February 9, 2017

Tom Lowe

 

PSALM 78

(Maschil of Asaph.)

 

Title: LEARNING FROM THE FATHERS 

 

Theme: The history of Israel from Moses to David

 

 

Psalm 78 (KJV)

 

1{Maschil of Asaph.} Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

3Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

4We 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.

5For 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:

6That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

7That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

8And 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.

9The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

10They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

11And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

12Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

14In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

15He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

16He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

17And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

18And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

19Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

20Behold, 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?

21Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

22Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

23Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

24And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

25Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.

26He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

27He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

28And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

29So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;

30They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

31The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

32For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

33Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

34When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.

35And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

36Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

37For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

38But 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.

39For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

40How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

41Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

42They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

43How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

44And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

45He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

46He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

47He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

48He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

49He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

50He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

51And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

52But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

55He 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.

56Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

57But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

58For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

59When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

60So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

61And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

62He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

63The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

64Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

65Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

66And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

67Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

68But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

69And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

70He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

71From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

72So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

 

 

Introduction to Psalm 77

 

This is one of the psalms ascribed to Asaph. If, which is likely, it was composed at a later period than the time of David, the word "Asaph" must be taken as a general term denoting the successor in the family of Asaph, who presided over the music in the sanctuary.

 

The time when the psalm was composed cannot now be ascertained with any certainty. It was evidently written, however, after the revolt of the ten tribes, and the establishment of the sovereignty of the tribe of Judah; that is, after the time of David and Solomon. This is apparent from Psalm 78:9, Psalm 78:67, where "Ephraim," the chief of the ten tribes, is referred to in distinction from "Judah."

 

The aim of the psalm is, evidently, to vindicate the fact that Ephraim had been rejected, and that Judah had been chosen to be the head of the nation. The reason for this was found in the conduct of Ephraim, or the ten tribes, in revolting from God, and in forgetting the divine mercy and compassion shown to the Hebrew people in former days. See Psalm 78:9-11, and Psalm 78:67-68.

 

The argument in the psalm is the following:

I. A call on all the people, addressed to them by the king or the ruler, to abide by the instructions given in former times—the lessons that were important to transmit to future generations, Psalm 78:1-4.

II. God had established a general law which he had designed for all the people, or which he intended should be the law of the nation—that all the people place their hope in God, or be worshippers of Him as the only true God, and that they might all be one people, Psalm 78:5-8.

III. Ephraim, the most powerful of the ten tribes, and their head and representative, had been guilty of disregarding that law, and had refused to come to the common defense of the nation, Psalm 78:9-11.

IV. The wickedness of this rebellion is shown by the great favors which, in its former history, God had shown to the nation, which included these very tribes, Psalm 78:12-66.

V. The reason is stated, for why God had rejected Ephraim, and why he had chosen Judah, and made Zion the capital of the nation, instead of selecting a place within the limits of the tribe of Ephraim for that purpose, Psalm 78:67-68.

VI. The fact is declared that David had been chosen to rule over the people; that he had been taken from humble life and made the ruler of the nation, and that the line leading to the Messiah would pass through him, Psalm 78:69-72.

 

 

Commentary

1 {Maschil of Asaph.} Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

“{Maschil of Asaph.}” The word "Maschil" is derived from the Hebrew verb meaning properly "to look at, to behold, to view;" and then, to be prudent, circumspect; to act prudently or circumspectly, as one does who looks attentively and carefully at objects; then it means to be intelligent, prudent, wise. The form in which it is used here means "making wise or prudent," or "conveying instruction;" and this title is given to this psalm, as well as to many others. The idea it conveys is that the psalm was adapted "to make wise," or to impart instruction; and the sense would be suitably expressed by our phrase, "teaching song." The title is prefixed also to the following psalms: Psalm 42:1-11; Psalm 44; Psalm 45; Psalm 52:1-9; Psalm 53:1-6; Psalm 54:1-7; Psalm 55; Psalm 74; Psalm 88; Psalm 89; Psalm 142:1-7. It would be difficult now, however, to discover from the contents of the psalms themselves why the title was affixed to these particularly rather than to many others. Probably this was determined, by those who collected and arranged the psalms, according to some rules that are not now known to us.

“Give ear, O my people.” This is not an instruction given by God, but a directive issued by the king or ruler of the people, calling their attention to an important subject; specifically, his right to rule over them, or showing why the power had been vested in him.

“To my law.” The word law here seems to mean what he would say, as if what he should choose to say would have the force and authority of law. What follows is not exactly law in the sense that it was a rule to be obeyed; but it is something that is authoritatively stated, and should have the force of law.

“Incline your ears to the words of my mouth,” that is to say,“Be attentive.” What is to be said is worthy of your particular consideration. We naturally incline the ear toward anyone when we wish to hear distinctly what he says, and we turn away the ear when we do not. The meaning here is, David prayed that God would be attentive to or would regard his prayer—to what he was about to "express" as his desire. He intended to express only what he wished to be granted.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

“I will open my mouth in a parable.” “I will open,” that is, I will explain; I will communicate the result of my careful inquiries.

The word "parable" here implies a statement by analogy or comparison; which is to say, he would bring out what he had to say by a line of reasoning founded on an analogy drawn from the ancient history of the Hebrew people. The meaning here is that David prayed that God would be attentive to or would listen closely to his prayer—to what he was about to "express" as his desire

“I will utter dark sayings of old.”Dark sayings” is rendered "dark speeches" in Numbers 12:8; "riddle," in Judges 14:12-19; Ezekiel 12:2; "hard questions" in 1 Kings 10:1-2; 2 Chronicles 9:1; "dark saying" (as here); in Psalm 78:2; Proverbs 1:6; "dark sentences," in Daniel 8:23; and "proverb" in Habakkuk 2:6. It does not occur elsewhere. It means "something entangled, intricate;" a trick or ploy, articulate speech, a riddle, a maxim, a parable, a poem, a song, a proverb. The idea here is that the point was intricate or obscure; it was not well understood, and his intention was to lay it open and to make it clear.

“Old” means ancient times”; that is, maxims, or significant thoughts, which had come down from ancient times, and which embodied the results of ancient observation and reflection. He would bring out, and apply, to the present case, the maxims of ancient wisdom.

3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

“Which we have heard and known,” that is, we have heard and known them“dark sayings of old;” “parables”—because they have come down to us by tradition from ancient times and told to us.

The change of number from the singular "I" to the plural "we" have made some think that the disciples of Christ are speaking here; but there is no need to suppose that, since our Lord uses the same form of speech [Jesus said,“Truly, truly, I say to you, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and you receive not our witness” (John 3:11)]

 “And our fathers have told us.” This may not only have to do with the Jewish ancestors, and so refer to the following account of the wonderful things done for the people of Israel; but also the divine Father of Christ, from whose mind and will He heard and became acquainted with the secrets and mysteries of grace; and He made it known to His apostles, and they in obedience to the commission given them by Christ preached and taught to people, as certain truth, what they had seen, and heard, and learned.

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.

“We will not hide them from their children,” that is, from their descendants, however remote. We of this generation will be faithful in handing down these truths to future generations. We stand between past generations and the generations to come. We are entrusted by those who have gone before us with great and important truths; truths to be preserved and transmitted without changes to future generations. That trust committed to us we will faithfully discharge. These truths shall not be modified in passing from us to them. They shall not be stopped or delayed in their progress; they shall not be corrupted or revised in any way. This is the duty of each successive generation in the world, receiving, as a trust, from past generations, the result of their thoughts, their experience, their wisdom, their inventions, their arts, their sciences, and the records of their activities, to hand these down unaltered to future generations, combined with all that they may themselves invent or discover which may be of use or advantage to the generations following.

“Shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord”—what He has done through predestination, redemption, and effectual calling, which is to the praise of the glory of His grace [“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6)], and so are all other truths of the Gospel, which are to the praise of Father, Son, and Spirit—and encourage men “to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the uttermost parts of the earth.

The "reasons" why He should be praised is first, for the good results of His past deeds, and second, for the ways in which He performed them. We will keep up, and pass-on to future ages, the pure principles, customs, and practices of religion.

