Psalm 77

The 77th Psalm in a Psalter booklet from 1538

The 77th psalm (according to Greek counting the 76th) is a psalm of Asaf . It is divided into two parts, the first part being a lament and the second part being a hymn . The theme of the Psalm is the overcoming of doubt through the pathos of faith .

The Lamentation (verses 2-10)

content

The first part, the lament, is about a desperate pious thinker: the more he immerses himself in YHWH and remembers the wondrous old stories, the more he becomes desperate in the face of the current situation.

structure

The first part can be broken down as follows:

1. Verses 2f and 4–7: Description of the complaint
2. Verses 8-10: Execution: Speaking out the thoughts

The hymn (verses 11-21)

content

The psalmist rejects the idea that YHWH's law may have been changed. YHWH's miracles are described with the help of mythological elements (cloud pouring, earthquake, etc.).

structure

The second part could be structured as follows:

1. Verse 11: The thought of the immutability of God's right
2. Verse 12f: remembering ancient times as consolation
3. Verses 14-16: Revelation of YHWH before all peoples, that he saves his people.
4. Verses 17-20: YHWH's miracle on the Red Sea

Individual evidence

1. ^ Hermann Gunkel, Die Psalmen ( ⁶ 1986), 333f.
2. ^ Hermann Gunkel, Die Psalmen ( ⁶ 1986), 334

Web links

Commons : Psalm 77  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Psalm 77 in the standard translation , the Luther Bible and other translations from bibleserver.com
• Psalm 77 in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) on bibelwissenschaft.de
• Sheet music in the public domain for settings of Psalm 77 in the Choral Public Domain Library - ChoralWiki (English)