Psalm 44:21–22

Footnotes

1. 50 The active participle describes what is characteristically true.
2. 51 Heb “would not God search out this, for he knows the hidden things of [the] heart?” The expression “search out” is used metonymically here, referring to discovery, the intended effect of a search. The “heart” (i.e., mind) is here viewed as the seat of one’s thoughts. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he would!” The point seems to be this: There is no way the Israelites who are the speakers in the psalm would reject God and turn to another god, for the omniscient God would easily discover such a sin.
3. 52 The statement “because of you” (1) may simply indicate that God is the cause of the Israelites’ defeat (see vv. 9–14, where the nation’s situation is attributed directly to God’s activity, and cf. , ), or (2) it may suggest they suffer because of their allegiance to God (see Ps 69:7 and Jer 15:15). In this case one should translate, “for your sake” (cf. , ). The citation of this verse in Rom 8:36 follows the (Ps 43:23 ), where the Greek term ἕνεκεν (heneken; ἕνεκα) may likewise mean “because of” or “for the sake of” ( ἕνεκα 1).
4. 53 Or “regarded as.”
5. 54 Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.