Tehillim 77 | Contemplation From Within Distress

Psalm 77 is especially notable in that the poet gives us a detailed account of his inner psychological process. The psalm opens with a cry of anguish, and the poet declares that he refuses to be comforted (verse 3). As the psalm progresses, he begins to view his suffering through a broader historical perspective: “I think about the olden days, the years long gone” (verse 6), and describes how he enters into an inner dialogue: “I recall my contemplation by night - I reflect within my heart” (verse 7). From this moment, he turns to ask three questions of God (verses 8–10), wondering whether God has abandoned and forgotten His people: “Has God forgotten to show grace and in His wrath, curbed His compassion? - Selah” (verse 10).

The answer, in the poet’s view, comes through the root  זכ"ר (“remember”) — countering the question of whether God has forgotten. The poet shifts to recalling God’s past deeds for His people: “I will call to mind the Lord’s acts; I will recall Your wonders of old” (verse 12), and he declares that such wonders must be contemplated and told: “I will contemplate all Your works and reflect upon Your acts” (verse 13). He recounts the wonders that God performed for His people, with the splitting of the Red Sea, and ends the psalm with God’s leadership of Israel through the wilderness: “You led Your people like a flock by the hands of Moshe and Aharon” (verse 21). How exactly do God’s wonders in Israel’s early history answer the poet’s present pain? That question calls for further reflection — what, exactly, is the claim or religious experience this psalm expresses? In truth, it seems the discussion continues in the following psalms, which shift to later phases in Israel’s history — God’s choice of the House of David, and eventually, the destruction.

To explore Psalm 77 further, see the attached shiur by Dr. Beni Gesundheit.