Psalm 44:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

NIV: If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

NASB: If we had forgotten the name of our God Or extended our hands to a strange god,

CSB: If we had forgotten the name of our God and spread out our hands to a foreign god,

NLT: If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,

KJV: If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

NKJV: If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,

Spreading out the hands in Old Testament times was a gesture associated with prayer and worship. At the dedication of Solomon's temple, "Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven" (1 Kings 8:22). Then he began his prayer by acknowledging that there is no god like Israel's God (1 Kings 8:23). Solomon knew, as did every person in Israel, that God had commanded: "I am the LORD your God…You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:2–3). Soon after receiving these words, Israel sinned by worshiping a golden calf (Exodus 32:1–8). Consequently, the Lord punished them (Exodus 32:35).

When this psalm began, the writer recalled the victories which God gave to Israel (Psalm 44:1–8). Those were conditioned on Israel's obedience to the Lord (Deuteronomy 7:12–16). When the people sinned, they could expect consequences (Deuteronomy 30:15–18). Now, having suffered some humiliating defeat (Psalm 44:9–16), the psalmist is frustrated. He continues to argue (Psalm 44:17–19) that the people of Israel had done nothing to deserve defeat and demoralization at the hands of their enemies. He rejects any suggestion they had turned their backs on proper worship of God. So, the writer cannot understand why God has allowed such suffering to occur.

This train of thought continues into the next verse (Psalm 44:21), suggesting that since God has not brought national sin to anyone's attention, there is no reason to believe it is occurring.

Israel passed down stories of God's miraculous power and the victories the Lord granted. However, this psalm comes after the nation has suffered some humiliating defeat. The psalmist struggles to understand why, as he sees no evidence of national sin in Israel to justify punishment. The writer expresses raw emotion, frustrated and anguished, yet prays for rescue out of faith in God's lovingkindness.

This psalm seems to follow a major defeat in battle. No explicit context is given, though the psalmist claims it was not God's punishment for national idolatry. Some commentators see connection to a conflict with Edom, who surprised Israel when the nation was engaged in other battles (Psalm 60; 85; Amos 1:6; 2 Samuel 8:13) as a possible explanation. This is another example of biblical writers expressing raw human emotions as they struggle to understand God's will. Psalms 69 and 73 include related themes. Habakkuk chapter 1 expresses similar ideas.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.