Psalms 76
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 76 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
18 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Psalms 76
1(77) For the end, for Idithun, a Psalm of Asaph.Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ Ἰδιθοὺν ψαλμὸς τῷ Ἀσάφ.
2I cried to the Lord with my voice, yes, my voice was addressed to God; and he gave heed to me.Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα, καὶ ἡ φωνή μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ προσέσχε μοι.
3In the day of my affliction I earnestly sought the Lord; even with my hands by night before him, and I was not deceived; my soul refused to be comforted.Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεώς μου τὸν Θεὸν ἐξεζήτησα, ταῖς χερσί μου νυκτὸς ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἠπατήθην· ἀπηνῄνατο παρακληθῆναι ἡ ψυχή μου·
4I remembered God, and rejoiced; I poured out my complaint, and my soul fainted. Pause.Ἐμνήσθην τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εὐφράνθην, ἠδολέσχησα, καὶ ὠλιγοψύχησε τὸ πνεῦμά μου· διάψαλμα.
5All my enemies set a watch against me: I was troubled, and spoke not.Προκατελάβοντο φυλακὰς πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου, ἐταράχθην καὶ οὐκ ἐλάλησα.
6I considered the days of old, and remembered ancient years.Διελογισάμην ἡμέρας ἀρχαίας, καὶ ἔτη αἰώνια
7And I meditated; I communed with my heart by night, and diligently searched my spirit, saying,ἐμνήσθην, καὶ ἐμελέτησα· νυκτὸς μετὰ τῆς καρδίας μου ἠδολέσχουν, καὶ ἔσκαλλον τὸ πνεῦμά μου.
8Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be well pleased no more?Μὴ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ἀπώσεται Κύριος, καὶ οὐ προσθήσει τοῦ εὐδοκῆσαι ἔτι;
9Will he cut off his mercy for ever, even for ever and ever?Ἢ εἰς τέλος ἀποκόψει τὸ ἔλεος ἀπὸ γενεᾶς καὶ γενεᾶς;
10Will God forget to pity? or will he shut up his compassions in his wrath? Pause.Ἢ ἐπιλήσεται τοῦ οἰκτειρῆσαι ὁ Θεὸς, ἢ συνέξει ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ τοὺς οἰκτιρμοὺς αὐτοῦ; διάψαλμα.
11And I said, Now I have begun; this is the change of the right hand of the Most High.Καὶ εἶπα, νῦν ἠρξάμην, αὕτη ἡ ἀλλοίωσις τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ ὑψίστου.
12I remembered the works of the Lord; for I will remember your wonders from the beginning.Ἐμνήσθην τῶν ἔργων Κυρίου, ὅτι μνησθήσομαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν θαυμασίων σου,
13And I will meditate on all your works, and will consider your doings.καὶ μελετήσω ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις σου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασί σου ἀδολεσχήσω.
14O God, your way is in the sanctuary; who is a great God as our God?Ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἡ ὁδός σου, τίς θεὸς μέγας ὡς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν;
15You are the God that do wonders; you have made known your power among the nations.Σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια, ἐγνώρισας ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς τὴν δύναμίν σου·
16You have with your arm redeemed your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Pause.ἐλυτρώσω ἐν τῷ βραχίονί σου τὸν λαόν σου, τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰακὼβ καὶ Ἰωσήφ· διάψαλμα.
17The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you, and feared; and the depths were troubled.Εἴδοσάν σε ὕδατα ὁ Θεὸς, εἴδοσάν σε ὕδατα καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν, καὶ ἐταράχθησαν ἄβυσσοι.
18There was an abundant sound of waters: the clouds uttered a voice; for your arrows went abroad.Πλῆθος ἤχους ὑδάτων, φωνὴν ἔδωκαν αἱ νεφέλαι· καὶ γὰρ τὰ βέλη σου διαπορεύονται.
19The voice of your thunder was abroad, and around your lightnings appeared to the world; the earth trembled a quaked.Φωνὴ τῆς βροντῆς σου ἐν τῷ τροχῷ· ἔφαναν αἱ ἀστραπαί σου τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, ἐσαλεύθη καὶ ἔντρομος ἐγενήθη ἡ γῆ.