“And his strength,” that is, the records of His power, and demonstrations of His strength in Christ—the redemption He brought by His death and resurrection, as well as in the conversion of sinners by His mighty grace, and in the preservation of them by His power.

“And his wonderful works that he hath done” in providence and grace; the miracles wrought by Christ, which were the wonderful works given him for proofs of His deity and Messiahship during His time on earth, and are included in the Gospels for the confirmation of it; and especially the wonders of redeeming love, and calling grace, which are attributed to the works of His hands, and the wonderful decrees of God he made in eternity concerning these things.

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:

“For he established a testimony in Jacob (Israel). The law is called “a testimony,” for it expresses the divine will (Exodus 25:16*), and the Scriptures, the writings of the Old Testament also testify of Christ, His person, office, sufferings, and death (Isaiah 8:20), and particularly the Gospel, which is the testimony of God, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of His apostles (2 Timothy 1:8). 

Our Lord Jesus Christ ordained or appointed that which would be for a "witness" for Him; that which would bear testimony to his character and perfections; that which would serve to remind them of what He was, and of His authority over them. Any law or ordinance of God is thus a standing and permanent witness in regard to His character by showing what he is.

 “And appointed a law in Israel.” The law given on Mount Sinai was peculiar to Israel, and so were the Scriptures and prophesies, and they were committed to them; and not only the writings of Moses, but the prophets, are called the law (John 10:34), but the Gospel seems to be what is meant here (Psalm 78:1);  this was ordained for our glory before the world was created, and it is placed in the hands and hearts of the faithful ministers of it, and is published among, and received by, the true Israel of God:

“Which he commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children”; that is, the testimony (the precepts of God) and the law, and the things contained in them; the Jewish fathers were frequently commanded to teach their children the law of Moses (Deuteronomy 4:9), and it was their practice to instruct them in the knowledge of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15), and it becomes Christian parents to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, by making known to them the principles of the Christian religion, and the truths of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:4).

*(Exodus 25:16) And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.” By the "testimony" is meant the law, written on two tables of stone; now this was put into the ark, and preserved there (Deuteronomy 10:1) which may signify that the law was in the heart of Christ, and which he undertook to fulfill, and He did so with pleasure, so that he is the fulfilling end of the law for righteousness to them that believe in him.

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:

 “That the generation to come might know them,” not only theoretically, but spiritually and through experience; which is the case, when human teachings go along with the spirit of wisdom and reverence in the knowledge of divine truths; for the truths of the Gospel are unknown to unregenerate men. The Gospel is hidden wisdom, the wisdom of God in a mystery; the Bible is a sealed book, its doctrines are riddles and dark sayings; the ministry of the word is the means of knowledge, which becomes effective when graced with the Spirit and power of God. The written word, the Holy Bible, keeps God’s word pure and readily available, so that people in future times might enjoy its benefits, as their fathers had done, and then they should send them on to those who will succeed them.

“Even the children which should be born,” who should grow up and teach the word of God to their children; and that is the way it will be passed on from age to age. It is the will of God, that, besides private instructions, there should be a standing ministry kept up throughout all ages, to the end of the world; and He will have some that shall receive the Gospel, and profess His name. There has been and will continue to be a succession of regenerate persons; a seed to serve the Lord; the seed and the seed's seed of the church, from whose mouth the word of God shall never depart; but they shall declare it one to another, by which means it shall be continued until Christ once again speaks directly to men—“Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord” (Psalm 22:30).

“Who should arise and declare them to their children;” who, as they appear on the stage of life, should receive the trust, and send it onward to future ages. Thus the world makes progress; thus one age starts where the previous one left off; thus it enters on its own career with the advantage of all the hard work, the sacrifices, the happy thoughts, the inventions of all previous times. It is designed this way so that the world grows wiser and better as it advances; and that future generations shall be enriched with all that was worth preserving in the experience of the past.

7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

 

“That they might set their hope in God.” Another way to say this is ‘that they might place confidence in God’; ‘that they might maintain their allegiance to Him.” The object was to give exhibitions of His character and rule that would inspire confidence in Him, or to lead people to trust in Him; and not to trust in idols and false gods. All the laws which God has ordained are well-suited to inspire confidence in Him as a fair and righteous ruler; and all His dealings with mankind, when they are properly (really) understood, will be found to be adapted to the same end.

 

“And not forget the works of God”—those things He does. The word here does not refer to his "works" whereby He created the earth, or the material universe, but to His acts which He has done in administering his rule over mankind.

 

“But keep his commandments.” The idea is that by reflecting on what He has done in creation, by understanding the purpose of His rule, they might be led to keep His commandments. The purpose was so that they might see the wisdom, justice, equity, and goodness in his administration, and that they would be led to keep laws meant to promote the welfare of mankind. If people saw all the reasons for the divine dealings, or fully understood them, nothing more would be necessary to secure universal confidence in God and in his rule.

For the people living in David’s times it is the Ten Commandments and the other laws of God (the dietary laws, for instance) that the psalmist has in view; but in the current ‘age of grace” “His commandments” refers to the commandments of Christ, which are peculiar to the Gospel dispensation; and are to be kept in faith, from a principle of love, through the grace and strength of Christ, and to the glory of God by Him [“If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).].

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.

 

“And might not be as their fathers”  This chiefly relates to the Jews in Christ's time: though it also is an admonition to them in succeeding ages, and especially during the end times, when they shall be instructed, called, and converted; and even to us, to whom the Gospel is preached, not to be disobedient, as the Jewish fathers were, and to take care we do not follow after the same example of unbelief; this opens the whole scope and general design of the psalm [“Now their experiences serve as examples for us so that we won’t set our hearts on evil as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:6).]. “Their fathers” here means ‘their ancestors,’ particularly in the wilderness, as they passed through it to the Promised Land. (See Exodus 32:7-9; Exodus 33:3; Exodus 34:9; Acts 7:51-53.)

 

“A stubborn and rebellious generation,” describes the generation in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 9:6), and also their posterity in Christ's time (Matthew 12:34), for these were a stiff-necked, ungovernable, and inclined to revolt. Nothing was more remarkable in their early history than this.

 

“A generation that set not their heart aright”means that they did not "prepare their heart." That is, they made no effort to keep their “heart aright (right, or right with God)”, or to cherish (treasure) right feelings toward God. They yielded to any sudden impulse of passion, even when it led them to revolt against God. This is as true of sinners now as it was of them, that they "take no pains" to have their hearts right with God. If they did, there would be no difficulty in doing so. To them it is not "an object of desire" to have their hearts right with God, and consequently, nothing is more easy or natural than that they would rebel and go astray.

 

“And whose spirit was not stedfast with God,” that is, they themselves did not maintain a firm trust in God. They yielded readily to every impulse, and every passion, even when it tended to draw them entirely away from Him. There was no such "strength" of attachment to Him that would lead them to resist temptation, and they easily fell into the sin of idolatry.

 

9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

 

“The children of Ephraim”—the sons of Ephraim; that is, the descendants of Ephraim; the tribe of Ephraim. Ephraim was one of the "largest" of the tribes of Israel, and was the "chief" tribe in the rebellion, and hence, the term is often used to denote the "ten" tribes, or the kingdom of Israel, in order to distinguish it from that of Judah (See Isaiah 7:2, Isaiah 7:5, Isaiah 7:8-9, Isaiah 7:17; Isaiah 11:13; Isaiah 28:1). The word is evidently used in this sense here, not as denoting that one tribe only, but that tribe as the head of the kingdom that revolted; or, in other words, the name is used to represent the kingdom that had that name after the revolt (See 1 Kings 12). This verse evidently contains the gist or the main idea of the psalm, which is, that Ephraim, or the ten tribes, had turned away from the worship of the true God, and that, as a consequence of that apostasy, the government had been transferred to another tribe—the tribe of Judah (See Psalm 78:67-68).

