Psalms 44:10-20

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;)

Psalms 44:10-20 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.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.