Psalm 78
1 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.
4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?
21 Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
25 Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.
26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
55 He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:
57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.
62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Psalm 78 Commentary
Chapter Overview
Psalm 78 is a historical psalm of Asaph that teaches Israel by retelling its own story. The chapter does not present history merely to preserve information. It selects events from Egypt, the wilderness, the conquest, Shiloh, and the rise of David so that later generations will set their hope in God, remember his works, and refuse the unbelief of their ancestors.
The psalm repeatedly contrasts divine faithfulness with human instability. God divides the sea, gives water, sends manna, guides like a shepherd, forgives repeatedly, and establishes his sanctuary. Israel forgets, demands, tests, flatters, turns aside, and worships idols. The central problem is not lack of evidence but a heart that will not remain steadfast with God.
The ending is deliberately hopeful. Israel’s repeated failure does not cancel God’s purpose. After the fall of Shiloh and the decline of Ephraim’s leadership, God chooses Judah, Zion, and David. The shepherd taken from the sheepfold becomes a model of leadership marked by integrity of heart and skillful hands.
Key Themes
“Give ear, O my people, to my law” presents Asaph as a covenant teacher. “Law” here means instruction, not merely commands. Israel must listen because rightly understood history becomes spiritual guidance.
“I will open my mouth in a parable” does not make the chapter fictional. A parable may teach through comparison and reflection upon real events. The “dark sayings of old” are truths from the past whose meaning must be carefully considered.
Verses 3–8 explain biblical memory. One generation receives testimony and teaches children not yet born, who then teach their children. The goal is hope in God, remembrance of his works, obedience, and a steadfast heart.
“We will not hide them from their children” makes silence a form of unfaithfulness. God’s mighty acts and Israel’s failures are not private possessions. The next generation needs both the record of grace and the warning against rebellion.
Verse 8 describes a stubborn generation whose heart was not prepared and whose spirit was not faithful. Outward membership in Israel could not replace inward trust. The chapter shows that miracles alone do not create steadfast hearts.
The children of Ephraim “turned back in the day of battle.” The exact event is uncertain. Ephraim may represent the northern tribes and their failed leadership. The main point is that weapons offer no security when covenant faithfulness has been abandoned.
Forgetting God’s works is a moral failure in this psalm. Israel had received testimony and witnessed wonders. To forget was to live as though God’s revealed character and past salvation had no claim upon the present.
“The field of Zoan” names a region in Egypt associated with Pharaoh’s power. Asaph grounds worship in public acts: God divided the sea, made the waters stand, and guided Israel by cloud and fire.
God then brought abundant water from rock, yet the people asked whether he could “furnish a table in the wilderness.” Their question was not a humble request. It spoke against the God whose power they had just experienced.
They asked food “for their lust.” Hunger was not sinful; craving joined to distrust and complaint was. Desire became rebellion when appetite ruled the heart and demanded that God prove himself on human terms.
Verse 22 identifies the deeper issue: “they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.” Unbelief treated each new need as though previous grace had never occurred.
Manna is called “the corn of heaven” and “angels’ food.” The phrase describes heavenly provision, perhaps “bread of the mighty.” It does not require the belief that angels literally depend upon manna for food.
God also gave quail in abundance. Yet receiving what was demanded did not prove the desire righteous. Judgment came while food remained in their mouths, warning that granted cravings can themselves become part of divine discipline.
“They were not estranged from their lust” means they had not turned from their craving. Their mouths were full, but their hearts remained unchanged. Provision without repentance could not heal the unbelief beneath the appetite.
Verses 32–37 describe judgment, fear, temporary return, and renewed falsehood. Under pressure the people sought God and remembered him as rock and redeemer, but they “flattered him” because their words were not matched by steadfast hearts.
This does not condemn every imperfect prayer offered in crisis. The problem is shallow religion that uses pious speech to escape consequences while refusing inward change.
Verse 38 declares that God, “being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not.” Real judgments still occurred, but he repeatedly restrained total destruction and preserved a people who continually deserved abandonment.
“He remembered that they were but flesh” speaks of compassionate awareness of human frailty. The people are like a passing wind, unable to preserve themselves; their survival depends upon mercy rather than spiritual strength.
Verse 41 says they “limited the Holy One of Israel.” Their unbelief did not reduce God’s omnipotence. The Hebrew more likely describes repeatedly testing, grieving, or provoking him by treating his power and faithfulness as uncertain.
The account of Egypt’s plagues is selective, not a complete chronological list. Asaph arranges the signs poetically to display God’s authority over water, crops, animals, weather, health, and life.
The “evil angels” of verse 49 are best understood as messengers or agents of calamity sent in judgment, not necessarily morally evil spirits acting independently of God.
“The tabernacles of Ham” is a poetic name for Egypt. God strikes Egypt’s firstborn but leads Israel out like sheep. Judgment and shepherding stand together: the Lord overthrows oppression and guides those unable to free themselves.
God brings Israel to the land and sanctuary mountain and grants an inheritance. Possession does not cure the heart, however. The next generation repeats the pattern of testing, disobedience, and idolatry.
A “deceitful bow” appears useful but sends the arrow wrongly. Israel likewise bore God’s name while turning aside. The image exposes outward religion that fails its intended purpose.