 

“Being armed.” The idea in this phrase is that they had ample means for maintaining their independence in connection with the other tribes, or as a part of the nation, but that they refused to cooperate with their brethren; but turned back on the day of battle, and fled from the enemy because they could not stand their ground when the fighting began. What battle this refers to is not easy to determine; some think that this with what follows regards the defection of the ten tribes in Rehoboam's time, which frequently go under the name of Ephraim; but we have no account of any battle fought at that time, and lost by them; and besides, the history of this psalm reaches no further back than the times of David; others are of the opinion that it regards the time of Eli, when the Israelites were beaten by the Philistines, and the ark of God was taken, Eli's two sons slain, and thirty thousand more (1 Samuel 4:1). Since Ephraim is put for the rest of the tribes, and the ark being in that tribe, others suppose that the affair between the Gileadites and Ephraimites, in the times of Jephthah, when there fell of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand (Judges 12:1) is referred to here. However, many of the Jewish writers take it to be the history of an incident that occured in Egypt before the children of Israel came out from there (see 1 Chronicles 7:20).

 

“And carrying bows,” or rather, "casting" arrows out of the "bow." They went out well armed to meet the enemy, and they trusted in their armor, and not in the Lord; and they were confident of victory, because they were skilful at throwing darts, and shooting arrows. The idea is that they were armed with “bows,” or, that they were fully armed.

 

“Turned back in the day of battle,” that is, they did not stand with their brethren, or assist them in defending their country. There is probably no reference here to any particular battle, but the idea is that in the wars of the nation—in those wars which were waged for national defense—they refused to join with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in defense of the lawful government.

 

10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

“They kept not the covenant of God,” either the covenant of circumcision, which was neglected during their travels through the wilderness (Joshua 5:5), or the covenant made with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:7), and this is to be understood not of the children of Ephraim only, but of the Israelites in general, who in many instances broke the covenant, and were not steadfast in it (78:37). They did not maintain their allegiance to Yahweh.

“And refused to walk in his law”—refused to obey His law; the law of God, which was given to Israel by Him, by the disposition of angels, through the hands of a mediator, Moses, to serve as a rule for their walk and conversation. They rebelled against God and Moses, for they refused to pattern their conversation according to it, being unwilling to be subject to it, so they despised it and cast it away; a sad instance of the corruption of human nature, and the depravity of man's will, boasted of for its supposed freedom, yet it is common, and can be observed in all mankind.

11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

 

“And forgat his works”—the works which he had performed in behalf of the nation; the wonderful works in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness; the miracles which he had performed on behalf of the nation. These works are referred to in the following verses.

 

“And his wonders that he had shewed them,” that is, His wonderful works, the miracles He performed in their favor, and for their deliverance; these were forgotten by the next generation (Judges 15:10), when they had journeyed in the wilderness for just three days after their passage through the Red sea (see Exodus 15:1).

 

12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan*.

 

 “Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers”; things capable of exciting wonder and astonishment. All the miracles that He performed in carrying out the deliverance of His people were of this type.

 

“In the land of Egypt,” when He delivered them from Pharaoh.

 

“In the field of Zoan*.” The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate renders this phrase “in the plain of Tanis.” So, Zoan* or Tanis was an ancient city of Lower Egypt, situated on the eastern side of the Tanitie arm of the Nile. The name given to it in the Egyptian language, means “low region.” The Hebrews seem to have been located in this region, and it was in this part of Egypt, in the country lying round about Zoan*, that is, that the wonders of God were principally manifested in behalf of his people.

*Zoan—The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Chaldee, render this ‘Tanis.’ Zoan was doubtless the Tans of the Greeks (Herod. ii. 166), and was a city of Lower Egypt, built, according to Moses (Numbers 13:22), seven years after Hebron. It is mentioned in Psalm 78:12; Isaiah 19:11, Isaiah 19:13; Isaiah 30:4; Ezekiel 30:14. It was at the entrance of the Tanitic mouth of the Nile, and gave it its name. Its ruins still exist, and there are seen there at present numerous blocks of granite, seven obelisks of granite, and a statue of Isis. It was the capital of the dynasty of the Tanitish kings until the time of Psammetichus; it was at this place principally that the miracles done by Moses were performed. Its ruins are still called "San," a slight change of the word Zoan.

13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

 

 “He divided* the sea;” the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22).

“And caused them to pass through”; that is, He caused the Israelites to pass through the sea on dry ground. The sea was split in two when He ordered Moses to lift up, and to stretch out his hands over the sea; which he did, and at the same time a strong east wind was raised, which caused the sea to go back, and divided the waters of it; see Exodus 14:16; and the Israelites crossed over with faith in God and with faith in Moses as His prophet [“By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned” (Hebrews 11:29)], and faith in the power and promise of God, and of future grace and blessings.

“And he made the waters to stand as an heap,” which is a wonderful instance of the power and providence of God. The word rendered "heap" means anything piled up, or a mound; and the idea is that the waters were piled up on each side of them like a "mound." They continued to serve as walls of water until the Israelites had passed through; and then they returned, and covered the Egyptians, and drowned them, (Exodus 14:22).

*lit. “clave”

14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

 

“In the day-time also he led them with a cloud,” that is, the cloud was the visible symbol of His presence with them, and its movements determined the way in which they were to go. It was "God" who led them, and who adopted this manner of doing it, so that they had "always" with them, by day and by night, a "visible" proof of His presence. There was that with them which could not be ascribed to any natural causes, and which, therefore, "demonstrated" that God was with them, and that as long as they followed the cloud and the pillar of fire they could not go wrong. (See Exodus 13:21; Exodus 14:24.) Therefore, they had no excuse, for rebelling against Him.

 

“And all the night with a light of fire”; A column (a pillar) which stood over the camp at night and was between them and the pursuing Egyptians as they made their way to the Red Sea, and which was a symbol of the divine presence and guidance. The cloud would not be visible at night, nor would the fire be a good guide by day; and hence, the form of the symbol was changed at morning and at night. The same thing, however, was intended by both, and together they were standing proofs of the presence of God.

 

15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

 

“He clave the rocks in the wilderness.” There were two occasions on which the rock was smitten for water; one (Exodus 17:6) at Mount Horeb, shortly after they came out of Egypt; and the other (Numbers 20:11), when they had nearly ceased their wanderings in the wilderness. That’s why the plural term (rocks) is used here. This term, Rock(s) was also used to describe Christ [“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4)], who is frequently compared to a rock for height, strength, and duration, shade, shelter, and protection; and is called the Rock of Israel, the Rock of offence to both houses of Israel, the Rock of salvation, the Rock of refuge, the Rock of strength, the Rock that is higher than the saints, and on which the church is built, and who is the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. The cleaving of the rocks is ascribed to God, though it was done by the hands of Moses; but Moses was only the instrument, it was the Lord that did it. Moses with his rod could never have done it; had not the power of God went along with it. This smiting and cleaving of the rocks were an emblem of the sufferings of Christ, who was smitten of God with the rod of justice, according to the law of Moses, in a judicial way, for the sins of His people, and in order to obtain salvation for them.

“And gave them drink as out of the great depths,” as if He had formed a lake or an ocean, furnishing an inexhaustible supply. Such a large quantity of water flowed out of the rocks when smitten, as if it came out of the great sea, which furnished them with sufficient water, and more than enough for them and their cattle; this was typical of the large abundance of grace, and blessings, which flow freely and plentifully from Christ.

 

16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

 

“He brought streams also out of the rock” (literally, "flowings)." The waters poured out of the rock in an over-flowing stream, and those streams continued to flow, presenting a continuing proof of the presence of God.  Notice that “rock,” the singular number is the source; because the children of Israel had not yet come to Kadesh, and the second rock was not smitten when they lusted after flesh, and murmured against God, and tempted him, as related in the next verses.

“And caused waters to run down like rivers”; for the water, as it poured out of the rock followed the downward slope of the land along the path taken by the Israelites through the wilderness; this was a marvelous thing, that water flowed from a flinty rock upon Moses striking it, from whence fire rather than water might have been expected; and that it should flow in such great abundance, from a rock in a wilderness.

17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

 

“And they sinned yet more against him”—literally, “They added to their sin against Him.” The idea is that His mercies and the proofs of His presence with them only provided the occasion for greater sin on their part. This may have been in two ways;

(1) Their sin was worse than before, because now they had greater light than before; and

(2) They displayed more and more depravity—depravity in proportion to the blessings and mercies He bestowed on them—not an uncommon thing for people to do.

