Mazmur 78:3-6

78:3 What we have heard and learned ¹  –

that which our ancestors ²  have told us –

78:4 we will not hide from their ³  descendants.

We will tell the next generation

about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts, ⁴ 

about his strength and the amazing things he has done.

78:5 He established a rule ⁵  in Jacob;

he set up a law in Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to make his deeds known to their descendants, ⁶ 

78:6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,

might know about them.

They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. ⁷ 

Mazmur 145:4

145:4 One generation will praise your deeds to another,

and tell about your mighty acts! ⁸ 

[78:3]  ¹ tn Or “known.”

[78:3]  ² tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 5, 8, 12, 57).

[78:4]  ³ tn The pronominal suffix refers back to the “fathers” (“our ancestors,” v. 3).

[78:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “to a following generation telling the praises of the Lord.” “Praises” stand by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.

[78:5]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).

[78:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).

[78:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “in order that they might know, a following generation, sons [who] will be born, they will arise and will tell to their sons.”

[145:4]  ⁸ tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise…and tell about.”