Psalm 77 1

Psalm 77:1 kjv

I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

Psalm 77:1 nkjv

To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God with my voice? To God with my voice; And He gave ear to me.

Psalm 77:1 niv

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm. I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.

Psalm 77:1 esv

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.

Psalm 77:1 nlt

I cry out to God; yes, I shout.
Oh, that God would listen to me!

Psalm 77 verses

Psalm 77 1 Meaning

Psalm 77:1 expresses a profound and vocal cry of distress from the psalmist directly to God, accompanied by an immediate and confident assertion that God has heard this earnest appeal. It sets a scene of deep personal anguish, met by an unwavering faith in the divine capacity and willingness to listen.

Psalm 77 1 Context

Psalm 77 is a Maskil of Asaph, likely composed during a time of national distress or profound personal anguish, potentially reflecting the suffering of the Israelite people, perhaps during an exile or a severe military defeat. Verse 1 serves as the opening lament, immediately establishing the psalmist's deep emotional state and his direct appeal to the divine. This initial declaration of crying out and being heard creates a tension with the subsequent verses (7-9) where the psalmist wrestles with doubts about God's forgotten compassion and apparent withdrawal. The psalm then transitions from lament to remembrance of God's mighty acts in history, finding comfort and renewed faith in God's unchanging character and past interventions, particularly the Exodus.

Psalm 77 1 Word analysis

• I cried out: The Hebrew word here is qara' (קרא), which means to call, to summon, to proclaim. It implies an audible, intentional utterance, often associated with prayer or distress. In this context, it signifies a fervent, deliberate act of seeking divine attention, rather than a mere sigh or thought. The psalmist is not simply distressed; he is actively articulating his pain and petition to God.

• to God: The Hebrew is ʾel ʾĔlōhîm (אֶל-אֱלֹהִים), using "Elohim," one of the most common names for God in the Old Testament, denoting God as the powerful Creator, Judge, and supreme deity. The preposition ʾel ("to" or "towards") emphasizes the direct, intentional direction of the cry. The repetition of "to God" within the verse intensifies the singular focus of the psalmist's desperate plea.

• with my voice: The Hebrew phrase is bəqôlî (בְּקוֹלִי), literally "in my voice" or "by my voice." This emphasizes the audible, vocal nature of the prayer. It signifies a full-hearted, expressed lament, not merely an internal thought or meditation. It underscores the personal and intense pouring out of the psalmist's soul, using the physical instrument of sound as a vehicle for deep emotion. In biblical tradition, vocal prayer often denotes earnestness and complete surrender to God.

• I cried out: The second instance of "I cried out" in Hebrew is ʾeṣʿāq (אֶצְעָק), from the verb ṣāʿaq (צעק). While qara' is a general "call," ṣāʿaq is often a stronger, more intense cry, specifically one for help, often used in times of great distress or injustice. It implies a loud, urgent, and even desperate shout or shriek. The shift from qara' to ṣāʿaq signifies an escalation in the urgency and depth of the psalmist's appeal, indicating extreme emotional pressure.

• and He gave ear to me: The Hebrew phrase is wayyaʾăzēn ʾēlay (וַיַּאֲזֵן אֵלַי). Wayyaʾăzēn is from the verb ʾāzan (אזן), which means "to hear," but more specifically "to listen attentively," "to give ear," or "to heed." It implies an intentional act of inclining one's ear and paying close attention, suggesting active receptiveness. The waw conjunction "and" connects the human cry directly to the divine act of listening. The past tense (imperfect consecutive) structure "and He gave ear" expresses a strong confidence in the completed or certain action of God, almost as an immediate response to the psalmist's desperate call. This assertion of being heard is crucial, even amidst subsequent doubt, as it anchors the entire prayer in faith.

• I cried out to God with my voice; I cried out to God: This repetition highlights the unwavering focus of the psalmist's plea. It is solely directed towards God, indicating absolute reliance on divine intervention. The first instance sets the stage of crying out; the second amplifies it with a more intense verb, showing the deepening nature of the distress and the sustained effort in prayer. It implies a relentless and concentrated pouring out of the soul to God alone.

• my voice... and He gave ear to me: This pairing beautifully juxtaposes the human vocal expression of distress with the divine, attentive hearing. It shows a clear cause-and-effect relationship, where the very act of a personal, earnest cry evokes a receptive, listening response from God. It highlights the biblical understanding of God as one who is not distant but intimately involved and responsive to His creation.

Psalm 77 1 Bonus section

• The deliberate vocalization ("with my voice") signifies a prayer of commitment and vulnerability. It's an act of fully engaging oneself in the petition, akin to physically kneeling or prostrating, expressing total reliance.
• The immediate declaration "He gave ear to me" despite the subsequent laments in Psalm 77 might represent the very first moments of the prayer – a resolute faith statement that grounds the outpouring of doubt, or perhaps the beginning of recollection of God's character even amidst current turmoil. It's not a narrative sequence of God's hearing leading to instant relief, but rather the premise upon which any genuine wrestling with God takes place.
• The direct address to "God" (Elohim) rather than "Yahweh" (the covenant name) might reflect the psalmist's immediate experience of God as the powerful, transcendent deity who is nonetheless personal enough to hear, perhaps when covenant blessings seem distant.

Psalm 77 1 Commentary

Psalm 77:1 serves as a profound opening to a lament that eventually finds solace in God's historical faithfulness. The psalmist's immediate and fervent cry, directed to God with his voice, signifies a prayer born out of deep personal distress, transcending mere thought to become a raw, audible outpouring of the soul. The use of two distinct Hebrew verbs for "cried out" (qara' then ṣāʿaq) emphasizes the escalation and persistence of the supplication – from a general call to a desperate shout for help. Crucially, the verse concludes with a declaration of faith: "and He gave ear to me." This is not a future hope but a confident assertion of an attentive, listening God, presented as an immediate consequence of the psalmist's sincere plea. Even as the psalm progresses into doubt and questions, this opening verse sets the bedrock of the psalmist's spiritual life: that in moments of greatest agony, the first and most fundamental act is to call upon the Lord, confident that He hears. It grounds the subsequent struggle in an initial act of faith, reminding believers that even when answers seem delayed, God is never deaf.