Psalms — Chapter 77
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1For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God; I cried aloud to God to hear me.
2In the day of trouble I sought the Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted.
3I remembered You, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah
4You have kept my eyes from closing; I am too troubled to speak.
5I considered the days of old, the years long in the past.
6At night I remembered my song; in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered:
7“Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again?
8Is His loving devotion gone forever? Has His promise failed for all time?
9Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah
10So I said, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.
12I will reflect on all You have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.
13Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God?
14You are the God who works wonders; You display Your strength among the peoples.
15With power You redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken.
17The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth.
18Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
19Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, but Your footprints were not to be found.
20You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
1I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.
2In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
3I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.
4Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
6I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
7Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?
8Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?
9Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.
10And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
11I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.
12I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
13Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
14Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.
15Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
16The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
17The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.
18The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.
19Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
20Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
1I will cry unto God with my voice, Even unto God with my voice; and he will give ear unto me.
2In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: My hand was stretched out in the night, and slacked not; My soul refused to be comforted.
3I remember God, and am disquieted: I complain, and my spirit is overwhelmed. Selah
4Thou holdest mine eyes watching: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5I have considered the days of old, The years of ancient times.
6I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart; And my spirit maketh diligent search.
7Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will he be favorable no more?
8Is his lovingkindness clean gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for evermore?
9Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah
10And I said, This is my infirmity; [But I will remember] the years of the right hand of the Most High.
11I will make mention of the deeds of Jehovah; For I will remember thy wonders of old.
12I will meditate also upon all thy work, And muse on thy doings.
13Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: Who is a great god like unto God?
14Thou art the God that doest wonders: Thou hast made known thy strength among the peoples.
15Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16The waters saw thee, O God; The waters saw thee, they were afraid: The depths also trembled.
17The clouds poured out water; The skies sent out a sound: Thine arrows also went abroad.
18The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lightened the world: The earth trembled and shook.
19Thy way was in the sea, And thy paths in the great waters, And thy footsteps were not known.
20Thou leddest thy people like a flock, By the hand of Moses and Aaron. Psalm 78 Maschil of Asaph.
1For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph. I will cry out to God and call for help. I will cry out to God and he will pay attention to me.
2In my time of trouble I sought the Lord. I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night. I refused to be comforted.
3I said, “I will remember God while I groan; I will think about him while my strength leaves me.” (Selah)
4You held my eyelids open; I was troubled and could not speak.
5I thought about the days of old, about ancient times.
6I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang; I will think very carefully.” I tried to make sense of what was happening.
7I asked, “Will the Lord reject me forever? Will he never again show me his favor?
8Has his loyal love disappeared forever? Has his promise failed forever?
9Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has his anger stifled his compassion?” (Selah)
10Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought that the Most High might become inactive.
11I will remember the works of the Lord. Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.
12I will think about all you have done; I will reflect upon your deeds.”
13O God, your deeds are extraordinary. What god can compare to our great God?
14You are the God who does amazing things; you have revealed your strength among the nations.
15You delivered your people by your strength— the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)
16The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and trembled. Yes, the depths of the sea shook with fear.
17The clouds poured down rain; the skies thundered. Yes, your arrows flashed about.
18Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind; the lightning bolts lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook.
19You walked through the sea; you passed through the surging waters, but left no footprints.
20You led your people like a flock of sheep, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
1My cry goes to God! Indeed, I cry to God for help, and for him to listen to me.
2In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. My hand was stretched out in the night, and didn’t get tired. My soul refused to be comforted.
3I remember God, and I groan. I complain, and my spirit is overwhelmed. Selah.
4You hold my eyelids open. I am so troubled that I can’t speak.
5I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
6I remember my song in the night. I consider in my own heart; my spirit diligently inquires:
7“Will the Lord reject us forever? Will he be favorable no more?
8Has his loving kindness vanished forever? Does his promise fail for generations?
9Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he, in anger, withheld his compassion?” Selah.
10Then I thought, “I will appeal to this: the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11I will remember Yah’s deeds; for I will remember your wonders of old.
12I will also meditate on all your work, and consider your doings.
13Your way, God, is in the sanctuary. What god is great like God?
14You are the God who does wonders. You have made your strength known among the peoples.
15You have redeemed your people with your arm, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
16The waters saw you, God. The waters saw you, and they writhed. The depths also convulsed.
17The clouds poured out water. The skies resounded with thunder. Your arrows also flashed around.
18The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind. The lightnings lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook.
19Your way was through the sea; your paths through the great waters. Your footsteps were not known.
20You led your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Summary
A psalm of lament that turns to remembrance, Asaph describes crying out to God in the night, so troubled that he cannot even speak, and wondering aloud whether God's mercy and promises have failed for good (vv. 1-9). He then deliberately shifts his focus, choosing to remember the years of God's past faithfulness and the wonders he has worked (vv. 10-12). The psalm reflects on God's holiness and unmatched greatness, recalling how the waters themselves trembled at his power (vv. 13-16). It closes by retelling the exodus, picturing God's path through the sea and his leading of his people like a flock under Moses and Aaron, even though his footprints were left unseen (vv. 17-20).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Honest Questions Belong in Prayer (vv.7-9) — Asaph asks God directly whether His mercy has ended forever, without softening the doubt into something more polite. Do you bring your hardest questions about God's faithfulness to Him, or do you keep them to yourself?
- Remembering Is a Choice, Not Just a Feeling (v.10) — Asaph deliberately decides to recall God's past works rather than waiting to feel better first. When you can't sense God's presence, do you choose to remember what He's already done?
- God's Path Can Be Invisible and Still Real (v.19) — Asaph describes God's way through the sea and His footprints as unseen, even though His presence was undeniably there. Can you trust that God is working even when you can't trace exactly how?
- Trusting the Invisible God Behind Visible Leaders (v.20) — God led His people like a flock through the hands of Moses and Aaron, even though His own presence stayed hidden. Where do you need to trust that God is guiding you through the ordinary people and circumstances in front of you?