on jeduthun Concerning the decrees and the laws that pass over Israel.

my wound Heb. ידי, lit. my hand; my wound.

my wound oozes In this exile, which is like night, it oozes pus and gall.

and does not abate Its oozing does not abate.

I remember God The kindness that He used to do for me in the days of my love.

I speak about those acts of kindness and the favors.

and my spirit becomes faint Pasmer in Old French, to faint or swoon.

You held fast the awakenings of my eyes Heb. שמרות, an expression of the watch (אשמרת) of the night, for [when] a person awakens from his sleep his mind is settled and his heart returns to him, but I am not like that. In this night of exile, my eyes are always stuck together, like a man sleeping from a clogged heart, and in the troubles that I see, my spirit throbs and I have no speech within me.

I think of the days of yore to remember the kind acts that You performed for our forefathers.

I recall my music at night In the days of this exile, which is like night, I remember my melodies that I used to play in days of yore in the Temple.

I speak with my heart I think, and my spirit searches [to ascertain] what is the manner of the Holy One, blessed be He, and I wonder: will He forsake [me] forever?

Has...ended forever Perhaps His kind acts have ended?

Has He issued a decree a perpetual decree that He will never again repent of His anger?

Has...forgotten to be gracious Heb. חנות, to be gracious, like עשוֹת, to do; ראוֹת, to see. Another explanation: חנות means gracious acts.

Has He, in anger, shut off His mercy forever Heb. קפץ, an expression of (Deut. 15:7): “and do not close (תקפץ) your hand,” i.e., has He shut off the mercy forever because of the anger?

And I said, “This is to terrify me” My thoughts tell me, “This is only to terrify me and frighten me into returning to Him.”

to terrify me Heb. חלותי, like לחלוֹתי, to terrify me, an expression of sickness and terror.

the change of the right hand of the Most High How the right hand of the Most High changed. It was mighty with strength and now He has withdrawn His right hand.

And I meditate over all Your works that You have already done for us.

Your way is in sanctity Your manner is to sanctify Your name in the world, to execute justice upon the wicked.

The waters perceived You [The] mighty [waters perceived You] when You were revealed by the sea.

They poured forth thick waters The skies poured forth a stream of thick waters.

Your arrows Heb. חצציך, like חִצֶיךָ.

like a wheel Heb. בגלגל, like כגלגל. The sound of Your thunder [rolled] like a wheel on the sea to confuse the camp of the Egyptians.

and Your steps were not known The steps are not recognizable on the water. [The word] ועקבותיךָ means trazes in Old French, footprints.