“By provoking the Most High, or rather, “aggravating,” “irritating,” “inflaming.” They rebelled against Him. They refused to submit to Him. They forgot His mercies. [“And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the Lord to wrath” Deuteronomy 9:22.] Everything is aggravating; the object against whom they sinned was the most High, which betrays their impiety, foolishness, and vanity; and they did not slightly sin against Him, but did those things which were highly provoking and exasperating;

 

“In the wilderness,” literally, "in the dry place;" in the desert. In the very place where they were most obviously dependent on Him; where there were no natural streams of water; where their needs were met by a miraculous source; even there they managed to provoke Him, and rebel against Him. If he had simply stopped that miraculous supply of water they probably would have perished. But sinners forget how dependent they are on God, when they sin against Him. On what could they depend upon, if He abandons them in the wilderness, where they had received so many favors, and leaves them to themselves?

 

18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

 

“And they tempted God in their heart.”[“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness” (Exodus 16:2)]. The heart was the source of the evil. They were not satisfied with what He gave them. They asked for that which would be more agreeable to them, and they did it with a complaining and a murmuring spirit. It is not wrong in itself to ask God for that which will be better than what we now possess, for that is the object of all our prayers; but this may be done from a wrong motive; for mere self-gratification, which was the case here; or it may be with a complaining and dissatisfied spirit, such as was demonstrated on this occasion. In such a case we cannot expect the prayer to be answered "except as a punishment."

 

“By asking meat for their lust”—Food. The word "meat" does not necessarily denote animal food—meat from cattle, pigs, and sheep—as it does with us. They asked for another kind of food than manna; and they did it, not because this was "necessary" to sustain life, but in order to gratify their appetites. The original word here, however, is not "lusts," but "souls;" that is, "they asked for food for themselves," forthey wanted food for pleasure and wantonness; to ask for daily bread is right, but to ask for more to consume on our lusts is wrong [“You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it on your lusts” (James 4:3).]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

 

“Yea, they spake against God.”Not only did they think the worst of Him, and tempt him in their hearts, but they expressed with their mouths what was in their hearts, and spoke against Him, His power, and His ability to provide for them in the wilderness [“The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat!” (Numbers 11:4).], in plain words, though He had been so good and gracious to them, and had done such wonderful things for them: they said . . .

“They said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness (in the desert)?”These are the words which they spoke against Him, and by which they tempted him, questioning his power and his goodness, and expressing their dissatisfaction with their daily allowance; they were not content with the manna they had every day, but they wanted to have a table ordered and spread with all kinds of meats, vegetables, and deserts. The sense of the question is, can the Lord do this for us? Give us a bountiful table in the wilderness, as well as drop the manna about our tents? If He can, why doesn’t He? If He does not, it must be either because He wants it Himself, or because He  doesn’t have a liking for us; and thus they tested and tempted the Lord.

The word rendered "furnish" means "order." It means to arrange; to set in order; and here, to arrange and provide for, as at a feast. The precise words used by the complaining Hebrews are not quoted here, but the substance of what they said is retained. The idea is, that what they spake was "equivalent" to saying that God could not prepare a table for them; that is, provide for them, 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?

 

“Behold, he smote the rock.” See the notes at Psalm 78:15-16. The first time Moses struck the rock occurred "before" the Israelites were complaining about the food. The fact that the rock had been “smote” (struck) could not be doubted. The incident provided the children of God with more than enough evidence that God was able to do miraculous things, and that included furnishing them with "water" in the desert. It was unreasonable, therefore, to doubt whether he could provide "food" for them—for this in itself was no more difficult than to furnish water. Yet they are represented here as affirming that this was far more difficult, and that, although it was admitted that God had provided "water," yet they thought that providing “food” was beyond His power. Their particular sin, therefore, was that they doubted the power of God in one case, but in another case that is equally difficult, they had had abundant proof of it. The spirit of complaining had not been defeated by one surprising and undisputed miracle performed on their behalf—a miracle which proved that God had all the power necessary to meet their needs.

 

“That the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed.” They would admit this, for they had seen it with their own eyes (78:15-16). That He did it is ‘fact’, for these are their words continued from that which was said before; suggesting that though the waters did gush out upon smiting the rock; however, the source, they supposed, might have been in the caverns buried deep in the earth, and had remained there a long time, and might have come out without any help from anyone; and therefore this was not such a great matter, and could be easily explained.

“Can he give bread also?”that is to say, for such a great multitude, and in a place where there are no cattle? Does the ability to cause water to flow from a rock prove that there is also ability to produce bread when necessary? They doubted it, and thus complained against God, and said, But can he give bread also?”—solid, a generous supply, and not like this light bread, the manna, as they called it (Numbers 21:5), and can He give us bread made with corn, and can He do it in a wilderness, which is not a place where seed is available, and a place where no corn grows? Can he do this? This would show His power, to be sure.

“Can he provide flesh for his people?” They supposed that this required greater power than the providing of water, or even of bread, and that if it were admitted that God could furnish the two former, it would by no means follow that he could provide the latter. It was this, as the next verse shows, which was the immediate cause of the special anger of the Lord.

“Can he provide flesh for his people?” Let him do this, and we will believe that He has awesome power; or else the words intimate that the smiting of the rock, and the waters flowing in such large streams, were an instance of His power, and therefore he that could do the one could do the other; he that could bring such large quantities of water out of a rock could give them solid bread and suitable flesh, and an ample supply of both; but if He will not do so, they must conclude that he bore no good will for them, and had no love and kindness for them.

21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

“Therefore the Lord heard this”; what they said in their hearts, and what they expressed with their mouths; all their grumbling against Him, their distrust of His power and providence, and disbelief of His promises. [“Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp” (Numbers 11:1).]

“And was wroth”; exceedingly wroth (‘extremely angry’); he was highly displeased; there was an overflow of his indignation, as the word “wroth” signifies. Calling into question any of His attributes, and not believing His word, are things which greatly exasperate Him, and provoke the eyes of his glory:

“So a fire was kindled against Jacob”; the posterity of Jacob; or in Jacob, or in the camp of Israel; which was literally true: because of the grumbling of the people against the Lord fire came down from heaven, and burnt among them, and consumed the outermost parts of the camp. To remember this particular occasion the name of the place was called Taberah, which signifies a burning, (Numbers 11:1), or it may be taken figuratively for the wrath of God, which is oftentimes compared to fire (Nahum 1:6); for this reason it follows—

 “And anger also came up against Israel”; which is to say, the people of Israel, the very same people who were with Jacob before. The reference is to angry men in whose breasts anger burns, and from there it rises up, and shows itself in their countenance, in their eyes, and by the words they speak.

22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

 

“Because they believed not in God”; neither did they believe that He was able to give them bread, and provide flesh for them, or bring them through the wilderness to Canaan, the land God had promised to them. God, and he only, is the object of faith, and he is to be believed at all times, and for all things temporal and spiritual; and nothing is more displeasing to Him than unbelief; for as faith gives glory to Him, unbelief reflects dishonor upon Him; faith sets its seal on him as true, but unbelief makes him a liar; and what is more provoking to man than to have his truthfulness called into question, and to be labeled a liar? In short, as faith has salvation attached to it, unbelief has damnation, and to whom did the Lord swear that they should not enter into his rest—it was them that believed not? So great an evil is unbelief, as is the sin which "easily beset"; it appears from the context that he was talking about the Israelites [“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12”.] Because they did not believe in God, they did not believe in His power, or in His promises.

 

“And trusted not in his salvation”—in His power and His willingness to save. They had had abundant evidence of that power, but they still doubted His ability to save them, in spite of all that he had done for them. He promised to save them, and told them to stand still and see [“Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again” (Exodus 14:13).] the Lord’s deliverance, which they had had some proofs and instances in His leading them through the Red sea, and guiding them thus far through the wilderness, and providing for them; and therefore had reason and encouragement to trust in the Lord, that he would yet be with them, and save them, and complete the mercy promised unto them.

