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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 44

Psalm 44: the fathers' story remembered and a nation asking why God sleeps

General context

The speakers say they have heard with their ears what their fathers told them of God's work in the times of old: how God drove out the heathen and planted the fathers, afflicting the people and casting them out. The fathers did not get the land by their own sword or arm but by God's right hand, arm and the light of his countenance, because he favoured them. The speaker calls God his King and asks him to command deliverances for Jacob; through God they will push down their enemies, and he will not trust in his bow or sword, for God has saved them and shamed those who hated them; in God they boast all day long, and Selah follows. But now God has cast them off, put them to shame, and does not go forth with their armies. They turn back from the enemy and are spoiled, given like sheep for meat, scattered among the heathen, sold for nothing, made a reproach, scorn, byword and a shaking of the head. The speaker's shame covers his face at the voice of the reproacher. Yet they have not forgotten God nor dealt falsely in his covenant, though God has broken them in the place of dragons and covered them with the shadow of death; if they had forgotten God's name, God who knows the secrets of the heart would search it out. For God's sake they are killed all day long and counted as sheep for the slaughter. They call on the Lord to awake, ask why he sleeps and hides his face and forgets their affliction, say their soul is bowed to the dust, and ask him to arise and redeem them for his mercies' sake.

Cited passages: Psalms 44:1, Psalms 44:2, Psalms 44:3, Psalms 44:4, Psalms 44:6, Psalms 44:8, Psalms 44:9, Psalms 44:11, Psalms 44:12, Psalms 44:14, Psalms 44:15, Psalms 44:17, Psalms 44:19, Psalms 44:21, Psalms 44:22, Psalms 44:23, Psalms 44:25, Psalms 44:26

Psalms 44 (KJV)

1We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

2How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

3For 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.

4Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

5Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

6For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

7But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

8In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

9But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.

10Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

11Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

12Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

13Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

14Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.

15My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

16For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.

17All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

18Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;

19Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.

20If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

21Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

22Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

23Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

24Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

25For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

26Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.

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Historical context

The text as printed here carries no heading; verse 1 opens with "We have heard with our ears, O God", so this source names no author, occasion or musical direction. The voice is mostly a plural "we" and "our", with a single "I" at verses 4, 6 and 15, all addressing God. The people are called "Jacob" and "thy people"; the "heathen" driven out and the "enemy and avenger" of the present are not named. The past deliverance is what "our fathers have told us", not what the speakers saw, and the text does not date it beyond "the times of old". The present defeat is described as being cast off, scattered "among the heathen", sold "for nought" and killed "all the day long", but no battle, king or place is identified; "the place of dragons" is not located. The speakers assert that they have kept the covenant and have not turned to "a strange god", so the psalm presents the suffering as unexplained by their own conduct. Verse 22 is quoted in the Letter to the Romans: "As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter". Selah stands once, after verse 8, at the turn from boasting to complaint.

Cited passages: Psalms 44:1, Psalms 44:4, Psalms 44:16, Psalms 44:19, Psalms 44:20, Psalms 44:18, Romans 8:36, Psalms 44:8

Literary context

The poem turns on a single "But". Eight verses recount the fathers' story and the community's boast, and Selah marks the pause; verse 9 begins "But thou hast cast off", and the same hand that once drove out the heathen is now the hand that scatters, sells and shames. A chain of "Thou" verbs lays every blow at God's door: cast off, makest us turn back, hast given us, sellest, makest us a reproach, makest us a byword. The sheep image is used twice, "sheep appointed for meat" and "sheep for the slaughter". The third movement, from verse 17, is a protest of innocence built on negatives: not forgotten, not dealt falsely, not turned back, not declined. The final movement piles up imperatives and questions addressed to a God pictured as asleep and hiding his face: awake, arise, wherefore hidest thou, arise. The light of God's countenance that gave the fathers the land is set against the hidden face of the present. The psalm ends on petition, with no answer reported.

Cited passages: Psalms 44:9, Psalms 44:2, Psalms 44:10, Psalms 44:13, Psalms 44:11, Psalms 44:22, Psalms 44:17, Psalms 44:23, Psalms 44:24, Psalms 44:3

Key moments

  1. What our fathers told us (Psalms 44:1). The speakers recall hearing from their fathers what God did in the times of old.
  2. Not by their own sword (Psalms 44:3). The fathers got the land by God's right hand and the light of his countenance.
  3. In God we boast (Psalms 44:8). The community boasts in God all day long, and Selah marks the pause.
  4. But thou hast cast off (Psalms 44:9). God has put them to shame and no longer goes out with their armies.
  5. Sold for nought (Psalms 44:12). God sells his people for nothing and makes them a byword among the heathen.
  6. We have not forgotten thee (Psalms 44:17). The speakers say all this has come though they kept the covenant.
  7. Awake, why sleepest thou? (Psalms 44:23). They call on the Lord to awake and arise and redeem them for his mercies' sake.

For reflection

The speakers insist they have kept the covenant and still say they are killed all the day long for God's sake; what does the poem do with a suffering it refuses to explain as punishment?

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