Psalm 44

This article is about Psalm 44 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 44 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 45.

For the novel by Danilo Kiš, see Psalm 44 (novel).

Psalm 44
"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us"
(Psalm XLIII Vulgate) in a 1499 psalter
Other name	Psalm 43 "Deus auribus nostris audivimus patres nostri adnuntiaverunt"
Language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 44
← Psalm 43 Psalm 45 →
Book	Book of Psalms
Hebrew Bible part	Ketuvim
Order in the Hebrew part	1
Category	Sifrei Emet
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	19

Psalm 44 is the 44th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the bible, and generally in its Latin translations, this psalm is Psalm 43. In the Vulgate, it begins "Deus auribus nostris audivimus patres nostri adnuntiaverunt".^[1] The psalm was composed by the sons of Korah and is classified in the series of lamentations of the people.

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies and has often been set to music.

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text^[2][3] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse	Hebrew	English translation (JPS 1917)
1	לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀ לִבְנֵי־קֹ֬רַח מַשְׂכִּֽיל׃‎	For the Leader; [a Psalm] of the sons of Korah. Maschil.
2	אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ בְּאׇזְנֵ֬ינוּ שָׁמַ֗עְנוּ אֲבוֹתֵ֥ינוּ סִפְּרוּ־לָ֑נוּ פֹּ֥עַל פָּעַ֥לְתָּ בִ֝ימֵיהֶ֗ם בִּ֣ימֵי קֶֽדֶם׃‎	O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us; a work Thou didst in their days, in the days of old.
3	אַתָּ֤ה ׀ יָדְךָ֡ גּוֹיִ֣ם ה֭וֹרַשְׁתָּ וַתִּטָּעֵ֑ם תָּרַ֥ע לְ֝אֻמִּ֗ים וַֽתְּשַׁלְּחֵֽם׃‎	Thou with Thy hand didst drive out the nations, and didst plant them in; Thou didst break the peoples, and didst spread them abroad.
4	כִּ֤י לֹ֪א בְחַרְבָּ֡ם יָ֥רְשׁוּ אָ֗רֶץ וּזְרוֹעָם֮ לֹא־הוֹשִׁ֢יעָ֫ה לָּ֥מוֹ כִּֽי־יְמִינְךָ֣ וּ֭זְרוֹעֲךָ וְא֥וֹר פָּנֶ֗יךָ כִּ֣י רְצִיתָֽם׃‎	For not by their own sword did they get the land in possession, Neither did their own arm save them; but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou wast favourable unto them.
5	אַתָּה־ה֣וּא מַלְכִּ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים צַ֝וֵּ֗ה יְשׁוּע֥וֹת יַעֲקֹֽב׃‎	Thou art my King, O God; command the salvation of Jacob.
6	בְּ֭ךָ צָרֵ֣ינוּ נְנַגֵּ֑חַ בְּ֝שִׁמְךָ֗ נָב֥וּס קָמֵֽינוּ׃‎	Through Thee do we push down our adversaries; through Thy name do we tread them under that rise up against us.
7	כִּ֤י לֹ֣א בְקַשְׁתִּ֣י אֶבְטָ֑ח וְ֝חַרְבִּ֗י לֹ֣א תוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי׃‎	For I trust not in my bow, neither can my sword save me.
8	כִּ֣י ה֭וֹשַׁעְתָּנוּ מִצָּרֵ֑ינוּ וּמְשַׂנְאֵ֥ינוּ הֱבִישֽׁוֹתָ׃‎	But Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, and hast put them to shame that hate us.
9	בֵּ֭אלֹהִים הִלַּ֣לְנוּ כׇל־הַיּ֑וֹם וְשִׁמְךָ֓ ׀ לְעוֹלָ֖ם נוֹדֶ֣ה סֶֽלָה׃‎	In God have we gloried all the day, and we will give thanks unto Thy name for ever. Selah
