Translations
KJVPrimary
King James VersionOh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
F.O.G.Secondary
The F.O.GOh, that My people would listen to Me — that Yisra'el would walk in My ways!
F.O.G.M.
F.O.G MessageOh, that My people would listen to Me — that Israel would walk 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.
