Psalm 77

Psalm 77 is one of the psalms of Asaph grouped at the beginning of Book III of the Psalms (Psalms 73–89). The preceding Psalm 76 celebrates God's victory over His enemies. Psalm 77, by contrast, opens with deep personal anguish and doubt. Its superscription identifies it as a song "to the chief Musician, to Jeduthun."

Structure

• Verses 1–3 In the day of trouble the psalmist cries out to God. He lifts up his hands in prayer through the night but finds no comfort, and his spirit is overwhelmed.
• Verses 4–6 He says that God keeps him from sleeping. He recalls the days of old and the years of ancient times, remembers his song in the night, and searches his heart.
• Verses 7–9 He asks a series of questions: Has the Lord cast him off forever? Have His mercy and His promise come to an end? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?
• Verses 10–12 He confesses that this is his own infirmity. He then resolves to remember the LORD's wonders of old and to meditate on His works.
• Verses 13–15 He confesses that God's way is holy and that there is no god like Him. He sings that God redeemed the sons of Jacob and Joseph with His arm.
• Verses 16–20 The waters and the depths see God and tremble; clouds, thunder, and lightning break forth. God's way was in the sea and His path in the great waters, yet His footsteps were not seen. He led His people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Key Verses

• Psalm 77:9 "Hath God forgotten to be gracious?" — The climax of the lament, in which a believer honestly lays his doubts before God.
• Psalm 77:11 "I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old." — The turning point of the psalm. The psalmist finds restoration in remembering what God has done in the past.
• Psalm 77:19 "Thy footsteps are not known." — A confession that God's guidance is real even when it cannot be seen.

People and Places

• Asaph: A temple musician of David's time, named in the superscription.
• Jeduthun: A temple musician of David's time, mentioned in the superscription.
• Moses and Aaron: The leaders who guided the people during the Exodus; they appear in verse 20.
• Jacob and Joseph: The phrase "the sons of Jacob and Joseph" in verse 15 refers to the people of Israel as a whole.

Points for Reflection

Verses 1–9 center on "I," while from verse 10 onward the psalmist turns to address "Thou." Many interpreters regard this shift in focus as the heart of the psalm. The Hebrew text of verse 10 is difficult, and translations differ considerably. The Korean Revised Version renders it "the years of the right hand of the most High," while some translations read it as a lament that "the right hand of the Most High has changed." Verses 16–20 are understood as a poetic depiction of the Exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea, and it is often noted that similar language appears in Habakkuk 3. The New Testament does not quote this chapter directly. Because the following Psalm 78 offers a lengthy review of Israel's history, some see the recollection of the Exodus at the end of Psalm 77 as leading into that review. Selah appears in verses 3, 9, and 15.