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1Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us?[#sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.]
Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?
2Remember your people whom you acquired in ancient times,[#tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.]
whom you rescued so they could be your very own nation,
as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!
3Hurry and look at the permanent ruins,[#tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”]
and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple!
4Your enemies roar in the middle of your sanctuary;[#tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.; #tn Heb “your meeting place.”]
they set up their battle flags.
5They invade like lumberjacks
swinging their axes in a thick forest.
6And now they are tearing down all its engravings[#tn This is the reading of the Qere (marginal reading). The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and a time.”; #tn The imperfect verbal form vividly describes the act as underway.; #tn Heb “its engravings together.”]
with axes and crowbars.
7They set your sanctuary on fire;
they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground.
8They say to themselves,[#tn Heb “in their heart.”]
“We will oppress all of them.”
They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land.
9We do not see any signs of God’s presence;[#tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).]
there are no longer any prophets
and we have no one to tell us how long this will last.
10How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?
Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
11Why do you remain inactive?
Intervene and destroy him!
12But God has been my king from ancient times,[#tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.]
performing acts of deliverance on the earth.
13You destroyed the sea by your strength;[#tn The derivation and meaning of the Polel verb form פּוֹרַרְתָּ (porarta) are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the Hiphil or Hophal stem. BDB 830 s.v. II פָּרַר suggests a homonym here, meaning “to split; to divide.” A Hitpolel form of a root פָּרַר (parar) appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “to shake violently.”]
you shattered the heads of the sea monster in the water.
14You crushed the heads of Leviathan;[#sn You crushed the heads of Leviathan. The imagery of vv. 13-14 originates in West Semitic mythology. The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon [Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַּנִין (tanin), translated “sea monster” in v. 13] vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling [Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן (’aqallaton), translated “squirming” in Isa 27:1] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (note the use of the plural “heads” here and in v. 13). (See CTA 3.iii.38-39 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 50.) (2) “For all that you smote Leviathan the slippery [Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ (bariakh), translated “fast moving” in Isa 27:1] serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5.i.1-3 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 68.) In the myths Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and, in turn, the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. In the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (see Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the waters of chaos is related to his kingship (see Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Isa 27:1 applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea. Here in Ps 74:13-14 the primary referent is unclear. The psalmist may be describing God’s creation of the world (note vv. 16-17 and see Ps 89:9-12), when he brought order out of a watery mass, or the exodus (see Isa 51:9-10), when he created Israel by destroying the Egyptians in the waters of the sea.]
you fed him to the people who live along the coast.
15You broke open the spring and the stream;[#sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).]
you dried up perpetually flowing rivers.
16You established the cycle of day and night;[#tn Heb “To you [is] day, also to you [is] night.”]
you put the moon and sun in place.
17You set up all the boundaries of the earth;[#tn This would appear to refer to geographical boundaries, such as mountains, rivers, and seacoasts. However, since the day-night cycle has just been mentioned (v. 16) and the next line speaks of the seasons, it is possible that “boundaries” here refers to the divisions of the seasons. See C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:156.]
you created the cycle of summer and winter.
18Remember how the enemy hurls insults, O Lord ,[#tn Heb “remember this.”; #tn Or “[how] the enemy insults the Lord.”]
and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!
19Do not hand the life of your dove over to a wild animal![#sn Your dove. The psalmist compares weak and vulnerable Israel to a helpless dove.]
Do not continue to disregard the lives of your oppressed people!
20Remember your covenant promises,[#tc Heb “look at the covenant.” The LXX reads “your covenant,” which seems to assume a second person pronominal suffix. The suffix may have been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word (כִּי) begins with kaf (כ).]
for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules.
21Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame!
Let the oppressed and poor praise your name!
22Rise up, O God! Defend your honor![#tn Or “defend your cause.”]
Remember how fools insult you all day long!
23Do not disregard what your enemies say,[#tn Or “forget.”; #tn Heb “the voice of your enemies.”]
or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you.