O God, we have heard it with our own ears— our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in days long ago:
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. A contemplative psalm. We have heard with our ears, God; our fathers have told us, what work you did in their days, in the days of old.
- KJV We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.
- BSB For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us the work You did in their days, in the days of old.
- NKJV We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old:
- NASB God, we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us The work that You did in their days, In the days of old.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The congregation recalls the mighty acts God did for their ancestors, handed down by testimony. It matters because faith is nourished by remembering and passing on God's saving deeds.
Overview
Psalm 44 opens by appealing to the well-known history of God's deliverance, taught from one generation to the next. This corporate memory is the foundation for the lament that follows, where past faithfulness makes present suffering all the more bewildering. The pattern of teaching God's works to children anticipates the gospel call to pass on the good news of a greater deliverance accomplished in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 78:3–6Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
- Exod 13:14–15It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall tell him, ‘By strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.
- Deut 6:20When your son asks you in time to come, saying, “What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh our God has commanded you mean?”
- Judg 6:13Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, ‘Didn’t Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
- Joel 1:3Tell your children about it, and have your children tell their children, and their children, another generation.
- Ps 77:5I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
- Ps 42:1For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God.
- Ps 105:1–2Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name! Make his doings known among the peoples.
- Ps 22:31They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.
- Isa 38:19The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today. The father shall make known your truth to the children.
- Num 21:14–16Therefore it is said in the book of the Wars of Yahweh, “Vaheb in Suphah, the valleys of the Arnon,
- Job 15:17–19“I will show you, listen to me; that which I have seen I will declare
- Num 21:27–30Therefore those who speak in proverbs say, “Come to Heshbon. Let the city of Sihon be built and established;
- Job 8:8–9“Please inquire of past generations. Find out about the learning of their fathers.
- Exod 12:24–27You shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.
- Ps 71:18Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 44:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.