High places and idols provoked divine jealousy because Israel gave covenant worship to rivals. This jealousy is not insecurity but the righteous response of the faithful Lord to spiritual adultery.
The forsaking of Shiloh recalls the sanctuary where the tabernacle and ark once stood. First Samuel 4 records the ark’s capture. “His strength” and “his glory” poetically describe that visible symbol of God’s royal presence.
The Lord “awaked as one out of sleep” is human imagery. God was never unconscious; his restraint made him appear inactive. Sudden intervention proved that silence was not helplessness.
Striking enemies “in the hinder parts” communicates humiliating defeat and retreat. Those who appeared triumphant are driven backward and placed under lasting reproach.
God then rejects the leading position associated with Joseph and Ephraim and chooses Judah, Zion, and David. This concerns sanctuary and royal leadership, not the eternal rejection of every person from Ephraim.
David is chosen from the sheepfolds. His care for vulnerable animals prepares the closing picture of kingship: he feeds God’s people with integrity and guides them with skill. Faithful leadership requires both sound character and capable hands.
Important Verses and Questions
Why does Matthew 13:35 connect verse 2 with Jesus’ parables? Matthew presents Jesus as bringing hidden truths of God’s kingdom into the open through parables. Asaph used Israel’s history to disclose its deeper meaning; Jesus perfectly fulfills this teaching pattern by revealing truths long prepared within Scripture.
Who are the children of Ephraim in verse 9? The exact battle cannot be identified with certainty. Ephraim may stand for the northern kingdom and its failed leadership. The safest conclusion is the psalm’s own: covenant forgetfulness produced retreat despite outward military readiness.
What does “angels’ food” mean? It refers to manna as heavenly provision or the bread of mighty ones. The verse praises the source and abundance of the gift; it does not establish a doctrine that angels depend upon physical food.
Did God forgive Israel in verse 38 even though judgment continued? Yes, in the sense that he repeatedly restrained total destruction and preserved the covenant people. Forgiveness and patience did not remove every temporal consequence or make persistent rebellion harmless.
Can people limit God? They cannot diminish his power or overturn his purpose. Psalm 78:41 condemns Israel for testing and provoking the Holy One, treating him as though he must fit their expectations. Unbelief may forfeit blessings and obedience, but it does not make God less sovereign.
Why does the chapter end with David? David represents God’s answer to failed leadership: a shepherd chosen by grace to care for the covenant people. The ending also points beyond David, since the prophets later expect a greater Davidic shepherd whose reign will be fully righteous.
Practical Applications
Psalm 78 calls families and churches to teach the Bible as a living record of God’s works, commands, judgments, and mercy. The next generation needs more than inspirational conclusions; it needs the whole truth about divine faithfulness and human sin.
Believers should examine recurring patterns rather than treating every failure as isolated. Israel’s cycle moved from forgetfulness to distrust, demanding desire, shallow repentance, and renewed rebellion. Naming a pattern can become the beginning of serious repentance.
The chapter warns against measuring God’s goodness by immediate appetite. A desired outcome may not be spiritually beneficial, and abundance is not automatic evidence of divine approval. Prayer should seek a heart aligned with God, not merely the satisfaction of craving.
True repentance is deeper than religious language spoken during crisis. God welcomes the contrite, but flattering words without a steadfast heart cannot substitute for obedience. Confession should be joined to renewed trust, changed direction, and dependence upon mercy.
Leaders can learn from the final portrait of David. Integrity without skill may be sincere but ineffective; skill without integrity becomes dangerous. God-honoring leadership cultivates both moral faithfulness and practical wisdom for the good of those being served.
Connections to Other Scripture
Exodus and Numbers supply most of the historical events: the plagues, Red Sea, cloud and fire, water from rock, manna, quail, unbelief, and wilderness judgment. Psalm 78 interprets those events as warnings for every later generation.
Deuteronomy 6 commands Israel to teach God’s words diligently to children, while Deuteronomy 8 warns against forgetting the Lord after receiving provision. Psalm 78 turns those covenant commands into poetic historical instruction.
First Samuel 4 records the fall of Shiloh’s priestly order and the capture of the ark. First Samuel 16 records David’s selection from among Jesse’s sons and his calling from shepherding toward kingship.
Psalm 105 celebrates God’s faithfulness in Israel’s history, while Psalm 106 places greater emphasis on Israel’s repeated rebellion. Psalm 78 combines both perspectives, showing magnificent grace against the dark background of persistent unbelief.
John 6 recalls manna when Jesus identifies himself as the true bread from heaven. First Corinthians 10 similarly treats wilderness Israel as a warning to the church: participation in great privileges does not make unbelief and idolatry safe.
The shepherd ending prepares for later promises of a righteous Davidic ruler. Ezekiel 34 condemns false shepherds and promises God’s servant David; in the New Testament, Jesus declares himself the good shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.
Conclusion
Psalm 78 teaches that remembering is a covenant responsibility. God’s works must be told because forgetfulness allows every generation to imagine that its needs are unprecedented, its temptations harmless, and God’s past faithfulness irrelevant.
The chapter’s history is painful, but its final word is not human failure. The compassionate God preserves his people, chooses Zion, and raises a shepherd. He calls later generations to hope in him, keep his commands, and seek leaders whose hearts are sound and whose hands are skillful.