20Your way is in the sea, and your paths in many waters, and your footsteps can’t be known.Ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἡ ὁδός σου, καὶ αἱ τρίβοι σου ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἴχνη σου οὐ γνωσθήσονται.
21You did guide your people as sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.Ὡδήγησας ὡς πρόβατα τὸν λαόν σου ἐν χειρὶ Μωυσῆ καὶ Ἀαρών.
The Fathers on Psalms 76
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 76:2Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “With my voice,” he saith, “to the Lord I have cried” (ver. 1). But many men cry unto the Lord for the sake of getting riches and avoiding losses, for the safety of their friends, for the security of their house, for temporal felicity, for secular dignity, lastly, even for mere soundness of body, which is the inheritance of the poor man. For such and such like things many men do cry unto the Lord; scarce one…
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On Psalms 76:2–3Saint Augustine of Hippo5. …“My soul hath refused to be comforted” (ver. 2). So great weariness did here possess me, that my soul did close the door against all comfort. Whence such weariness to him? It may be that his vineyard hath been hailed on, or his olive hath yielded no fruit, or the vintage hath been interrupted by rain. Whence the weariness to him? Hear this out of another Psalm. For therein is the voice of the same: “weariness…
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On Psalms 76:3Saint Augustine of Hippo3. “In the day of tribulation I have sought out God” (ver. 2). Who art thou that doest this thing? In the day of thy tribulation take heed what thou seekest out. If a jail be the cause of tribulation, thou seekest to get forth from jail: if fever be the cause of tribulation, thou seekest health: if hunger be the cause of tribulation, thou seekest fulness: if losses be the cause of tribulation, thou seekest gain:…
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On Psalms 76:5Saint Augustine of Hippo6. With weariness he had pined away; by calling to mind God, he had been delighted, again in babbling he had fainted: what followeth? “All mine enemies have anticipated watches” (ver. 4). All mine enemies have kept watch over me; they have exceeded in keeping watch over me; in watching they have been beforehand with me. Where do they not lay traps? Have not mine enemies anticipated all watches? For who are these…
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On Psalms 76:6Saint Augustine of Hippo7. “I have thought on ancient days” (ver. 5). Now he, as if he were one who had been beaten out of doors, hath taken refuge within: he is conversing in the secret place of his own heart. And let him declare to us what he is doing there. It is well with him. Observe what things he is thinking of, I pray you. He is within, in his own house he is thinking of ancient days. No one saith to him, thou hast spoken ill:…
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On Psalms 76:7Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “And I have meditated in the night with my heart” (ver. 6). No slanderous person seeketh for snares in his words, in his heart he hath meditated. “I babbled.” Behold there is the former babbling. Watch again, that thy spirit faint not. I did not, he saith, I did not so babble as if it were abroad: in another way now. How now? “I did babble, and did search out my spirit.” If he were searching the earth to find…
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On Psalms 76:8–9Saint Augustine of Hippo9. And thou hast found what? “God will not repel for everlasting” (ver. 7). Weariness he had found in this life; in no place a trustworthy, in no place a fearless comfort. Unto whatsoever men he betook himself, in them he found scandal, or feared it. In no place therefore was he free from care. An evil thing it was for him to hold his peace, lest perchance he should keep silence from good words; to speak and…
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On Psalms 76:10Saint Augustine of Hippo10. “Or will God forget to be merciful?” (ver. 9). In thee, from thee unto another there is no mercy unless God bestow it on thee: and shall God Himself forget mercy? The stream runneth: shall the spring itself be dried up? “Or shall God forget to be merciful: or shall He keep back in anger His mercies?” That is, shall He be so angry, as that He will not have mercy? He will more easily keep back anger than mercy.