 

23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

 

“Though he had commanded the clouds from above”; though he had showed that he had absolute control over the clouds, and had only to command them and they would furnish rain in abundance. Compare Isaiah 5:6.

 

“And opened the doors of heaven,” as he had done at the deluge in Noah’s time, (Genesis 7:11). The idea is that he had rained down manna upon them in such abundance that it might be compared with the waters that had been sent down at the deluge.

 

24And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

“And had rained down manna upon them to eat.”This heavenly bread is called, either (1) "manna", which means to prepare, appoint, and distribute, because this was food prepared by God for the Israelites, without assistance from them, and was their food supply, their appointed portion, and which was distributed to them daily in small amounts; or (2) "man hu", the name it was given the first time they saw it, and didn’t know what it was, and so they called it "man"; or "manna"; this is the food the Lord rained down from heaven, as He promised He would, so that they might have food to eat (Exodus 16:4).

 

 “And had given them of the corn of heaven”; corn for making bread springs out of the earth, but this was corn from heaven, very unusual and wonderful; this greatly aggravated the unbelief of the Israelites, and shows their great ingratitude, that after all this they still did not believe the Lord, and they did not trust in His salvation. The manna was a type of Christ, who is called the hidden manna (1 Corinthians 10:3).

 

25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.

 

“Man did eat angels' food” has been interpreted in several ways, and I will comment on what I know about them in the paragraphs which follow.

 

  • Moses and Elijah did eat “angel’s food”, and it is in the Bible. Some commentators interpret it with the additional words “of the clouds,” or “skies,” where the manna was prepared, and permitted to fall down from the clouds.

 

  • The words may also be read, "Every man did eat the bread of the mighty ones"; of princes and nobles, and the great men of the earth; it was royal food, it was princely food; and, in fact, the common people of Israel ate the same as their princes and nobles did; they all fared alike.

 

  • Some Bible interpreters render the word "angels", as ‘mighty angels,’ creatures that excel in strength ( 2 Thessalonians 1:7); the manna may be said to be their food.

 

  • Man did eat angels' food; food that came from heaven; food so directly and manifestly from heaven that it might be supposed to be the same kind that was eaten there, and that had now been sent down by a special miracle for man; food so delicate and so free from the ordinary harsh properties of food, that it might be supposed to be the same food the angels eat.

 

  • The word rendered "angels" means "strong, mighty," and may be applied to people in general, Judges 5:22; Lamentations 1:15; Jeremiah 46:15; to animals, Psalm 22:13 ("bulls of Bashan"); to princes, Psalm 68:31; or to nobles, Job 24:22. By the “mighty ones” are meant the mighty God, Father, Son, and Spirit, by whom this food was prepared and given; so the word is used in the singular number, of Jehovah, who is called the mighty One of Jacob, Genesis 49:24 and of the Redeemer, Isaiah 49:26, because it might be prepared in the air by the ministry of angels, and given by their disposition, as the law was, Acts 7:53 or because it came down from heaven, where they dwell.

 

  • It might be rendered here, food of nobles, or princes; that is, food of richer quality, or of a more delicate nature, than common food; such as nobles or princes have on their tables. The immediate connection, however, would rather seem to demand the rendering in our version, the food is said to have come down from heaven.

 

“He sent them meat to the full”; food enough to satisfy; or, as much as they wanted, which may be understood either of the manna, of which they had a great supply, so that there was no lack for any man, and this continued with them till they came to the land of Canaan; or of the quails, which is found in the following verses.

 

26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

“He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven.” [“Now a wind went out from the LORD and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day's walk in any direction” (Numbers 11:31).] In the history (the Bible), the place from which the wind came is not mentioned, except as it might be indicated by the statement that the “quails were brought from the sea”: that is, evidently, the Red Sea. This wind would have come from the southeast. The phrase "in the heaven" means in the air, or from above.

 

“And by his power he brought in the south wind.” “And by his power,” means by His direct intervention, and awesome power. It was a wind which he (God) caused to blow for the purpose of creating a miracle. This was a wind from the Lord—an extraordinary one, not the effect of a natural cause. And brought quails (Numbers 11:31), a bird which visits Egypt in great flocks about this time every year, March or April, at which time the circumstances mentioned here took place.

“Two cubits high upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 11:31) - We may consider the quails as flying within two cubits of the ground; so that the Israelites could easily take as many of them as they wished, since they were flying within the reach of their hands or their clubs. The common notion is that the quails were brought to the camp and to the fields nearby, and fell there in such large numbers as to lie two feet deep upon the ground; but the Hebrew will not support this version.

27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

 

“He rained flesh also upon them as dust”; the flesh of quails, (Numbers 11:31). The word “rained” means that they seemed to come upon them suddenly, like a spring shower. The word “dust” denotes their great abundance. There is flesh of birds, as well as of other creatures (1 Corinthians 15:39), and the quails which is what is meant here may be very appropriately called flesh, since they are, for their size, a very plump, fat, and fleshy bird—and good to eat too.

 

“And feathered fowls”; (winged fowls, quail) is a poetic expression, designed to give beauty to the description by the image of their fluttering wings. Quail can fly; and therefore it was even more remarkable that these should be rained down and fall upon the earth, and be taken by the Israelites.

 

“Like as the sand of the sea.” An expression also designed to denote their great numbers, Genesis 22:17; Genesis 32:12; Genesis 41:49; Joshua 11:4; 1 Samuel 13:5; Revelation 20:8. These “feathered fouls” are said to be “like the sand of the sea”because they fell in great numbers, which is signified by these phrases, the dust and the sand of the sea; those that fell were enough to feed six hundred thousand men, beside women and children, for a month; they lay in heaps, two cubits high, and everyone that gathered them brought in ten homers (65.2 bushels) (Numbers 11:19).

Some think that what is meant here is locusts, which were used for food, and was very delicious; and the circumstances of bringing them with an east or southeast wind, their falling in heaps, and being gathered in bushels, and spread about to be dried in the sun, seem to favor such a sense (Numbers 11:19; Numbers 11:20; Numbers 11:21; Numbers 11:31-32).

28And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

“And he let it fall in the midst of their camp,” meaning the flesh or feathered fowl, so that they had no trouble gathering it up; and it fell by the order and direction of the Lord himself; He, without whose knowledge and will a sparrow does not fall to the ground (Matthew 10:29), caused it to fall. But what was it in particular that caused them to fall? These creatures fell either, because they were weary from their flight over the Red sea; or due to their wings being broken by the intensity of the wind that brought them; or the moistness of the south wind wetted their wings, and made them go limp and fall; but, by whatever means this was done, it was the Lord who gave the order that they should fall, and fall just in the place where they did:

“Round about their habitations”; for the space of a day's journey on every side, they lay in heaps, here and there, two cubits high (Numbers 11:31), so that they could easily gather them, and had no need of arrows to shoot at them, nor nets with which to catch them, for they were near at hand, and in great supply. It was brought to their very doors, and they didn’t need to look for it abroad.

29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;

 

“So they did eat, and were well filled.” - The word rendered “well” here means that they were abundantly satisfied; that there was no lack; that they had the most ample supply. But should they eat more they would become “overly full,” or they simply ate too much, as some versions render it; they eat to excess, not merely to satisfy their bodies needs, but to gratify their bodily appetite: gluttony is a sin; it is an abuse of the creature’s body; it hurts the body by filling it with gross feelings, and bringing diseases on it; it is injurious to the mind; the heart may be overworked by it; it predisposes it to sin; it leads to impiety, to atheism, and disbelief in a future state, which often goes along with it, and ends in destruction, which is the case of those whose god is their belly:

 

“For he gave them their own desire.” He gave them exactly what they wanted; what they lusted after, flesh, though this was given in judgment. He gave them flesh to eat and they had as much of it as they wanted; and he gave it to them in such quantities that no one could say that he had not eaten enough. It is a sad thing when God gives men all they want of this world's things, and leaves them to the abuse of them, or sends leanness into their souls, and gives them up to their own hearts' lusts.

