Psalm 77 Study Notes
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Ps 77 title On Jeduthun, see note at Ps 39 title. On Asaph, see note at Ps 50 title.
77:1-3 This psalm begins with a lament, an intense longing to hear from God (see note at 22:1).
77:4-6 Pondering a time when the worship experience was better caused grief and sleeplessness.
77:7 Typical of Asaph psalms (74:1-2; 80:3-4; 83:1; 88:14), the psalmist characterized God’s slow response as rejection and asked how long before the restoration of the Lord’s favor.
77:8 Faithful love (Hb chesed) could be rendered as “covenant love” or “covenant loyalty” in this context (see word study at 136:1-26). The psalmist hoped an appeal to the Lord’s faithful love would persuade God to respond to the crisis. He used language normally associated with the exodus from Egypt and the appearance of God at Sinai.
77:9 Gracious and compassionate often occur together in poetic contexts. While grace parallels the idea of showing favor in v. 7, compassion derives from the Hebrew root meaning “womb,” suggesting a filial relationship that parallels faithful love in v. 8. A literal rendering of the Hebrew text reads, “has he [God] closed up his womb in anger,” a figurative expression denoting the absence of parental love and concern for offspring.
zakar
| Hebrew pronunciation | [zah KAHR] |
| CSB translation | remember, think of, mention |
| Uses in Psalms | 54 |
| Uses in the OT | 235 |
| Focus passage | Psalm 77:3,6,11 |
Zakar chiefly means remember (Gn 8:1) but also mention, refer to, or think about (Jr 20:9; 23:36; 31:20). It implies consider (Ec 5:20), think (Ps 109:16), recall (Jb 11:16), think of (Ps 63:6), give orders to (Nah 2:5), invoke (2Sm 14:11), or hold against (Ps 79:8). “Not remember” connotes not acknowledge (Lm 2:1), or break (Am 1:9). Passive-reflexive verbs signify be worth mentioning (Jb 28:18) or be remembered (Is 23:16). Causative verbs mean call attention to (1Kg 17:18), preserve the memory (2Sm 18:18), or bring remembrance. They suggest remind (Is 43:26) or warn (Jr 4:16). They convey draw attention to (Ezk 21:23), make known (Is 63:7), proclaim (Ps 71:16), celebrate (Sg 1:4), or take pride in (Ps 20:7). Someone offers incense memorially (Is 66:3). “Mentioning a name” implies naming (Is 49:1). Participles represent court historian (2Sm 8:16), historian, record keeper, or recorder.
77:10 God’s right hand represents the power by which he works (60:5). God’s immutability guarantees his unchangeable character. The psalmist was not claiming that God’s nature had changed; instead, he was disappointed because God had responded differently than expected.
77:11-12 Your ancient wonders probably refers to the exodus, God’s supreme act of power and grace on his people. Meditate is the same word as in Ps 1:2.
77:13 A hymn (vv. 13-20) immediately follows the end of the lament. God’s way (Hb derek), the determination and exercise of his divine will, reflects his holy character. The rhetorical question What god is great like God? often introduces incomparability statements in hymns emphasizing the Lord’s sovereignty (18:31; Ex 15:11; 2Sm 22:32; Is 40:18), omnipotence (Ex 15:11; Dt 3:24; Ps 71:19; 89:8), omniscience (Is 44:7), stature (Ps 113:5; Is 40:25), and capacity for forgiveness (Mc 7:18).
77:14 God’s strength, revealed through Israel’s redemption from bondage, alludes to the exodus, which provided the paradigm against which Israel anticipated the Lord’s deliverance from future enemies. The reference to “descendants of Jacob and Joseph” in v. 15 reinforces the exodus allusion.
77:15 With power is literally “by arm.” By his powerful arm, God redeems, saves, and executes judgment (44:3; 89:13; 98:1; 118:15; Is 50:2; 51:5; 52:10; 59:1).
77:16-18 Using divine warrior imagery, the psalmist declared that cosmic upheaval accompanies God’s presence (18:7-15; 114:3-5; Ex 19:16-19), and creation exults in worship before him. The Lord’s arrows (v. 17) refer to lightning bolts (29:7; 76:3). The storm language depicts his control over all of nature’s forces.
77:19 Referring to Israel’s procession through the parted water of the Red Sea, the psalmist recalled the mysterious work of the Lord, who was unseen yet present.
77:20 The psalms of Asaph often use shepherd and flock imagery to emphasize the Lord’s compassion and care.