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On Psalms 76:11Saint Augustine of Hippo11. “And I said.” Now leaping over himself he hath said what? “Now I have begun:” (ver. 10), when I had gone out even from myself. Here henceforth there is no danger: for even to remain in myself, was danger. “And I said, Now I have begun: this is the changing of the right hand of the Lofty One.” Now the Lofty One hath begun to change me: now I have begun something wherein I am secure: now I have entered a…
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On Psalms 76:12Saint Augustine of Hippo12. “I have been mindful of the works of the Lord” (ver. 11). Now behold him roaming among the works of the Lord. For he was babbling without, and being made sorrowful thereby his spirit fainted: he babbled within with his own heart, and with his spirit, and having searched out that same spirit he was mindful of the eternal years, was mindful of the mercy of the Lord, how God will not repel him for everlasting;…
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On Psalms 76:13Saint Augustine of Hippo13. “And I will meditate on all Thy works, and on Thy affections I will babble” (ver. 12). Behold the third babbling! He babbled without, when he hinted; he babbled in his spirit within, when he advanced: he babbled on the works of God, when he arrived at the place toward which he advanced. “And on Thy affections:” not on any affections. What man doth live without affections? And do ye suppose, brethren, that…
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On Psalms 76:14Saint Augustine of Hippo14. “O God, Thy way is in the Holy One” (ver. 13). He is contemplating now the works of the mercy of God around us, out of these he is babbling, and in these affections he is exulting. At first he is beginning from thence, “Thy way is in the Holy One?” What is that way of Thine which is in the Holy One? “I am,” He saith, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Return therefore, ye men, from your affections.…“Who is a…
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On Psalms 76:15Saint Augustine of Hippo15. “Thou art the God that doest wonderful things alone” (ver. 14). Thou art indeed a great God, doing wonderful things in body, in soul; alone doing them. The deaf have heard, the blind have seen, the feeble have recovered, the dead have risen, the paralytic have been strengthened. But these miracles were at that time performed on bodies, let us see those wrought on the soul. Sober are those that were a little…
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On Psalms 76:16Saint Augustine of Hippo16. “Thou hast redeemed in Thine arm Thy people” (ver. 15). “With Thine arm,” that is, with Thy power. “And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?” “Thou hast redeemed in Thine arm Thy people, the sons of Israel and of Joseph.” How as if two peoples, “the sons of Israel and of Joseph”? Are not the sons of Joseph among the sons of Israel?…He hath admonished us of some distinction to be made. Let us search…
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On Psalms 76:17Saint Augustine of Hippo17. And he continueth how? “The waters have seen Thee, O God, and they have feared and the abysses have been troubled” (ver. 16). What are the waters? The peoples. What are these waters hath been asked in the Apocalypse, the answer was, the peoples. There we find most clearly waters put by a figure for peoples. But above he had said, “Thou hast made known in the peoples Thy virtue.” With reason therefore, “the…
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On Psalms 76:18–19Saint Augustine of Hippo18. In praises of God, in confessions of sins, in hymns and in songs, in prayers, “There is a multitude of the sound of waters. The clouds have uttered a voice” (ver. 17). Thence that sound of waters, thence the troubling of the abysses, because “the clouds have uttered a voice.” What clouds? The preachers of the word of truth. What clouds? Those concerning which God doth menace a certain vineyard, which instead…
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On Psalms 76:20Saint Augustine of Hippo19. “Thy way is in the sea” (ver. 19). But now Thy way was in the Holy One, now “Thy way is in the sea:” because the Holy One Himself is in the sea, and with reason even did walk upon the waters of the sea. “Thy way is in the sea,” that is, Thy Christ is preached among the Gentiles.…“Thy way is in the sea, and Thy paths in many waters,” that is, in many peoples. “And Thy footsteps will not be known.” He hath…
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On Psalms 76:21Open Psalms 76 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo20. “Thou hast led home Thy people like sheep in the hand of Moses and of Aaron” (ver. 20). Why He hath added this is somewhat difficult to discover.…They banished Christ; sick as they were, they would not have Him for their Saviour; but He began to be among the Gentiles, and among all nations, among many peoples. Nevertheless, a remnant of that people hath been saved. The ungrateful multitude hath remained…
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