 

30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

 

“They were not estranged from their lust,” by the goodness and liberality of God, they were not brought to repentance for their sin of lusting; nor did they abstain from their fleshly lusts, which the grace of God teaches them to do; or else the sense is, what they lusted after, flesh, was not withheld from them, or they were not restrained from eating it; they were indulged with it for a whole month, which agrees with what follows.

 

“But while their meat was yet in their mouths”; the meat of the quails, while it was between their teeth, before it was chewed, and before it was swallowed, while they were rolling this sweet morsel under their tongues, and were gorging themselves with it, destruction came upon them, as follows; and was very similar to what happened to Belshazzar, while he was feasting with his nobles; in the midst of his hilarity and high spirits, he was slain by the Persians (Daniel 5:1).

 

31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

“The wrath of God came upon them”—“But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague” (Numbers 11:33; 78:30). The wrath of God came upon them, either by causing fire to come down from heaven, or by allowing them to be made sick by excessive eating, or by sending a plague among them.

“And slew the fattest of them” - literally, “slew the fattest among them,” That is, those who had been the guiltiest of the sin of gluttony, and had eaten an excessive amount of the flesh that was sent them; or this refers to the chief among their princes and nobles, men of great influence, strength and valor, as well as the common people. How far this was the natural effect of indulgence in eating, and how far it was a direct miracle, cannot now be ascertained. In either case it would equally show the divine displeasure.

“And smote down”—“made to bow”; that is, they were made to bow in death.

 

“The chosen men of Israel,” or the young men. The idea is that of select men; men that would be chosen from among the others; men distinguished for vigor or influence, who were within the twentieth and fiftieth year of their age; who were chosen and fit for war within that time, as well as were the choicest for good looks, strength, and service; not the aged or the feeble particularly, not those who might be naturally expected to fall in battle, but men of strength who might be supposed to be capable of resisting the ordinary attacks of disease. God showed in this way that the judgment came directly from his hand.

 

32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

 

“For all this they sinned still”—Even this (78:31) did not change them, and prevent their sinning. Severe judgments do not always restrain men from sin. Not infrequently they take occasion from such judgments to sin even more. The goodness of God should be enough to cause a person to quit his sin, but it does not always lead persons to repentance; mercies, unless they are sanctified, often prove snares and temptations to sin yet more and more; nothing short of the grace of God will bring persons to repentance for sin, or keep them from it:

 

“And believed not for his wondrous works”—they did not trust in His wondrous works; or, those works did not have the effect of producing faith. (See Psalm 78:22-23.) The same thing occurred in the life of the Savior. (John 12:37)

 

33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

 

“Therefore their days did he consume in vanity.” He made them spend their days, the days of that entire generation, in vain and fruitless wanderings in the desert. Instead of leading them directly to the Promised Land, they were kept in the wilderness and made to wear out their life in tedious monotony, accomplishing nothing - wandering from place to place - until all the generation that had come out of Egypt had died.

“And their years in trouble,” literally, “in terror,” amidst the troubles, the alarms, and the terrors of a vast and frightful desert; and anxiety; through their enemies, who smote and demoralized them (Numbers 14:45), through the earth's opening and swallowing many of them up; through fire coming from heaven on some of them, and fiery serpents being sent among them all (Numbers 16:31). It is an awful consideration, and yet it is true, of some wicked men, though not all, that they have nothing but trouble here, by what their sins bring upon them, and hell at last.

34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.

 

“When he slew them,” that is, when He came to them in His wrath and cut them down by the plague, by fiery serpents, or by their enemies.

 

“Then they sought him,”that is, those who either survived when others were slain, or were threatened with destruction. They sought the Lord by prayer and supplication, in the hope that He would not destroy them. Their calamities had the effect of producing temporary reformation. They professed penitence; they exhibited a wish to know God, and expressed an intention to serve Him. It was, however, a temporary and hollow, not a deep and real reformation. This often occurs. In times of affliction, in sickness, in bereavement, in the loss of property, people become serious, and express their intention to repent and turn to God. A deep impression seems to be produced on their minds, which lasts, unfortunately, only as long as the hand of God rests upon them. Resolutions of repentance are formed only to be forgotten when the affliction is removed, and when the days of prosperity return.

“And they returned and inquired early after God”; but not earnestly, and with their whole hearts and spirits. The word rendered “inquired early” has reference to the first rays of the morning—the aurora—the dawn. Then it comes to denote the beginning of anything; or, the first thing. When used in this manner, it may refer to the act of seeking God as the first thing; in youth; in the morning; at the commencement of any enterprise or undertaking. (See Proverbs 8:17; Proverbs 1:28.) Here it means that, in their affliction, they did not delay seeking God, but expressed an early intention to serve him. They promptly acknowledged a purpose to break away from their sins, and to return to Him.

35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

 

“And they remembered that God was their Rock” (See Deuteronomy 32:4, Deuteronomy 32:15, Deuteronomy 32:31), that is, they were lead to realize that their only security and defense was God. They were made to feel that they could not rely on themselves, or on any human power, and that their only trust was in God.

 

The idea behind this expression—“God was their Rock”—is that the psalmist owed his safety entirely to God. He had been unto him like a rock, a tower, a buckler, etc.; that is to say, he had derived from God the protection which a rock, a tower, a citadel, a buckler furnished to those who depended on them, or which they were designed to secure. The word “rock” here has reference to the fact that in times of danger a lofty rock would serve as a place of safety or that men would flee to it to escape from their enemies. Such rocks abound in Palestine; and by the fact that they are elevated and difficult to access, or by the fact that those who fled to them could find shelter behind their projecting crags, or by the fact that they could find security in their deep and dark caverns, they became places of refuge in times of danger; and protection was often found there when it could not be found in the plains below. (See Judges 6:2; Psalm 27:5; Psalm 61:2.)

 

“And the high God, their Redeemer”—the God who is exalted over all, the true and living God. The truth was brought to their recollection that it was He who had delivered them from bondage in Egypt, and who had brought them out into freedom. On the meaning of the word “Redeemer,” it is used here in the general sense of deliverer. God would deliver, or rescue them as He had done in times past. He had done it so often, that this might be regarded as his appropriate appellation, that He was the redeemer of his people.

 

36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

 

“Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth.” The word rendered “flatter” means “to open;” and hence, “to be open; to be ingenious or frank”; and then, to be easily persuaded, to be deluded, to be beguiled; and hence, also, in an active form, to persuade, to entice, to seduce, to beguile, to delude. The meaning here is, that they attempted to deceive by their professions, or that their professions were false and hollow. Those professions were the mere result of affliction. They were based on no principle; there was no true love or confidence at the foundation. Such professions or promises are often made in affliction. Under the pressure of heavy judgments, the loss of property, the loss of friends, or the failure of health, people become insightful, and resolve to give attention to religion. It is rarely that such purposes are founded in sincerity, and that the conversions apparently resulting from them are true conversions. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate render the phrase here, "They loved with their mouth."

 

“And they lied unto him with their tongues”--they made promises which they did not keep.

 

37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

 

“For their heart was not right with him.” The idea expressed here is that the heart was not “attuned” to such a profession, or did not “concur” with such a promise or pledge. It was a mere profession made by the lips, while the heart remained unaffected, and it could be said that they themselves did not maintain a firm trust in God. They yielded readily to every impulse, and every passion, even when it tended to draw them entirely away from Him. There was no such "strength" of attachment to Him that would lead them to resist temptation, and they easily fell into the sin of idolatry.

“Neither were they stedfast in His covenant,” which was made with them at Sinai, though they promised to be obedient, and to do all the Lord said unto them; but they broke this covenant, even though He was like a husband to them (Exodus 24:7).

 

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.

 

“But he, being full of compassion” is literally, “But he, merciful,” that is, he was ready to forgive them, or merciful; the mercies of God are tender and abundant; there is a multitude of them; He is rich and overflowing in mercy, and so ready to forgive.

