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Monday, July 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Psalms 44:14

You have made us a joke among the nations; they shake their heads at us in scorn.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Murmuring;   War;   Thompson Chain Reference - By-Word, Israel;   Israel;   Israel-The Jews;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Gentiles;   Jews, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Korah;   Easton Bible Dictionary - By-Word;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Byword;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Korah, Korahites;   Psalms;   Sin;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - God;   Korah;   Psalms the book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - By-word;   Head;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Byword;   Gesture;   Head;   People;   Proverb;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
You make us a joke among the nations,a laughingstock among the peoples.
Hebrew Names Version
You make us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples.
King James Version
Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.
English Standard Version
You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
New Century Version
You made us a joke to the other nations; people shake their heads.
New English Translation
You made us an object of ridicule among the nations; foreigners treat us with contempt.
Amplified Bible
You make us a byword among the nations, A laughingstock among the people.
New American Standard Bible
You make us a proverb among the nations, A laughingstock among the peoples.
World English Bible
You make us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou makest vs a prouerbe among the nations, & a nodding of the head among the people.
Legacy Standard Bible
You make us a byword among the nations,A laughingstock among the peoples.
Berean Standard Bible
You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
Contemporary English Version
Foreigners joke about us and shake their heads.
Complete Jewish Bible
You make us an object for our neighbors to mock, one of scorn and derision to those around us.
Darby Translation
Thou makest us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.
Easy-to-Read Version
You made us one of the stories that people love to tell. People all over the world laugh at us and shake their heads.
George Lamsa Translation
Thou makest us a byword among the Gentiles, a shaking of the head among the nations.
Lexham English Bible
You have made us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.
Literal Translation
You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou makest vs to be rebuked of or neghbours, to be laughed to scorne aud had in derision, of them that are rounde aboute vs.
American Standard Version
Thou makest us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples.
Bible in Basic English
Our name is a word of shame among the nations, a sign for the shaking of heads among the peoples.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou makest us a taunt to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
King James Version (1611)
Thou makest vs a by-word among the heathen: a shaking of the head among the people.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou hast made vs [to be] a fable among the heathen: [and to be such] that the people shake their head at vs.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou hast made us a proverb among the Gentiles, a shaking of the head among the nations.
English Revised Version
Thou makest us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou hast set vs schenschip to oure neiyboris; mouwyng and scorn to hem that ben in oure cumpas.
Update Bible Version
You make us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples.
Webster's Bible Translation
Thou makest us a by-word among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.
New King James Version
You make us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples.
New Living Translation
You have made us the butt of their jokes; they shake their heads at us in scorn.
New Life Bible
You have made us hated among the nations. The people laugh at us.
New Revised Standard
You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou dust make us, A by-word among the nations, - A shaking of the head among the peoples.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(43-15) Thou hast made us a byword among the Gentiles: a shaking of the head among the people.
Revised Standard Version
Thou hast made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
Young's Literal Translation
Thou makest us a simile among nations, A shaking of the head among peoples.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
You make us a byword among the nations, A laughingstock among the peoples.

Contextual Overview

9 But now you have rejected us and let us be defeated; you no longer march out with our armies. 10 You made us run from our enemies, and they took for themselves what was ours. 11 You allowed us to be slaughtered like sheep; you scattered us in foreign countries. 12 You sold your own people for a small price as though they had little value. 13 Our neighbors see what you did to us, and they mock us and laugh at us. 14 You have made us a joke among the nations; they shake their heads at us in scorn. 15 I am always in disgrace; I am covered with shame 16 from hearing the sneers and insults of my enemies and those who hate me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

byword: Deuteronomy 28:37, 1 Kings 9:7, 2 Chronicles 7:20, Jeremiah 24:9

shaking: Psalms 22:7, 2 Kings 19:21, Job 16:4, Isaiah 37:22, Lamentations 2:15-17

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:9 - mocking Nehemiah 2:19 - they Nehemiah 4:1 - mocked Job 17:6 - a byword Job 30:9 - am I Psalms 13:2 - exalted Psalms 69:11 - I became Psalms 79:4 - become Psalms 80:6 - our enemies Jeremiah 18:16 - shall be Jeremiah 33:24 - thus Lamentations 3:46 - have Ezekiel 14:8 - a sign Ezekiel 22:4 - have I Ezekiel 36:3 - and ye Joel 2:17 - rule over them Zechariah 8:13 - a curse

Cross-References

Genesis 43:16
When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the servant in charge of his house, "Take these men to my house. They are going to eat with me at noon, so kill an animal and prepare it."
Genesis 43:25
They got their gifts ready to present to Joseph when he arrived at noon, because they had been told that they were to eat with him.
Genesis 44:7
They answered him, "What do you mean, sir, by talking like this? We swear that we have done no such thing.
Genesis 44:10
He said, "I agree; but only the one who has taken the cup will become my slave, and the rest of you can go free."
Genesis 44:11
So they quickly lowered their sacks to the ground, and each man opened his sack.
Genesis 50:18
Then his brothers themselves came and bowed down before him. "Here we are before you as your slaves," they said.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou makest us a byword among the Heathen,.... Among the Papists, as the Jews were among the Gentiles, Deuteronomy 28:37; calling them schismatics, heretics, fanatics, and what not?

a shaking of the head among the people; by way of indignation, scorn, and contempt; see Psalms 22:7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou makest us a byword among heathen - The word rendered “by-word” - משׁל mâshâl - means properly a similitude or parable; then, a sententious saying, and apophthegm; then, a proverb; then, a song or verse, particularly a satirical song, or a song of derision. The idea here is, that they were made a proverb, or were referred to as a striking instance of the divine abandonment, or as something marked to which the nations might and did refer as an example of calamity, judgment, misfortune, failure; a warning to all. See Deuteronomy 28:37.

A shaking of the head among the people - An occasion for the shaking of the head, in derision and scorn. Compare the notes at Psalms 22:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 44:14. Thou makest us a byword — We are evidently abandoned by thee, and are become so very miserable in consequence, that we are a proverb among the people: "See the Hebrews! see their misery and wretchedness! see how low the wrath of God has brought down an offending people!" And the worst curse that can be imprecated against a wicked nation is: "Mayest thou become as wretched as the Jews;" or as the old Psalter: "Thou has seet us reprove til our neghburs: scornyng and hethyng til tha that er in our umgang. That es, gref, tourment that es of our neghburs, and that hethyng es noght sone gave or passand, that we suffer of tha, that er al aboute us. When men sais so byfal ye, als byfel him."


 
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