10	אַף־זָ֭נַחְתָּ וַתַּכְלִימֵ֑נוּ וְלֹא־תֵ֝צֵ֗א בְּצִבְאוֹתֵֽינוּ׃‎	Yet Thou hast cast off, and brought us to confusion; and goest not forth with our hosts.
11	תְּשִׁיבֵ֣נוּ אָ֭חוֹר מִנִּי־צָ֑ר וּ֝מְשַׂנְאֵ֗ינוּ שָׁ֣סוּ לָֽמוֹ׃‎	Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary; and they that hate us spoil at their will.
12	תִּ֭תְּנֵנוּ כְּצֹ֣אן מַאֲכָ֑ל וּ֝בַגּוֹיִ֗ם זֵרִיתָֽנוּ׃‎	Thou hast given us like sheep to be eaten; and hast scattered us among the nations.
13	תִּמְכֹּֽר־עַמְּךָ֥ בְלֹא־ה֑וֹן וְלֹֽא־רִ֝בִּ֗יתָ בִּמְחִירֵיהֶֽם׃‎	Thou sellest Thy people for small gain, and hast not set their prices high.
14	תְּשִׂימֵ֣נוּ חֶ֭רְפָּה לִשְׁכֵנֵ֑ינוּ לַ֥עַג וָ֝קֶ֗לֶס לִסְבִיבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃‎	Thou makest us a taunt to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
15	תְּשִׂימֵ֣נוּ מָ֭שָׁל בַּגּוֹיִ֑ם מְנֽוֹד־רֹ֝֗אשׁ בַּלְאֻמִּֽים׃‎	Thou makest us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.
16	כׇּל־הַ֭יּוֹם כְּלִמָּתִ֣י נֶגְדִּ֑י וּבֹ֖שֶׁת פָּנַ֣י כִּסָּֽתְנִי׃‎	All the day is my confusion before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,
17	מִ֭קּוֹל מְחָרֵ֣ף וּמְגַדֵּ֑ף מִפְּנֵ֥י א֝וֹיֵ֗ב וּמִתְנַקֵּֽם׃‎	For the voice of him that taunteth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and the revengeful.
18	כׇּל־זֹ֣את בָּ֭אַתְנוּ וְלֹ֣א שְׁכַחֲנ֑וּךָ וְלֹֽא־שִׁ֝קַּ֗רְנוּ בִּבְרִיתֶֽךָ׃‎	All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten Thee, neither have we been false to Thy covenant.
19	לֹא־נָס֣וֹג אָח֣וֹר לִבֵּ֑נוּ וַתֵּ֥ט אֲ֝שֻׁרֵ֗ינוּ מִנִּ֥י אׇרְחֶֽךָ׃‎	Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from Thy path;
20	כִּ֣י דִ֭כִּיתָנוּ בִּמְק֣וֹם תַּנִּ֑ים וַתְּכַ֖ס עָלֵ֣ינוּ בְצַלְמָֽוֶת׃‎	Though Thou hast crushed us into a place of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.
21	אִם־שָׁ֭כַחְנוּ שֵׁ֣ם אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וַנִּפְרֹ֥שׂ כַּ֝פֵּ֗ינוּ לְאֵ֣ל זָֽר׃‎	If we had forgotten the name of our God, or spread forth our hands to a strange god; .
22	הֲלֹ֣א אֱ֭לֹהִים יַחֲקׇר־זֹ֑את כִּי־ה֥וּא יֹ֝דֵ֗עַ תַּעֲלֻמ֥וֹת לֵֽב׃‎	Would not God search this out? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.
23	כִּֽי־עָ֭לֶיךָ הֹרַ֣גְנוּ כׇל־הַיּ֑וֹם נֶ֝חְשַׁ֗בְנוּ כְּצֹ֣אן טִבְחָֽה׃‎	Nay, but for Thy sake are we killed all the day; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
24	ע֤וּרָה ׀ לָ֖מָּה תִישַׁ֥ן ׀ אֲדֹנָ֑י הָ֝קִ֗יצָה אַל־תִּזְנַ֥ח לָנֶֽצַח׃‎	Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arouse Thyself, cast not off for ever.
25	לָֽמָּה־פָנֶ֥יךָ תַסְתִּ֑יר תִּשְׁכַּ֖ח עׇנְיֵ֣נוּ וְֽלַחֲצֵֽנוּ׃‎	Wherefore hidest Thou Thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
26	כִּ֤י שָׁ֣חָה לֶעָפָ֣ר נַפְשֵׁ֑נוּ דָּבְקָ֖ה לָאָ֣רֶץ בִּטְנֵֽנוּ׃‎	For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
27	ק֭וּמָֽה עֶזְרָ֣תָה לָּ֑נוּ וּ֝פְדֵ֗נוּ לְמַ֣עַן חַסְדֶּֽךָ׃‎	Arise for our help, and redeem us for Thy mercy's sake.