 

“Forgave their iniquity” (or sin)--literally, atoned for, expiated (make amends, propitiate), covered over their iniquity. There is connected with the word “forgave” the idea of expiation or atonement, as the basis for pardon. Forgiveness of sin flows from the tender mercy of God; it is according to the multitude of His mercies, and the riches of His grace; yet is through the blood and atoning sacrifice of His Son; and the word that is used here signifies to expiate or atone; God never intended to pardon sinners, but through the propitiation (conciliation) of His Son, whom he sent forth in the fullness of time to be the atoning sacrifice for sin; he forgave the sins of Old Testament saints with a view to that; and it is for Christ's sake he forgives any; for without shedding of blood there is no remission; though perhaps, since these persons were impenitent, unbelievers and hypocrites, no more may be meant here by the forgiveness of their sins than averting a threatened judgment, or a removing of one, and putting a stop to the further execution of it, which is sometimes meant by forgiving sin (see Numbers 14:19, 1 Kings 8:30).

 

“And destroyed them not,” which means He did not disown them because of their repeated acts of rebellion. He put up with them, and spared them; He did not destroy them, though they deserved it, but brought them into the land of Canaan.

 

“Yea, many a time turned he his anger away,” that is, He turned His anger away many times; he does not hold on to it forever, or carry a grudge, or the appearance of it; and though he causes grief, he has and shows compassion. He is said to turn away His anger from his own people when he forgives their sins, and comforts their souls [“You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins” (Psalm 85:20)], so when he causes the effects of his displeasure to cease, or halts a plague, or stops a judgment through any of his servants (see Numbers 25:8), which He did repeatedly during their wilderness journey, it is a demonstration of godly compassion.

 

“And did not stir up all his wrath,” literally, did not excite, or arouse all his anger, though their sins deserved it. His anger was stayed or mitigated, and they were permitted to live. The wrath of a temporal king is said to be like the roaring of a lion (Proverbs 19:12) much greater is the roar of the King of kings; and the allusion here seems to be to the arousing of some fierce creature; the wrath of God is intolerable, and, even when it is kindled but a little, it cannot be endured; and much less should it be all stirred up; but here in wrath he remembered mercy.

 

39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

 

“For he remembered that they were but flesh,” that they were human; and were therefore weak, that they were prone to err, and that they were liable to fall into temptation. In his dealings with them he took into account their fallen nature, their training, their temptations, their trials, their weaknesses, and he judged them accordingly. [“For he knoweth our frame”The weakness and mortality of our natures, and the frailty and misery of our condition, (as the expression seems to be explained in the following clause) “That we are” but “dust” — And that if He should let loose of our hand, we would be irrecoverably destroyed (Psalm 103:14).] It was also true of the Savior in His treatment of His disciples, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,” (Matthew 26:41). God will judge people as they are; He will not in his judgments forget that they are people, and that they are weak and feeble. People often judge their fellow-men with much more harshness, with much less allowance for their infirmities and weaknesses, than God shows in his dealings with mankind. And yet such are the very people who are most ready to blame God for His judgments. If God acted on the principle and in the manner according to which they act, they could hope for no mercy at His hand. It is well for them that there is not one like themselves on the throne of the universe.

 

“A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again,” which blows by us, and is gone forever. What a striking description is this of man! How true of an individual! How true of a generation! How true of the race at large! God remembers this when he thinks of people, and he deals with them accordingly. He is not harsh and severe, but kind and compassionate. To man, a being so feeble--to the human race, so frail - to the generations of that race, so fleeting, so soon passing off the stage of life--He is always willing to show compassion. He does not make use of His great power to crush them; He prefers to manifest his mercy in saving them.

 

40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

 

“How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness,” (Or, rebel against Him) where they were not only at His mercy, having nothing to help themselves or use against Him, but had many remarkable mercies bestowed upon them; and yet were continually committing sins against God that provoked Him to take action; ten times they tempted him, the Lord says, (Numbers 14:22), therefore that dispensation is called the provocation and day of temptation; for it was a series of rebellions and sins [“Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness” (Psalm 95:8)] The idea is that they were wicked and rebellious; that they excited his displeasure, and gave occasion for His anger. (Psalm 78:17)

 

“And grieve him in the desert.” - The word which is rendered here as “grieve,” means:

(1) to work, to fashion;

(2) to suffer pain, to travail, to be afflicted; and then,

(3) to cause one to suffer pain, or to afflict.

The meaning here is that the conduct of the Hebrews was the kind that caused pain, such as the conduct of a disobedient and rebellious child. He is obliged, therefore, to take the rod and chastise it. The prophet Isaiah says, they "vexed" or "grieved his Holy Spirit" (Isaiah 63:10).

 

41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

 

“Yea, they turned back, and tempted God,” that is, they stopped serving Him, and complained that things were better in Egypt, because there they had plenty to eat, and so  they wanted to return to Egypt, and to place themselves in the same situation they were in before they were delivered from bondage.

 

“And limited the Holy One of Israel.” I have heard it said that the only thing God can’t do is to lie--there are no limits to His power, except those limits imposed by unbelief and little faith. The idea is that some people limit the power of God; they imagine or allege (and this is something often done, even by the professed people of God) that there was a boundary in respect to power which He could not pass, or that there were things to be done which He did not have the ability to perform. The idea expressed in the Word of God would seem to be that of making a mark for any purpose; and then it means to outline; to scrawl; or to indicate a limit or boundary with a mark or sign. Therefore it might be applied to God by someone estimating His character or His power, if they set limits or bounds to it, as one does in marking out a plot or lot for a farm or a house. There was a limit, in their estimation, to the power of God, beyond which He could not act; or, in other words, His power was defined boundaries set, so that beyond a certain point He could not come to their aid.

42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

“They remembered not his hand,” meaning the times of His graciousintervention, when the manifestations of his power were displayed.  They forgot that His hand had been so often opened to supply their wants in the wilderness They forgot that power had been exercised which showed that he was omnipotent--that there was no limit to His ability to aid them.

“Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy (affliction)--“all those times when He rescued them. The power He manifested on those occasions was sufficient to defend and deliver them from any new dangers that could befall them.  The times, as well as places where deliverances and salvation have take place should not be forgotten; and forgetfulness of the goodness of God in times past is often the cause and occasion of sinning against Him, which, by a remembrance of his kind appearances, might be prevented.

 

43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

 

“How he had wrought his signs in Egypt”; the plagues which he brought upon the Egyptians, for refusing to let Israel go. The Hebrew word for “wrought” means to set or place. The word “signs” refers to miracles as signs or indications of God's power and favor. The things which He did were of such a nature as to show that He was almighty, and at the same time to assure them of his disposition to protect them.

 

“And his wonders in the field of Zoan”; refers to the wonderful things which He did in the field of Zoan, or in the country of Zoan; the things apt to excite amazement, or astonishment. On the word Zoan, see the notes at Psalm 78:12. Details of these signs and wonders follow; but not all of them, nor in the order in which they occurred: only seven are mentioned, which are compare to the seven vials or last plagues (Revelation 6:1).

Here the Psalm goes back to the subject of Israelitish ingratitude, (mentioned in Psalm 78:11-12) in order to introduce an account of the miracles wrought in Egypt previous to Israel’s deliverance from there. These miracles were intended to show the superiority of Jehovah over the elements and powers of nature, which at that time were objects of worship among the Egyptians, but plainly appeared to act, at the command of Moses, in subordination to their great Creator, the God of the Hebrews. In the heavens, on the earth, and in the waters, supremacy and independence were demonstrated to belong to him only: fire and air, thunder and lightning, wind, rain, and hail obeyed his words; rivers became blood, and their inhabitants perished; insects and animals left their customary habitations, to destroy vegetables, or torment man: so that wherever the gods of Egypt were supposed to reside, in all places, and all circumstances, victory belonged to Jehovah. Hence modern as well as ancient idolaters may learn not to put their trust in the world, but in him who created it.

44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

 

“And had turned their rivers into blood” (Exodus 7:20). There was but one river in Egypt--the Nile--without which the country could never have become great. But there were several branches of that river at the mouth; and there were numerous artificial streams or canals, that drew its water from the river, and the word river might be given to any of them (Isaiah 11:15). But all the water had been turned into blood by God, and they could not drink blood (see Exodus 7:21).

