Psalms — Chapter 44

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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.

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

2Thou didst drive out the nations with thy hand; But them thou didst plant: Thou didst afflict the peoples; But them thou didst spread abroad.

3For they gat 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 wast favorable unto them.

4Thou art my King, O God: Command deliverance for Jacob.

5Through thee will we push down our adversaries: 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 adversaries, And hast put them to shame that hate us.

8In God have we made our boast all the day long, And we will give thanks unto thy name for ever. Selah

9But now thou hast cast [us] off, and brought us to dishonor, And goest not forth with our hosts.

10Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary; And they that hate us take spoil for themselves.

11Thou hast made us like sheep [appointed] for food, And hast scattered us among the nations.

12Thou sellest thy people for nought, And hast not increased [thy wealth] by their price.

13Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and a derision to them that are round about us.

14Thou makest us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples.

15All the day long is my dishonor 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 the 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,

19That thou hast sore broken us in the place of jackals, And covered us with the shadow of death.

20If we have forgotten the name of our God, Or spread forth our hands to a strange god;

21Will 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 accounted 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 body cleaveth unto the earth.

26Rise up for our help, And redeem us for thy lovingkindness` sake. Psalm 45 For the Chief Musician; set to Shoshannim. [A Psalm] of the sons of Korah. Maschil. A Song of loves.

1For the music director, by the Korahites; a well-written song. O God, we have clearly heard; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in ancient times.

2You, by your power, defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land; you crushed the people living there and enabled our ancestors to occupy it.

3For they did not conquer the land by their swords, and they did not prevail by their strength, but rather by your power, strength, and good favor, for you were partial to them.

4You are my king, O God. Decree Jacob’s deliverance.

5By your power we will drive back our enemies; by your strength we will trample down our foes.

6For I do not trust in my bow, and I do not prevail by my sword.

7For you deliver us from our enemies; you humiliate those who hate us.

8In God we boast all day long, and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)

9But you rejected and embarrassed us. You did not go into battle with our armies.

10You made us retreat from the enemy. Those who hate us take whatever they want from us.

11You handed us over like sheep to be eaten; you scattered us among the nations.

12You sold your people for a pittance; you did not ask a high price for them.

13You made us an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.

14You made us an object of ridicule among the nations; foreigners treat us with contempt.

15All day long I feel humiliated and am overwhelmed with shame,

16before the vindictive enemy who ridicules and insults me.

17All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you or violated your covenant with us.

18We have not been unfaithful, nor have we disobeyed your commands.

19Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; you have covered us with darkness.

20If we had rejected our God, and spread out our hands in prayer to another god,

21would not God discover it, for he knows a person’s secret thoughts?

22Yet because of you we are killed all day long; we are treated like sheep at the slaughtering block.

23Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Wake up! Do not reject us forever.

24Why do you look the other way, and ignore the way we are oppressed and mistreated?

25For we lie in the dirt, with our bellies pressed to the ground.

26Rise up and help us. Rescue us because of your loyal love.

1We have heard with our ears, God; our fathers have told us, what work you did in their days, in the days of old.

2You drove out the nations with your hand, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you spread them abroad.

3For they didn’t get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable to them.

4You are my King, God. Command victories for Jacob!

5Through you, will we push down our adversaries. Through your name, will we tread them under who rise up against us.

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

7But you have saved us from our adversaries, and have shamed those who hate us.

8In God we have made our boast all day long, we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah.

9But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonor, and don’t go out with our armies.

10You make us turn back from the adversary. Those who hate us take plunder for themselves.

11You have made us like sheep for food, and have scattered us among the nations.

12You sell your people for nothing, and have gained nothing from their sale.

13You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.

14You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.

15All day long my dishonor is before me, and shame covers my face,

16At the taunt of one who reproaches and verbally abuses, because of the enemy and the avenger.

17All this has come on us, yet have we not forgotten you, Neither have we been false to your covenant.

18Our heart has not turned back, neither have our steps strayed from your path,

19Though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.

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

21won’t God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.

22Yes, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.

23Wake up! Why do you sleep, Lord? Arise! Don’t reject us forever.

24Why do you hide your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?

25For our soul is bowed down to the dust. Our body clings to the earth.

26Rise up to help us. Redeem us for your loving kindness’ sake.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Videos
Reflection

Summary

A communal lament — the people recall God's past victories but now feel rejected, scattered, and slaughtered like sheep though they have not been unfaithful; they plead for God to awake and redeem them.

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses. Key themes: worship, lament, praise, trust, kingship, creation, wisdom, Messianic prophecy, and the full range of human emotion brought before God.
Classification: Communal Lament Attributed Author: Sons of Korah (To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil) Key Themes: National suffering, innocent suffering, faithfulness despite defeat, bold appeal to God, martyrdom
Historical Context: Psalm 44 is one of the most theologically challenging psalms in the Psalter — a communal lament in which the nation protests its suffering despite covenant faithfulness. Unlike psalms where suffering is attributed to sin (e.g., Psalm 38), here the people explicitly claim innocence: "All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant" (v. 17). This creates a profound theological tension — the righteous suffering without apparent cause.
The historical occasion is debated. Some connect it to military defeats during the divided monarchy, the Babylonian exile, or the Maccabean period. The psalm fits any situation where God's people experience national defeat and persecution despite faithfulness. Its universal quality explains why Paul quotes verse 22 in Romans 8:36: "For thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter."
Paul's use in Romans 8 is transformative. He quotes this verse not as a complaint but as a backdrop for triumph: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Romans 8:37). What the psalmist experienced as unanswered lament, the New Testament transforms into the context for ultimate victory. This psalm thus bridges the theology of innocent suffering in the Old Testament with the theology of redemptive suffering in Christ.
Structure:
  • Remembering God's Past Mighty Acts (vv. 1-3)
  • Confession of Trust in God Alone (vv. 4-8)
  • Lament: God Has Rejected Us (vv. 9-16)
  • Protestation of Innocence (vv. 17-22)
  • Bold Plea for God to Awaken and Help (vv. 23-26)

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Reflection

  • 1. Faith does not guarantee freedom from suffering. This psalm shatters any prosperity gospel theology. The people were faithful, yet they suffered. Obedience to God sometimes makes us targets rather than protected. "For thy sake" (v. 22) — suffering because of God, not despite Him.
  • 2. Honest lament is not unfaith. The psalmist asks God "Why?" and even tells God to "wake up." This raw honesty is preserved in inspired Scripture, validating our right to bring confusion and protest before God. The opposite of faith is not honest questioning but indifferent silence.
  • 3. Remembering God's past acts anchors present hope. The psalm begins by recounting what God did for the fathers (vv. 1-3). Even when the present contradicts the past, rehearsing God's history builds a platform for renewed appeal.
  • 4. Innocent suffering has redemptive purpose. Paul's use of verse 22 in Romans 8 reveals that what feels like meaningless slaughter is actually the context for being "more than conquerors." Our suffering for Christ's sake is never wasted, even when it feels senseless in the moment.
  • 5. Corporate lament has a place in worship. This is not an individual's private complaint but a community's public cry. Churches need space for honest corporate grief — acknowledging together that things are not as they should be while together appealing to God's covenant love.