Mazmur 78:17-18

78:17 Yet they continued to sin against him,

and rebelled against the sovereign One ¹  in the desert.

78:18 They willfully challenged God ² 

by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.

Mazmur 78:40-41

78:40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness,

and insulted him ³  in the desert!

78:41 They again challenged God, ⁴ 

and offended ⁵  the Holy One of Israel. ⁶ 

Mazmur 78:56

78:56 Yet they challenged and defied ⁷  the sovereign God, ⁸ 

and did not obey ⁹  his commands. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 78:1

Psalm 78 ¹¹ 

A well-written song ¹²  by Asaph.

78:1 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction!

Listen to the words I speak! ¹³ 

Kolose 1:9

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ¹⁴  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ¹⁵  to fill ¹⁶  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

[78:17]  ¹ tn Heb “rebelling [against] the Most High.”

[78:18]  ² tn Heb “and they tested God in their heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the center of their volition.

[78:40]  ³ tn Or “caused him pain.”

[78:41]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they returned and tested God.” The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate that an earlier action was repeated.

[78:41]  ⁵ tn Or “wounded, hurt.” The verb occurs only here in the OT.

[78:41]  ⁶ sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

[78:56]  ⁷ tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”

[78:56]  ⁸ tn Heb “God, the Most High.”

[78:56]  ⁹ tn Or “keep.”

[78:56]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).

[78:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 78. The author of this lengthy didactic psalm rehearses Israel’s history. He praises God for his power, goodness and patience, but also reminds his audience that sin angers God and prompts his judgment. In the conclusion to the psalm the author elevates Jerusalem as God’s chosen city and David as his chosen king.

[78:1]  ¹² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 74.

[78:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”

[1:9]  ¹⁴ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ¹⁵ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ¹⁶ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.