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Psalm 81:4-6
New English Translation
Psalm 81:4-6
New English Translation
4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel;[a]
it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.
5 He decreed it as a regulation in Joseph,
when he attacked the land of Egypt.[b]
I heard a voice I did not recognize.[c]
6 It said:[d] “I removed the burden from his shoulder;
his hands were released from holding the basket.[e]
Footnotes
- Psalm 81:4 tn Heb “because a statute for Israel [is] it.”
- Psalm 81:5 tn Heb “in his going out against the land of Egypt.” This apparently refers to the general time period of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The LXX reads, “from Egypt,” in which case “Joseph” (see the preceding line) would be the subject of the verb, “when he [Joseph = Israel] left Egypt.”
- Psalm 81:5 tn Heb “a lip I did not know, I heard.” Here the term “lip” probably stands for speech or a voice. Apparently the psalmist speaks here and refers to God’s voice, whose speech is recorded in the following verses.
- Psalm 81:6 tn The words “It said” are not included in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Psalm 81:6 sn I removed the burden. The Lord speaks metaphorically of how he delivered his people from Egyptian bondage. The reference to a basket/burden probably alludes to the hard labor of the Israelites in Egypt, where they had to carry loads of bricks (see Exod 1:14).
New English Translation (NET)
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