Psalms 77:2
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
Study Note
Study Note
The psalmist's testimony 'in the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted' presents a faith that insists on bringing unrelieved grief before God rather than suppressing it in false resignation. The phrase 'my sore ran' (or 'my hand was stretched out') in the Hebrew denotes the extended posture of prayer that has brought no visible relief — yet the seeking continues. The refusal of comfort ('my soul refused to be comforted') echoes Rachel weeping for her children (Jeremiah 31:15) and anticipates the lament psalms' strategy of naming desolation truthfully before moving toward renewed trust (77:10-20). Walter Brueggemann identifies this as 'psalms of disorientation' that validate grief as a legitimate spiritual posture.
Other Translations
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: My hand was stretched out in the night, and slacked not; My soul refused to be comforted.
In a day of my distress the Lord I sought, My hand by night hath been spread out, And it doth not cease, My soul hath refused to be comforted.
In the day of my trouble, my heart was turned to the Lord: my hand was stretched out in the night without resting; my soul would not be comforted.
Cross References
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