King James Version

1. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.
2. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.
3. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.
4. Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
5. Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.
6. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
7. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.
8. In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.
9. But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.
10. Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
11. Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.
12. Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.
13. Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
14. Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.
15. My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,
16. For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.
17. All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
18. Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;
19. Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.
20. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;
21. Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
22. Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
23. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.
24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
25. For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
26. Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.

Structure

Usually, the Psalm is organized as follows:^[4][5][6]

1. Verses 2–9: Healing Historical Review.
2. Verses 10–23: describing the current disaster.
3. Verses 24–27: Final request for termination of the disaster through the intervention of God.

Another scheme put forward to reflect the flow of Psalm 44 is as follows (using English versification):

1. Remembering that God performed mighty deeds in the past for his people (vv. 1–3)
2. Desiring God to perform mighty deeds now (vv. 4–8)
3. Lamenting God's "recent" chastening of his people (vv. 9–16)
4. Appealing to God that his chastening is not a result of their sin (vv. 17–22)
5. Calling on God to again engage in his mighty deeds on their behalf (vv. 23–26).^[7]

As a central message of the psalm Hermann Gunkel noted the contrast between past and present events.^[8]

In Jewish traditions, it is viewed as suffering in the face of the golden past, which all the more shows the plight of the current situation.^{[clarification needed]}

Structure and theme

The psalm begins with a recounting of the days of old in verse 2, that God had driven out the nations and planted the Israelites, placing this well after the periods of conquest and the judges. The reference to scattering the Israelites among the nations in verse 11 could point to a date after either the Assyrian captivity in 722 B.C. or after the Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C. However, some have noted that the reference to God not going out with their armies in verse 9 would indicate that the Jewish nation still had standing armies at the time of the writing of this psalm, and thus the setting would be prior to Judah's exile to Babylon. In addition, the psalmist's insistence in verses 17 and 18 that their plight was not due to national sin is further confirmation that the psalmist is not referring to a time after the Babylonian exile,^[7] which the prophets made clear was, in fact, a result of idolatry and turning away from the Lord. By no means conclusive, a conflict is recorded in Isaiah 36, 2 Chronicles 32, and 2 Kings 18 matching the above suggested timeline for Psalm 44.^{[according to whom?]} The writer of the Explaining the Book commentary notes that neither Charles Spurgeon nor Matthew Henry felt that they could be clear about the setting for this psalm.^[7] The Jerusalem Bible suggests that verses 17-22 "may perhaps have been added later to adapt the psalm to the persecutions of the Maccabean period".^[9]

Uses

Judaism

• Verse 9 is found in the repetition of the Amidah during Rosh Hashanah.^[10]
• Parts of verses 14 and 23 form a verse found in the long Tachanun recited on Mondays and Thursdays.^[11]
• Verse 27 is the sixth verse of Hoshia Et Amecha in Pesukei Dezimra.^[12]

New Testament

Verse 22 is referenced by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament book "the Epistle to the Romans 8:36"^[13] in the context of realities that can make Christians think that they are separated from God's love.

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the ninth day of the month.^[14]

Literary form

Psalm 44 is a psalm of communal lament, indicating that the suffering, in this case from being defeated by enemies, is communal.^[15]

This Psalm reflects each of five key elements^[16] of a lament, or complaint, Psalm:

• Address: Verse 1

"We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old" (44:1)

In this case, the Psalmist is speaking directly to God.

• Complaint: verses 9–16, 17–19

In these verses, the Psalmist laments that God has been slow to act and has a responsibility to save these people from their enemies.

• Statement of trust in the reliability of God as known by the Psalmist or community: verses 4–8

The Psalmist recites a history of God's saving acts, which includes reference to God commanding victories for Jacob.

• Petition for God's active intervention: verses 23–26

These petitions can be quite specific. In verse 26, the Psalmist gives a direct command to God to "Rise up, come to our help."

• Vow of Thanksgiving: verse 8

This particular Psalm includes a brief vow of thanksgiving in verse 8, when the Psalmist writes "In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever" (44:8)

A note about superscripts

The superscript of Psalm 44 reads "To the Leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil". It is addressed to the leader of the Korahites, who were likely a group of people who played a role in the music or worship of the temple.^{[citation needed]} The term "Maskil" means "artistic song" and its inclusion in the superscript of this Psalm indicates that it was originally written with artistic skill.^{[citation needed]}

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 44 in German, "Wir haben, Herr, mit Fleiß gehört", SWV 141, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628.

References

1. Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 43 (44) Archived May 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine medievalist.net
2. "Psalms – Chapter 44". Mechon Mamre.
3. "Psalms 44 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
4. Gianfranco Ravasi, Il libro dei Salmi, volume I, Bologna 1981, p. 782
5. Erich Zenger: Die Psalmen I. Psalm 1–50 Echter-Verlag, (Würzburg 1993), p271
6. Peter Craigie, Psalms 1–50, Waco, 1983, p332.
7. "Psalm 44 Message / Psalm 44 Commentary / Psalm 44 Sermon". Explaining the Book. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
8. Hermann Gunkel: Die Psalmen, (61986), S. 186.
9. Jerusalem Bible (1966), Footnote a to Psalm 44
10. The Complete Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah, page 351
11. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 133
12. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 64
13. Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 839. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
14. Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 196ff
15. Michael D. Coogan, A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament (New York: Oxford, 2009), p. 370
16. "Lament Psalm Structure". Explaining the Book. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2018.

External links

• Pieces with text from Psalm 44: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Psalm 44: Free scores at the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Text of Psalm 44 according to the 1928 Psalter
• Psalm 44 in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre
• Psalm 44 – Accounted as Sheep to the Slaughter text and detailed commentary, enduringword.com
• For the leader. A maskil of the Korahites. O God, we have heard with our own ears; our ancestors have told us text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Psalm 44:1 introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
• Psalm 44 / Refrain: Rise up, O Lord, to help us. Church of England
• Psalm 44 at biblegateway.com
• Hymns for Psalm 44 hymnary.org