An Appeal from God to Israel

¹ For the music director; on the Gittith. Of Asaph.¹ Shout out to God our strength; shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.

1. The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one

² Lift up a song and strike¹ the tambourine, the pleasant lyre, together with the harp.

1. Hebrew “give”

³ Blow the horn at new moon, at full moon, for our feast day,

⁴ because it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

⁵ He made it a statute¹ in Joseph when he went out against the land of Egypt, where I heard a language I did not know.²

1. Hebrew “testimony” or “witness”
2. The meaning of this line is uncertain. The above is based on perhaps a similar thought in Psa 114:1

⁶ “I removed his shoulder from a burden. His hands were freed from the basket.

⁷ In this¹ trouble you called, and I rescued you. Within the secret place of thunder I answered you; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

1. Hebrew “the”

⁸ Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me.

⁹ There shall be no strange god among you, and you shall not bow down to a foreign god.

¹⁰ I am Yahweh your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

¹¹ But my people did not listen to my voice, and Israel did not yield to me.

¹² So I let them¹ go in the stubbornness of their heart; they walked in their counsels.

1. Hebrew “him”

¹³ Oh that my people would listen to me; that Israel would walk in my ways.

¹⁴ I would subdue their enemies quickly, and turn my hand against their adversaries.

¹⁵ Those who hate Yahweh would cringe before him, and their fate¹ would be forever.

1. Hebrew “time”

¹⁶ But he would feed him¹ from the choicest wheat,² and I would satisfy you with honey from a rock.”

1. That is, Israel
2. Hebrew “the fat of wheat”