Psalms 78:1–7
One generation tells the next what God has done
Study it word by word1A maskil of Asaph. Give ear, my people, to my instruction; incline your ear to the sayings of my mouth.
2I will open my mouth with a proverb; I will pour out riddles from of old,
3which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4We will not hide them from their children; to the generation to come we will recount the praises of YHWH, and his strength and his wonders that he has done.
5He established a testimony in Jacob, and an instruction he set in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to make known to their children,
6so that the generation to come might know, children yet to be born, who would rise up and tell their children,
7and put in Elohim their confidence, and not forget the works of El, and keep his commandments,
In its context
…
8and not be like their fathers, a generation obstinate and rebellious, a generation that did not make steady its heart, and whose spirit was not faithful to El.
9The sons of Ephraim, armed shooters of the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
Its words in the original
- מַשְׂכִּילmaskil· maskil
Maskil: a word in the title of thirteen psalms. It comes from "understand" and probably names a skillful or teaching poem. Its exact sense is not known.
- אָסָףasaf· Asaph
Asaph: a name meaning "gatherer," borne by the father of Joah, Hezekiah's recorder (2 Kings 18:18); the Levite who led the singers in David's time, to whom several psalms are attributed (1 Chronicles 16:5; Psalms 50; 73-83); and a keeper of the Persian king's forest (Nehemiah 2:8).
- הַאֲזִינָhaazina· listen, give ear
Give ear, listen carefully.
- עַמִּami· people
People: a human group joined by kinship, history and destiny. "My people", said by God, is Israel. Also the people as a crowd, or troops.
- תּוֹרָתִtorati· instruction, law
"Torah": instruction, teaching that gives direction; hence "law". Later it is the name of the five books of Moses. This translation uses "instruction", and "law" when the body of laws is meant.
- הַטּוּhatu· stretch out, turn aside
Stretch out, spread; pitch a tent. Also bend, incline; turn aside, pervert (justice).
- אָזְנְazn· ear
Ear. "Speak in someone's ears" is to tell him something directly.
- אִמְרֵיimre· words, sayings
Words, sayings. In Genesis 49:21, some read "fawns".
- פִfi· mouth
Mouth. Also what someone says or commands ("by the mouth of" = by the word of); the edge of a sword; "according to".
- אֶפְתְּחָהeftcha· open, engrave
Open; loosen, set free. In another form, engrave (cut lines in stone or metal).
- מָשָׁלmashal· saying, poem, proverb
Saying, proverb: a short saying with comparisons; also a poetic discourse.
- אַבִּיעָהabia· pour out, bubble
To bubble up, to pour out like water from a spring; of words, to utter them in abundance.
- חִידוֹתchidot· riddle
Riddle: an obscure saying that must be worked out; a puzzle.
- קֶדֶםkedem· east, of old
What is in front. Since in Israel one faced where the sun rises, it means "east"; applied to time, "of old", "ancient times".
- שָׁמַעְנוּshamanu· hear, listen, obey
Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.
- נֵּדָעֵnedae· know
Know. Not only having a fact: it is knowing by experience and closely; also recognize, care for, make known. So Hebrew also uses it for the intimate union of a man and his wife ("he knew his wife").
- אֲבוֹתֵיavote· father
Father; also ancestor ("our fathers"), and the founder or head of a family or group.
- סִפְּרוּsipru· count, tell
Count (numbers) and also tell (relate, recount). From here comes the word for "scribe".
- נְכַחֵדnechached· hide; destroy
Hide, conceal. In another form, cause to disappear, destroy.
- בְּנֵיbene· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- דוֹרdor· generation
Generation: the people who live in the same period; also an age, "all generations".
- אַחֲרוֹןacharon· last, behind
Last, coming behind; later, future. Also western.
- תְּהִלּוֹתtehilot· praise
Praise; deeds worthy of praise; a song of praise.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- עֱזוּזezuz· might
Might, power that prevails. From the same root as the usual word for "strength".
- נִפְלְאוֹתָיniflotay· be wonderful, too hard
Be extraordinary, beyond what one can do; be wonderful. "Is anything too hard for YHWH?"
- עָשָׂהasa· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- יָּקֶםyakem· rise, stand, establish
Rise, stand up; also stand firm, establish or fulfill something. "Rise against" is to attack.
- עֵדוּתedut· testimony
Testimony: the tablets of the covenant, which bear witness to what God commanded; "the ark of the testimony" holds them.
- יַעֲקֹבyaakov· Jacob
Jacob, the younger son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin brother of Esau and father of the twelve tribes. In Hebrew "Yaakov" sounds like "heel" and "supplant" (Genesis 25:26; 27:36). God later gave him the name Israel; the name also stands for his descendants, the people of Israel.
- שָׂםsam· put, set
Put, place, set; appoint, establish; make something into something.
- יִשְׂרָאֵלyisrael· Israel
Israel, the new name Jacob received from God, explained as "you have striven with God" (Genesis 32:28); then the name of the people that came from him and, after the division, of the northern kingdom.
- צִוָּהtsiva· command
Command, give an order; give charge to someone.
- יִוָּלֵדוּyivaledu· bear, father
Give birth, bear children; said of the father, "father" or "beget". In some forms, help at a birth (midwife) or be born.
- אלֹהִיםlohim· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- כִּסְלָkisla· loins, confidence
The loins: the lower back, near the kidneys. In other passages, confidence (or folly).
- יִשְׁכְּחוּyishkchu· forget
Forget.
- מַעַלְלֵיmaalle· deeds, doings
Deeds, doings; what someone does, good or bad.
- אֵלel· El, God, god
"El", an ancient Hebrew word for "God". Alone or with another title it is a name of the God of Israel: El Elyon (God Most High), El Shaddai (God Almighty). Neighboring peoples used the same word for their gods; then this translation writes "god" in lower case. It also means "mighty".
- מִצְוֺתָיmitsvotay· commandment
Commandment: an order given by one in authority; above all, those of God.
- יִנְצֹרוּyintsoru· keep, guard
Keep, watch over, preserve.