the sons of Jacob and Joseph
Jacob, also known as Israel, is the patriarch whose twelve sons became the tribes of Israel. Joseph, one of Jacob's sons, played a crucial role in the survival of the Israelites during a famine, as recounted in Genesis. Mentioning both Jacob and Joseph connects the psalm to the broader narrative of God's covenant with the patriarchs and His ongoing faithfulness to their descendants. This reference underscores the continuity of God's promises and His providential care throughout generations. It also highlights the unity of the tribes, as Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were adopted by Jacob and became two of the tribes of Israel.

Selah
The term "Selah" is often found in the Psalms and is thought to be a musical or liturgical pause, inviting the reader or listener to reflect on the preceding words. It serves as a moment to meditate on the power and faithfulness of God as demonstrated in His acts of redemption. This pause encourages deeper contemplation of the significance of God's intervention in history and its implications for the believer's faith and trust in God's promises.

“Power belongs to God” (Psalm 62:11). When Asaph writes, “With power …,” he is drawing attention to the unmatched strength behind every act of deliverance.

• In Exodus 15:6, Moses celebrates, “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power.” That same hand split the sea, drowned Pharaoh’s army, and guided Israel safely through.

• Jeremiah 32:17 marvels, “Nothing is too difficult for You,” reminding us that no obstacle—whether an empire, a hardened heart, or a looming Red Sea—can stand before the Lord’s might.

This line sets the stage: the rescue that follows is not luck or human ingenuity; it is the deliberate exertion of divine omnipotence.

Redemption is personal, costly liberation. God does not merely rescue; He buys back His own.

• Exodus 6:6 promises, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment,” a pledge fulfilled in the night of Passover and the trek to Sinai.

• Deuteronomy 7:8 explains the motive: “Because the LORD loved you … He redeemed you from the house of slavery.” Love funds the redemption.

• The pattern peaks at the cross: “You were redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The same Redeemer who shattered Egypt’s chains now breaks sin’s chains for every believer.

God’s power and redemption zero in on a specific group—“Your people.”

• Exodus 19:5-6 echoes Psalm 77: “You will be My treasured possession … a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Israel’s identity rests on belonging, not on performance.

• Isaiah 43:1 reassures, “I have redeemed you; … you are Mine,” linking redemption to ownership.

• For the church, Paul echoes this truth: “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Whether under the old covenant or the new, the redeemed bear His name and enjoy His care.

Why mention Jacob and Joseph? The phrase reaches back to the patriarchal promises and forward to tribal solidarity.

• Jacob (Israel) received the covenant oath: “To you I will give the land of Canaan” (Psalm 105:10-11).

• Joseph embodied God’s preserving hand during famine; he foretold the exodus: “God will surely visit you and bring you up” (Genesis 50:24).

• By pairing their names, Asaph reminds the worshipers that the same God who preserved them in Canaan and Egypt is still at work. Every tribe—north and south, Ephraim and Judah—can look to one Redeemer.

Selah invites a pause to weigh the truth just sung.

• Psalm 46:11 ends a similar stanza with “Selah,” after proclaiming, “The LORD of Hosts is with us.”

• Habakkuk 3:3 uses Selah to punctuate God’s march to save His people.

Here, the pause serves as a holy invitation: stop singing, start reflecting. Let the miracle of power, redemption, and covenant identity sink deep into the soul.

Psalm 77:15 is a compact testimony: God’s mighty power secures real redemption for His chosen people, rooted in ancient promises to Jacob and Joseph. When we pause at “Selah,” we join generations who have stopped to celebrate that the God who once split seas still breaks chains today.