Psalms 44

1 To victory, learning to the sons of Korah. God, we heard with our ears; our fathers told to us. The work, which thou wroughtest in the days of them; and in the old days. (To victory, for the sons of Korah, for their teaching. God, we heard with our ears, for our forefathers told us, of the work which thou hast wrought in their days; yea, in the old days.)
2 Thine hand lost heathen men, and thou plantedest them (Thy hand destroyed the heathen/Thy power drove out the heathen, and thou plantedest our forefathers there); thou tormentedest (the) peoples, and castedest them out.
3 For the children of Israel wielded the land not by their sword; and the arm of them saved not them. But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the lightening of thy cheer; for thou were pleased in them. (For the children of Israel took the land not by their own swords; and their own power did not save them. But it was thy right hand, and thy power, and the shining of thy face; for thou gavest favour to them.)
4 Thou art thyself, my king, and my God; that sendest healths to Jacob. (Thou art my King, and my God; who sendest help to Jacob.)
5 By thee we shall winnow our enemies with [the] horn; and in thy name we shall despise them, that rise against us. (By thy power we shall winnow our enemies; and in thy name, we shall defeat those who rise up against us.)
6 For I shall not hope in my bow (For I shall not trust in my bow); and my sword shall not save me.
7 For thou hast saved us from men tormenting us; and thou hast shamed men hating us.
8 We shall be pleased in God all day; and in thy name we shall acknowledge to thee into the world. (We shall glory in God all day long; and we shall praise thy name forever.)
9 But now thou hast put us aback, and hast shamed us; and thou, Lord, shalt not go out in our virtues. (But now thou hast rejected us, and hast humbled us; and O Lord, thou no longer goeth out with our hosts, or our armies.)
10 Thou hast turned us away behind after our enemies; and they, that hated us, ravished diversely to themselves. (Thou hast made us turn back, or run away, from our enemies; and those, who hate us, took for themselves what was ours.)
11 Thou hast given us as sheep of meats; and among heathen men thou hast scattered us. (Thou hast given us up like sheep for meat, or for food; and thou hast scattered us among the heathen.)
12 Thou hast sold thy people without price; and multitude there was not in the (ex)changings of them. (Thou hast sold thy people for nothing; and there was no profit from their sale.)
13 Thou hast set us (as a) shame to our neighbours; mocking and scorn to them that be in our compass. (Thou hast made us a shame, or a reproach, to our neighbours; a mockery, and scorned by those who be all around us.)
14 Thou hast set us into likeness to heathen men; and stirring of the head/wagging of (the) head among peoples. (Thou hast made us into a likeness, or a byword, to the heathen; and they shook their heads over us among the nations.)
15 All day my shame is against me; and the shame of my face covered me. (All day long my shame is before me; and the shame on my face covered me.)
16 From the voice of [the] despiser, and evil speaker; from the face of the enemy, and [the] pursuer. (From the voice of him who despiseth, and speaketh evil; from before the enemy, and the pursuer.)
17 All these things came on us, and we have not forgotten thee; and we did not wickedly in thy testament. (All these things came upon us, but we did not forget thee; and we have not broken thy covenant.)
18 And our heart went not away behind; and thou hast (not) bowed away our paths from thy way. (And our hearts did not turn away from thee/And our hearts did not turn back from thee; and our steps have not turned away from thy way.)
19 For thou hast made us low in the place of torment; and the shadow of death covered us. (Though thou hast made us low, or hast humbled us, in the place of torment; and hast covered us with the shadow of death.)
20 If we forgat the name of our God; and if we held forth our hands to an alien God. (And if we had forgotten the name of our God; or if we had held forth our hands to a foreign, or another, god;)
21 Whether God shall not seek these things? for he knoweth the hid things of heart. (shall not God seek out these things? for he knoweth the hidden things of the heart.)
22 For why we be slain all day for thee; we be deemed as sheep of slaying. (But we be killed all day long for thee; we be judged, or treated, like sheep for the slaughter.)
23 Lord, rise up, why sleepest thou? rise up, and put not us away into the end (rise up, and do not shun us forever).
24 Why turnest thou away thy face? thou forgettest our poverty, and our tribulation. (Why turnest thou away thy face? forgettest thou our poverty, and all our troubles?)
25 For our life is made low in dust; our womb is glued together in the earth. (For our life is brought down low into the dust; our womb is glued together with the earth/and we lie flat on our backs.)
26 Lord, rise up thou, and help us; and again-buy us for thy name. (Lord, rise thou up, and help us; and redeem us for the sake of thy name.)

Psalms 44 Commentary

Chapter 44

A petition for succour and relief.

Verses 1-8 Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as coming from the favour of God. He fought for Israel, else they had fought in vain. This is applicable to the planting of the Christian church in the world, which was not by any human policy or power. Christ, by his Spirit, went forth conquering and to conquer; and he that planted a church for himself in the world, will support it by the same power and goodness. They trusted and triumphed in and through him. Let him that glories, glory in the Lord. But if they have the comfort of his name, let them give unto him the glory due unto it.

Verses 9-16 The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against them, but what is permitted from above.

Verses 17-26 In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should not suffer them to drive us from our comfort in God. Let us take care that prosperity and ease do not render us careless and lukewarm. The church of God cannot be prevailed on by persecution to forget God; the believer's heart does not turn back from God. The Spirit of prophecy had reference to those who suffered unto death, for the testimony of Christ. Observe the ( psalms 44:25-26 ) but the poor sinner's pleas. None that belong to Christ shall be cast off, but every one of them shall be saved, and that for ever. The mercy of God, purchased, promised, and constantly flowing forth, and offered to believers, does away every doubt arising from our sins; while we pray in faith, Redeem us for thy mercies' sake.

Chapter Summary

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil. It is not certain who was the writer of this psalm, nor when it was written, and to what time it belongs: some have thought it was composed by one of the Babylonish captivity, and that it gives an account of the church and people of God in those times; but what is said in Psalm 44:17 does not seem to agree with Daniel 9:5. It is most likely it was written by David, and to him the Targum ascribes it; though it does not respect his times; since what is said in Psalm 44:9 cannot agree with them; yet he being a prophet might, under a prophetic influence, speak of future times, and represent the church in them. Some are of opinion that he prophetically speaks of the times of the Maccabees and of Antiochus, when the church and people of God suffered much for the true religion, and abode steadfast in it; so Theodoret: but rather the whole may be applied to the times of the New Testament, since Psalm 44:22 is cited by the Apostle Paul, Romans 8:36, and is applied to his times, and as descriptive of the suffering state and condition of the church then; and which seems to be the guide and key for the opening of the whole psalm.

Psalms 44 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.