Psalm 44:8-18

8 In God we have ¹boasted all day long, And we will ²give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.

9 Yet You ³have rejected us and brought us to ⁴dishonor, And ⁵do not go out with our armies.

10 You cause us to ⁶turn back from the adversary; And those who hate us ⁷have taken spoil for themselves.

11 You give us as ⁸sheep to be eaten And have ⁹scattered us among the nations.

12 You ¹⁰sell Your people cheaply *, And have not profited by their sale.

13 You make us a ¹¹reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and a ¹²derision to those around us.

14 You make us ¹³a byword among the nations, A ¹⁴laughingstock * among the peoples.

15 All day long my dishonor is before me And my ¹⁵humiliation * has overwhelmed me,

16 Because of the voice of him who ¹⁶reproaches and reviles, Because of the presence of the ¹⁷enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us, but we have ¹⁸not forgotten You, And we have not ¹⁹dealt falsely with Your covenant.

18 Our heart has not ²⁰turned back, And our steps ²¹have not deviated from Your way,

Psalm 44:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 34:2
• 2. Psalms 30:12
• 3. Psalms 43:2; Psalms 60:1, 10; Psalms 74:1; Psalms 89:38; Psalms 108:11
• 4. Psalms 69:19
• 5. Psalms 60:10; Psalms 108:11
• 6. Leviticus 26:17; Joshua 7:8, 12; Psalms 89:43
• 7. Psalms 89:41
• 8. Psalms 44:22; Romans 8:36
• 9. Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 4:27; Deuteronomy 28:64; Psalms 106:27; Ezekiel 20:23
• 10. Deuteronomy 32:30; Judges 2:14; Judges 3:8; Isaiah 52:3, 4; Jeremiah 15:13
• 11. Deuteronomy 28:37; Psalms 79:4; Psalms 89:41
• 12. Psalms 80:6; Ezekiel 23:32
• 13. Job 17:6; Psalms 69:11; Jeremiah 24:9
• 14. 2 Kings 19:21; Psalms 109:25
• 15. 2 Chronicles 32:21; Psalms 69:7
• 16. Psalms 74:10
• 17. Psalms 8:2
• 18. Psalms 78:7; Psalms 119:61, 83, 109, 141, 153, 176
• 19. Psalms 78:57
• 20. Psalms 78:57
• 21. Job 23:11; Psalms 119:51, 157

Footnotes

• [a] "Selah" may mean: "Pause, Crescendo" or "Musical interlude"
• [b] Lit "for food"
• [c] Lit "for no wealth"
• [d] Or "set a high price on them"
• [e] Lit "shaking of the head"
• [f] Lit "the shame of my face has covered me"