Psalm 44:23
New International Version
Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.

New Living Translation
Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever.

English Standard Version
Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!

Berean Standard Bible
Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.

King James Bible
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

New King James Version
Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever.

New American Standard Bible
Wake Yourself up, why do You sleep, Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever.

NASB 1995
Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever.

NASB 1977
Arouse Thyself, why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever.

Legacy Standard Bible
Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever.

Amplified Bible
Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Awaken, do not reject us forever.

Christian Standard Bible
Wake up, LORD! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Don’t reject us forever!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Wake up, LORD! Why are You sleeping? Get up! Don’t reject us forever!

American Standard Version
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise, cast us not off for ever.

Contemporary English Version
Wake up! Do something, Lord! Why are you sleeping? Don't desert us forever.

English Revised Version
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Wake up! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Awake! Do not reject us forever!

Good News Translation
Wake up, Lord! Why are you asleep? Rouse yourself! Don't reject us forever!

International Standard Version
Wake up! Why are you asleep, Lord? Get up! Don't cast us off forever!

Majority Standard Bible
Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.

NET Bible
Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Wake up! Do not reject us forever!

New Heart English Bible
Wake up. Why do you sleep, Lord? Arise. Do not reject us forever.

Webster's Bible Translation
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

World English Bible
Wake up! Why do you sleep, Lord? Arise! Don’t reject us forever.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Stir up—why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever.

Young's Literal Translation
Stir up -- why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? Awake, cast us not off for ever.

Smith's Literal Translation
Awake, why wilt thou sleep, O Jehovah? awake, thou wilt not reject forever.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Arise, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, and cast us not off to the end.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Rise up. Why do you fall asleep, O Lord? Rise up, and do not reject us in the end.

New American Bible
Awake! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Rise up! Do not reject us forever!

New Revised Standard Version
Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Awake and sleep not, O LORD; remember us and forsake us not.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Awake and do not sleep, LORD JEHOVAH! Remember us and do not forget us!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arouse Thyself, cast not off for ever.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Awake, wherefore sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, and do not cast us off for ever.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Redeem Us
22Yet for Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 23Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever. 24Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?…

Cross References
Romans 13:11
And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Mark 4:38
But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”

Matthew 8:25
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

Luke 8:24
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm.

Romans 11:8
as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

1 Thessalonians 5:6
So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.

Ephesians 5:14
So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?

Isaiah 52:1
Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and unclean will no longer enter you.

Isaiah 64:12
After all this, O LORD, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

Habakkuk 1:2
How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save?

Job 30:20
I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.

Lamentations 3:8
Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.

Psalm 35:23
Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!

Psalm 7:6
Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up against the fury of my enemies. Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.


Treasury of Scripture

Awake, why sleep you, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

Awake

Psalm 7:6
Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.

Psalm 12:5
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

Psalm 35:23
Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.

cast

Psalm 40:9
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.

Psalm 74:1
Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Psalm 88:14
LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?

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Arise Arouse Awake Cast Forever Help Reject Rouse Sleep Sleepest Sleeping Stir Thyself Wake
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Psalm 44
1. The church, in memory of former favors
7. complains of her present evils
17. professing her integrity,
24. she fervently prays for helpfulness














Awake
The psalmist begins with a fervent plea for God to "Awake." This word, in the Hebrew root "עוּר" (ur), conveys a sense of stirring or rousing from sleep. It is a powerful metaphor, suggesting that God appears to be inactive or distant in the face of Israel's suffering. Historically, this reflects moments when the Israelites felt abandoned, yet it also serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the belief that He is always present, even when He seems silent. The call to "Awake" is a cry for divine intervention and a return to the active presence of God in their lives.

O Lord!
The invocation "O Lord!" uses the Hebrew "יְהוָה" (Yahweh), the sacred and personal name of God. This name is deeply significant, representing the covenant relationship between God and His people. By addressing God as "Lord," the psalmist acknowledges His authority and power, while also appealing to His covenantal faithfulness. It is a reminder of the intimate relationship that believers have with God, one that is based on His promises and steadfast love.

Why do You sleep?
This phrase is a poignant expression of the psalmist's distress and confusion. The rhetorical question "Why do You sleep?" suggests a perceived inaction on God's part. In the Hebrew context, sleep is often associated with inactivity or neglect. However, theologically, it is understood that God does not literally sleep, as He is always vigilant and aware. This question reflects the human struggle to understand God's timing and purposes, especially during trials and tribulations.

Do not reject us forever
The plea "Do not reject us forever" reveals a deep fear of abandonment. The Hebrew word for "reject" is "זָנַח" (zanach), which implies casting away or forsaking. This reflects the Israelites' fear of being permanently cut off from God's favor and presence. Historically, this fear was rooted in the consequences of disobedience and exile. Yet, the psalmist's plea is also a testament to their hope in God's mercy and the belief that His rejection is not eternal. It is a call for restoration and reconciliation, trusting in God's enduring love and faithfulness.

(23) Why sleepest.--Comp. Psalm 7:6, and see refs.

Verses 23-26. - The appeal to God is now made, after the case has been fully represented. God has always hitherto maintained the cause of his people, and given them victory over their enemies, unless they had fallen away from him (vers. 1-8). Now he has acted otherwise - he has allowed their enemies to triumph (vers. 9-16). And they have given him no reason for his desertion of them (vers. 17-22). Surely, if they call upon him, and plead their cause before him, he will relent, and come to their aid. The appeal, therefore, is made briefly, but in the most moving terms. Verse 23. - Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? The psalmist does not really believe that Jehovah "sleeps." The heathen might so imagine of their gods (1 Kings 18:27), but not an Israelite. An Israelite would be sure that "he that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" (Psalm 121:4). The writer consciously uses an anthropomorphism, really intending only to call on God to rouse himself from his inaction, and lay it aside, and come to Israel's aid. Arise (see Psalm 7:6; Psalm 9:19; Psalm 10:12, etc.). Cast us not off for ever (comp. ver. 9). Under the existing peril, for God to cast off his people will be to cast them off for ever. They had no strength of their own that could save them.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Wake up,
ע֤וּרָה ׀ (‘ū·rāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5782: To rouse oneself, awake

O Lord!
אֲדֹנָ֑י (’ă·ḏō·nāy)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 136: The Lord

Why
לָ֖מָּה (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

are You sleeping?
תִישַׁ֥ן ׀ (ṯî·šan)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3462: To be slack, languid, sleep, to grow old, stale, inveterate

Arise!
הָ֝קִ֗יצָה (hā·qî·ṣāh)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6974: Arise, be awake, watch

Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

reject us forever.
תִּזְנַ֥ח (tiz·naḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2186: Reject, forsake, fail


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OT Poetry: Psalm 44:23 Wake up! (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 44:22
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