Psalm 44:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.

NIV: but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.

NASB: But You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those who hate us.

CSB: But you give us victory over our foes and let those who hate us be disgraced.

NLT: You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies; you disgrace those who hate us.

KJV: But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

NKJV: But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us.

After acknowledging that his bow and sword were insufficient to save him (Psalm 44:4–6), the psalmist praises the Lord for delivering Israel from her enemies. The Lord's defeat of Israel's enemies was so resounding that they were put to shame. This comment looks back on the miraculous victories Israel saw after the exodus from Egypt and during the conquest of Canaan. Those events were passed down from generation to generation (Psalm 44:1–3) and recorded in books such as Exodus and Joshua.

However, this praise leads up to the psalmist's confusion: that God has allowed Israel to suffer a humiliating defeat (Psalm 44:9). Including these expressions of praise and faith make it clear the writer is not despairing, even though they cannot understand the reason for their suffering.

Israel's most difficult challenge is still ahead. In the tribulation, the Devil will use his two henchmen, the beast and the false prophet (Revelation 13), to persecute Israel's faithful remnant. Revelation 12:13–17 describes the Devil's furious rage against the believing Jews of the tribulation period after he is routed from heaven and cast down to the earth. But God will protect His people and provide a safe place for them in the mountains (Matthew 24:15–16). At the end of the tribulation, the Lord will descend to earth to establish His earthly kingdom. At that time, He will cast the beast and the false prophet alive into the lake of fire, bind the Devil, and throw him into the bottomless pit for a thousand years (Revelation 19:11—20:3). Then He will release Satan, who will deceive the nations. But those who march out in battle against the Lord's people will be consumed. The Devil will then be thrown into the lake of fire, "and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). Israel's greatest foes will be put to shame, once again.

Psalm 44:4–8 is still focused on God's mighty deeds of the past (Psalm 44:1–3). Here, however, the psalmist expresses his present faith in the Lord. He intends to praise God now and in the future. This declaration helps to frame the psalmist's anguished confusion in the next passage—as if the writer is careful to qualify his upcoming complaint. Beginning in verse 9, the tone shifts dramatically as the writer mourns God's current treatment of the Israelites.

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.