# Psalms 78.1

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-08-18 | updated: 2026-08-18 -->

**Book:** [Psalms](/codex/psalms/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> **1. <sup>Maschil of Asaph.</sup> Give ear, O my people, to my law: Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.**
>
> 2. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3. Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. (Psalms 78:1-3, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> **1. <b>A contemplation by Asaph. </b> Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.**
>
> 2. I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old, 3. Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. (Psalms 78:1-3, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> **1. Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. <sup>Maschil: or, A Psalm for Asaph to give instruction</sup>**
>
> 2. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3. Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. (Psalms 78:1-3, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> **1. An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.**
>
> 2. I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old, 3. That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us. (Psalms 78:1-3, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._

- [H8451 - torah](/codex/h8451-torah/), *torah*, Strong's H8451

## Notes

_Your annotations._

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.