descend from the hills where you killed your prey.[h]
5 The bravehearted[i] were plundered;[j]
they “fell asleep.”[k]
All the warriors were helpless.[l]
6 At the sound of your battle cry,[m] O God of Jacob,
both rider[n] and horse “fell asleep.”[o]
7 You are awesome! Yes, you!
Who can withstand your intense anger?[p]
8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be.[q]
The earth[r] was afraid and silent
9 when God arose to execute judgment,
and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)
10 Certainly[s] your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise;[t]
you reveal your anger in full measure.[u]
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them.
Let all those who surround him[v] bring tribute to the awesome one.
12 He humbles princes;[w]
the kings of the earth regard him as awesome.[x]
Footnotes
- Psalm 76:1 sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.
- Psalm 76:1 tn Or “God is known in Judah.”
- Psalm 76:1 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
- Psalm 76:2 sn Salem is a shorter name for Jerusalem (see Gen 14:18).
- Psalm 76:2 tn Heb “and his place of refuge is in Salem, and his lair in Zion.” God may be likened here to a lion (see v. 4).
- Psalm 76:3 tn Heb “flames of the bow,” i.e., arrows.
- Psalm 76:3 tn Heb “shield and sword and battle.” “Battle” probably here stands by metonymy for the weapons of war in general.sn This verse may allude to the miraculous defeat of the Assyrians in 701 b.c. (see Isa 36-37).
- Psalm 76:4 tn Heb “radiant [are] you, majestic from the hills of prey.” God is depicted as a victorious king and as a lion that has killed its victims.
- Psalm 76:5 tn Heb “strong of heart.” In Isa 46:12, the only other text where this phrase appears, it refers to those who are stubborn, but here it seems to describe brave warriors (see the next line).
- Psalm 76:5 tn The verb is a rare Aramaized form of the Hitpolel (see GKC 149 §54.a, n. 2); the root is שָׁלַל (shalal, “to plunder”).
- Psalm 76:5 tn Heb “they slept [in] their sleep.” “Sleep” here refers to the “sleep” of death. A number of modern translations take the phrase to refer to something less than death, however: NASB “cast into a deep sleep”; NEB “fall senseless”; NIV “lie still”; NRSV “lay stunned.”
- Psalm 76:5 tn Heb “and all the men of strength did not find their hands.”
- Psalm 76:6 tn Heb “from your shout.” The noun is derived from the Hebrew verb גָּעַר (gaʿar), which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 18:15; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
- Psalm 76:6 tn Or “chariot,” but even so the term is metonymic for the charioteer.
- Psalm 76:6 tn Heb “he fell asleep, and [the] chariot and [the] horse.” Once again (see v. 5) “sleep” refers here to the “sleep” of death.
- Psalm 76:7 tc Heb “and who can stand before you from the time of your anger?” The Hebrew expression מֵאָז (meʾaz, “from the time of”) is better emended to מֵאֹז (meʾoz, “from [i.e., “because of”] the strength of your anger”; see Ps 90:11).
- Psalm 76:8 tn Heb “a [legal] decision,” or “sentence.”
- Psalm 76:8 tn “The earth” stands here by metonymy for its inhabitants.
- Psalm 76:10 tn Or “for.”
- Psalm 76:10 tn Heb “the anger of men will praise you.” This could mean that men’s anger (subjective genitive), when punished by God, will bring him praise, but this interpretation does not harmonize well with the next line. The translation assumes that God’s anger is in view here (see v. 7) and that “men” is an objective genitive. God’s angry judgment against men brings him praise because it reveals his power and majesty (see vv. 1-4).
- Psalm 76:10 tn Heb “the rest of anger you put on.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear. Perhaps the idea is that God, as he prepares for battle, girds himself with every last ounce of his anger, as if it were a weapon.
- Psalm 76:11 tn The phrase “all those who surround him” may refer to the surrounding nations (v. 12 may favor this), but in Ps 89:7 the phrase refers to God’s heavenly assembly.
- Psalm 76:12 tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.
- Psalm 76:12 tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”
Psalm 76
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 76[a]
God, Defender of Zion
1 For the director.[b] With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
2 [c]God is renowned in Judah;
his name is great in Israel.
3 His tent has been established in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
4 There he shattered the flashing arrows,
shields and swords and weapons of war. Selah
5 [d]You are awesome and resplendent,
more majestic than the everlasting mountains.
6 The bold warriors lie plundered
and sleeping their last sleep.[e]
And not one of the men of war
can lift up his hands.
7 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both chariots and horses lie prostrate.
8 You indeed are awesome;
who can stand in your presence when your anger is aroused?
9 You thundered your verdicts from the heavens;
the earth in its terror was silent
10 when you arose, O God, to judge,
to rescue all the afflicted of the land.[f] Selah
11 Human wrath only serves to praise you;[g]
those who survive your anger will cling to you.
12 [h]Make vows to the Lord, your God, and keep them;
let all the lands nearby
bring gifts to the Awesome One,
13 who breaks the spirit of rulers
and inspires fear in the kings of the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 76:1 In 701 B.C., the mighty army of Sennacherib had camped beneath the walls of Jerusalem. One night the attacker suddenly lifted the siege. What mysterious terror did the Lord employ to put to rout the forces of that haughty ruler? It is the victory of God at Jerusalem; and in the holy city, God reveals himself through his triumphs (see 2 Ki 19:35). The memory of this event remained engraved in the minds of the people (see 2 Mac 8:19; Sir 48:21) and became the symbol for the salvation awaited by the poor, the remnant of God.
Like Ps 46, this hymn to the glory of Zion is doubtless inspired by that event; it restores the courage and hope of the exiles returning from Babylon after 538 B.C. The fearsome God prostrates the powerful of the world and saves the lowly. This confidence of the poor will continuously rise from the heart of humankind in protest against haughty dominators as an announcement of the judgment of God.
It is by the glorious Christ that God the Father dwells in and protects his new people, the Church. With this psalm, we can rightly celebrate our Savior, who is terrible for his enemies: the devil, sin, and death. - Psalm 76:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Asaph: see notes on Pss 73–89.
- Psalm 76:2 The Lord has chosen Salem (ancient name for Jerusalem; see Gen 14:18; Heb 7:1-3) as his royal city so that both the southern kingdom (Judah) and the northern kingdom (Israel) may gain reassurance that God is in their midst (see Ps 46).
- Psalm 76:5 Praise of God’s mighty deed against the Assyrians and his judgment of evildoers.
- Psalm 76:6 Last sleep: allusion to the night of which 2 Ki 19:35 speaks (see Ps 13:5; Jer 51:39, 57; Nah 3:18).
- Psalm 76:10 Rescue all the afflicted of the land: the psalmist widens his perspectives to include not only the inhabitants of Zion, but also all the lowly who will be saved by God’s defeat of the rulers and war leaders.
- Psalm 76:11 Praise you: everyone must give honor to the Most High—even those who rebel against the Lord and his kingdom must proclaim his honor and glory. When wrath leads men to do evil, it also leads to God’s praise when he defeats them. The same theme is found in an alternative translation: “your wrath against men brings you praise”; in his wrath, he brings down the wicked and obtains praise from those he has thus rescued. Furthermore, God’s wrath against evil is never exhausted. This should gain him the praise and fear of all peoples.
- Psalm 76:12 All people must respond wisely to the Lord. His covenant people must keep their vows to him. The Gentiles must offer homage to this Awesome One who rules over everyone, including kings.
Psalm 76
King James Version
76 In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
4 Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.
5 The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.
6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.
7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?
8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,
9 When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.
10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
11 Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
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