Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageOh, that My people would listen to Me — that Israel would walk in My ways!
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GOh, that My people would listen to Me — that Yisra'el would walk in My ways!
KJV
King James VersionOh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
BSB
Berean Standard BibleIf only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways,
Footnotes
*Lu* (לוּ) is a particle of irrealis longing — "O that! / If only!" — expressing a counterfactual wish the speaker knows is not currently reality. Placed on the lips of YHWH Himself, it reveals what theologians call the *pathos* of God: a divine yearning that is neither stoic indifference nor sentimental weakness but the ache of a covenant partner whose love is not reciprocated. This verse is the emotional hinge of the psalm — the lament over what could have been, which simultaneously opens the door to what still might be. Both translations render the longing directly; FOG preserves *Yisra'el* as the covenant name throughout.
