Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 77

I cried unto God with my voice - That is, he cried or prayed audibly. It was not mere mental prayer. See the notes at Psalms 3:4.

Even unto God with my voice - The repetition here is emphatic. The idea is that it was an earnest or fervent cry. Compare the notes at 2 Corinthians 12:8.

And he gave ear unto me - See Psalms 5:1, note; Psalms 17:6, note.

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord - Compare the notes at (Psalms 50:15). This trouble may have been either mental or bodily; that is, it may have arisen from some form of disease, or it may have been that which sprang from difficulties in regard to the divine character, government, and dealings. That it assumed the latter form, even if it had its beginning in the former, is apparent from the following verses. Whether it was connected with any form of bodily disease must be determined by the proper interpretation of the next clause in this verse.

My sore ran in the night - Margin, “My hand.” It is evident that our translators supposed that there was some bodily disease—some running sore—which was the cause of his trouble. Hence, they so rendered the Hebrew word. But it is now generally agreed that this is without authority. The Hebrew word is “hand”—יד yâd—a word which is never used in the sense of sore or wound. The Septuagint renders it, “my hands are before him.” The Vulgate renders it in the same manner. Luther, “My hand is stretched out at night.” DeWette, “My hand is stretched out at night unwearied.” The word which is rendered in our version “ran”—נגר nâgar—means to “flow;” and, in Niphil, to be poured out, and then, “to be stretched out;” which is evidently its meaning here.

The idea is that his hand was stretched out in earnest supplication, and that this continued in the night when these troubles most afflicted him. (See Psalms 77:4, Psalms 77:6). In his painful meditations in the night watches—in thinking on God and his ways, as he lay on his bed—he stretched out his hand in fervent prayer to God.

And ceased not - The word used here—פוג pûg—means properly to be cold; then, to be torpid, sluggish, slack. Here it means that the hand did not become weary; it did not fall from exhaustion; or, in other words, that he did not stop praying through weariness or exhaustion.

My soul refused to be comforted - I resisted all the suggestions that came to my own mind, that might have comforted me. My heart was so melancholy and downcast; my spirits were so crushed; my mind was so dark; I had become so morbid, that I loved to cherish these thoughts. I chose to dwell on them. They had obtained possession of me, and I could not let them go. There was nothing that my own mind could suggest, there was nothing that occurred to me, that would relieve the difficulty or restore peace to my soul. These sad and gloomy thoughts filled all my soul, and left no room for thoughts of consolation and peace.

A truly pious man may, therefore, get into a state of mind—a sad, dispirited, melancholy, morbid state—in which nothing that can be said to him, nothing that will occur to himself, will give him comfort and peace. .

I remembered God – That is, I thought about God; I thought about His character, His government, and His dealings. I thought about the mysteries – the incomprehensible things, the apparently unequal, unjust, and partial actions – of His administration. It is evident from the whole tenor of the psalm that these were the things that occupied his attention. He dwelt on them until his whole soul became sad, until his spirit became so overwhelmed that he could not find words to express his thoughts.

And was troubled – The Septuagint renders this, εὐφράνθην (euphranthēn) – I was rejoiced or delighted. The Vulgate does so as well. Luther renders it, “When I am troubled, then I think on God.” Our translation, however, has probably given the true idea. In that, it has expressed (a) what often occurs in the case of even a good man – that by dwelling on the dark and incomprehensible things of the divine administration, the soul becomes sad and troubled to an extent bordering on murmuring, complaint, and rebellion; and this may also serve to illustrate (b) what often happens in the mind of a sinner – that he delights to dwell on these things in the divine administration for these reasons:

1. As most in accordance with what he desires to think about God, or with the views he wishes to cherish concerning Him; and
2. As justifying himself in his rebellion against God and his refusal to submit to Him – for if God is unjust, partial, and severe, the sinner is right. Such a Being would be unworthy of trust and confidence; He ought to be opposed, and His claims ought to be resisted.

I complained – Or rather, I mused or meditated. The word used here does not necessarily mean to complain. It is sometimes used in that sense, but its proper and common meaning is to meditate (see Psalms 119:15, Psalms 119:23, Psalms 119:27, Psalms 119:48, Psalms 119:78, Psalms 119:148).

And my spirit was overwhelmed – With the result of my own reflections. That is, I was amazed or confounded by the thoughts that came to me.

You hold my eyes waking - literally, “You hold the watchings of my eyes.” Gesenius (Lexicon) translates the Hebrew word rendered “waking” as “eyelids.” This is probably the true idea. The eyelids are the watchers or guardians of the eyes; in danger and in sleep, they close. Here the idea is that God held them so that they did not close. He overcame the natural tendency of the eyes to shut. In other words, the psalmist was kept awake; he could not sleep. This he traces to God.

The idea is that God so kept Himself before the psalmist's mind—such ideas concerning God occurred to him—that he could not sleep.

I am so troubled - He was troubled with sad and dark views of God; so troubled in endeavoring to understand His character and actions; in explaining His acts; in painful ideas that suggested themselves regarding His justice, His goodness, His mercy.

That I cannot speak - I am struck dumb. I do not know what to say. I cannot find anything to say.

He who has not had thoughts like these pass through his mind must have a heart singularly and happily free by nature from skepticism, or must have reflected little on the divine administration. As the psalmist was a good man, a pious man, it is important to remark, in view of his experience, that such reflections occur not only to the minds of bad people—of the profane, of skeptics, of infidel philosophers—but they come unbidden into the minds of good people, and often in a form that they cannot calm down.

He who has never had such thoughts, happy as he may and should consider himself that he has not had them, has never known some of the deepest stirrings and workings of the human soul on the subject of religion, and is little qualified to sympathize with a spirit torn, crushed, and agitated, as was that of the psalmist on these questions, or as Augustine and thousands of others have been in later times. But let no one conclude, because he has these thoughts, that therefore he cannot be a friend of God—a converted person. The wicked person invites them, cherishes them, and rejoices that he can find what seem to him to be reasons for indulging in such thoughts against God; the good person is pained, struggles against them, endeavoring to banish them from his soul.

I have considered the days of old - Rather, “I do consider;” that is, “I think upon.” This refers to his resolution in his perplexity and trouble; the method to which he resorted in examining the subject, and in endeavoring to allay his troubles. He resolved to look at the past. He asked what was the evidence that was furnished on the subject by the former dealings of God with himself and with mankind; what could be learned from those dealings in regard to the great and difficult questions that now so perplexed his mind.

The years of ancient times - The records and remembrances of past ages. What is the testimony that the history of the world bears on this subject? Does it prove that God is worthy of confidence or not? Does it or does it not authorize and justify these painful thoughts that pass through the mind?