This article is about Psalm 76 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 76 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 77.
Psalm 76
"In Judah is God known; His name is great in Israel"
Folio 105a - Psalm 76. The Parma Psalters from about 1280 AD (Ms. Parm. 1870; Cod. De Rossi 510; Palatina Library) now in Parma, Italy.
Other name
"Notus in Judaea"
Text
by Asaph
Language
Hebrew (original)
Psalm 76 is the 76th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "In Judah is God known; His name is great in Israel". The Book of Psalms forms part of the Ketuvim section of the Hebrew Bible and part of the ChristianOld Testament. In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek Septuagint version of the bible, and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 75. In Latin, it is known as "Notus in Judaea".[1] It is one of the psalms of Asaph. It refers to the "Majesty of God in Judgment".[2] The Jerusalem Bible regards it as an "ode to God the awe-inspiring".[3]
The following table shows the Hebrew text[4][5] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
verses 1–3: praise God who chose Zion as his dwelling and defended his city
verses 4–6: describe God's victory
verses 7–9: portray 'a judge who saves the humble'
verses 10–12: declare that all human beings will worship YHWH and tell them to perform their vows.[6]
According to Gordon Churchyard in the EasyEnglish Translation of the Psalms, this psalm explains that Judah and Israel are both names for God's chosen people.[7] The Jerusalem Bible suggests that the psalm "apparently refers to the defeat of Sennacherib in 701 BC at the gates of Jerusalem":[8] see also Assyrian siege of Jerusalem.
The Sela in verses 3 and 9 provides a 'threefold structure' with the middle section focusing on the 'description of God'.[6]
Uses
Judaism
This psalm is recited on the first day of Sukkot.[9]
Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 76 in a metred version in German, "In Juda ist der Herr bekannt", SWV 173, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.