 

“And their floods, that they could not drink”; or, their streams; i.e. the smaller canals, some natural, some artificial, which dispersed the Nile’s water over the entire land, and where they usually obtained their supply of water.

 

45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

 

“He sent divers sorts of flies among them.” The account of this plague is found in Exodus 8:24. The word there used is simply “swarm,” without indicating what the swarm was composed of. The rabbis explain the word as denoting a mixture, or a convergence of noxious insects, as if the word were derived from the term “to mix.” The common explanation of the word given now is that it denotes a species of fly--the gad-fly--which can be exceedingly troublesome to man and beast, and that it derives its name from a term meaning “to suck,” and hence, the allusion to sucking the blood of animals. The word occurs only in the following places, Exodus 8:21-22, Exodus 8:24, Exodus 8:29, and Exodus 8:3, where it is rendered swarm, or swarms, and Psalm 105:31, where (as here) it is rendered divers sorts of flies.

“Which devoured them”; or rather, corrupted their land, (Exodus 8:24), perhaps by producing a deadly disease, which destroyed many of the inhabitants, or consumed the vegetables of the land. History records that many years ago, in New England, some sort of insects came out of little holes in the ground, in the form of maggots, and turned to flies, which for the space of two hundred miles poisoned and destroyed all the trees in the country.

“And frogs which destroyed them” (Exodus 8:6). The order in which the plagues occurred is not preserved in the account in the psalm. Compare Revelation 16:1, with this plague. This was the second plague.

 

46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

 

“He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar,” meaning the increase or the produce of their fields (Exodus 10:12-14). The word “caterpillar,” is supposed to denote a species of locust rather than “the caterpillar.” It literally means “the devourer.” In our version, however, it is uniformly rendered “caterpillar,” as here, and 1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chronicles 6:28; Isaiah 33:4; Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25. It occurs nowhere else.

 

“And their labor unto the locust,” that is, the fruit of “their labor;” the harvests in their fields; all sorts of corn, wheat, barley and rye; all green grass and trees, and the increase of their vineyards and all fruit trees on which much labor had been used to fertilize (manure) and cultivate (see Revelation 9:3); this was the eighth plague.

 

47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

“He destroyed their vines with hail,” or “killed” them (See Exodus 9:22-26); for there is a vegetative life in plants: this was the seventh plague of Egypt, accompanied with thunder and lightning, and was very disturbing to Pharaoh (Exodus 9:23; compare to Revelation 16:21). In the account in Exodus the “hail” is said to have smitten man and beast, the herb, and the tree of the field. In the psalm only one thing is mentioned, perhaps denoting the ruin of what would be particularly felt in Palestine, where the making of wine/grape juice was so common and so important.

“And their sycamore trees with frost.” Sycamore trees produced a sort of wild figs, and these and the vines are the only plant life mentioned--though the plague of hail destroyed all sorts of trees--because there were many of these in Egypt, and here they represent all the others. The word rendered “frost,” which is only used in this verse, signifies a kind of hail, called “great hailstones” by some interpreters beat off the fruit of the sycamore trees, breaks the buds of trees, and dries up their moisture. Others believe the damage was caused by the Midrash*, a kind of locust, which cuts off the green of the trees and grass, and eats it..

*"It is a tender tree, flourishes immensely in sandy plains and warm vales, but cannot bear the hard, cold mountain. A sharp frost will kill them; and this agrees with the fact that they were killed by it in Egypt. Among the wonders performed in the field of Zoan, David says, 'He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.' Certainly, a frost keen enough to kill the sycamore would be one of the greatest 'wonders' that could happen at the present day in this same field of Zoan."

 

48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

 

“He gave up their cattle also to the hail,” for “the hail” fell upon man and beast, as well as upon herbs and trees (Exodus 9:22).

 

“And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.” The original word means flame; then, lightning. There is no allusion in the word to the idea of a bolt, or shaft, accompanying the lightning or the thunder, by which destruction is produced. The destruction is caused by the lightning, and not by the thunder, and it is hardly necessary to say that there is no shaft or bolt that accompanies it. Probably this notion was formerly entertained, and found its way into the common language used. The same idea is retained by us in the word “thunderbolt.” But this idea is not in the original; nor is there any foundation for it in fact. The corresponding verse in the plagues sent to the Egyptians is Exodus 9:23: “When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.

 

49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

“He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger.” This verse should be connected with the last and the most dreadful of the plagues that came upon the Egyptians, the slaying of their first-born; and that's why, there is such an accumulation of expressions: anger - fierce anger - wrath - indignation - trouble. All these expressions are designed to be emphatic; all these things were combined when the first-born were slain. There was no form of affliction that could surpass this; and in this trial all the expressions of the divine displeasure seemed to be exhausted. It was meant that this should be the last of the plagues; it was meant that the nation should be humbled, and should be made willing to let the people of Israel go.

 

“Wrath, and indignation, and trouble,” are thought by some to pertain to the other plagues, which are not particularly mentioned here; or rather they express the manner in which they were all inflicted, in great wrath and hot displeasure for their sins and iniquities.

 

“By sending evil angels among them.” There is reference here undoubtedly to the slaying of the first-born in Egypt (Exodus 11:4-5; Exodus 12:29-30). This tragedy is ascribed to the work of a destroyer (Exodus 12:23; compare Hebrews 11:28), and the allusion seems to be to a destroying angel, or to an angel employed and commissioned to accomplish such a work. (Compare 2 Samuel 24:16; 2 Kings 19:35). The idea here is not that the angel himself was evil or wicked, but that he was the messenger of evil or calamity; he was the instrument by which these afflictions were brought upon them,as good angels often are; though some think that demons, devils, or wicked spirits, were sent among them at that time.

 

50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

 

“He made a way to his anger.” Or, "for" it, so that nothing could obstruct it, or hinder the expression of it, and he allowed it to have free range; or "he weighed a path for his anger"; he weighed it in the balance of justice, and proportioned his anger to fit their crimes, and punished them according to their just deserts.

 

“He spared not their soul from death,” but gave their life over to the pestilence, by which they were destroyed, and which was the fifth plague of Egypt (Exodus 9:3).

 

“But gave their life over to the pestilence,” or their beasts to the murrain*. The original can be applied to either interpretation, humans or beasts, but the connection seems rather to demand the interpretation which is in the text. Both these things, however, occurred.

 

*Murrain is an antiquated term for various infectious diseases affecting cattle and sheep. It literally means "death" and was used in medieval times to represent just that. Murrain did not refer to a specific disease, but was an umbrella term for what are now recognized as a number of different diseases, including rinderpest, erysipelas, foot-and-mouth-disease, anthrax, and streptococcus infections. Some of these could also affect humans. The term murrain also referred to an epidemic of such a disease. The term murrain is also used in some Bible translations relating to the fifth plague brought upon Egypt. 

 

51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

 

“And smote all the firstborn in Egypt,”from the prince to the peasant; and not only the firstborn of men, but of beasts also (Exodus 12:29,Exodus 11:4-5, Exodus 12:29-30).

 

“The chief of their strength;” those on whom they relied; their firstborn; their pride; their glory; their heirs (Compare Genesis 49:3).

 

“In the tabernacles of Ham”; in the numerous cities, towns, villages, and houses of the Egyptians, the descendants of cursed Ham. (Compare Genesis 10:6; Psalm 105:23, Psalm 105:27; Psalm 106:22) This was the tenth and last plague.

 

52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

 

“But made his own people to go forth like sheep”, that is, the people of Israel, whom the Lord chose to be his peculiar people above all others. With a mighty hand and out-stretched arm He caused them leave Egypt like sheep, weak, timorous, unarmed, harmless, and inoffensive, not a dog daring to bear his teeth at them. The power of God was wonderfully displayed in the delivery of his poor, helpless, and oppressed people; well may it be ascribed to Him; for it was not their arm, but his, that brought them out. He was a shepherd to them. He defended them; provided for them; led them - as a shepherd does his flock (Psalm 23:1-2).

 

“And guided them in the wilderness like a flock,” by the hands of Moses and Aaron, (Psalm 77:20). He went before them like the Shepherd of the flock, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. He kept them together like a flock and from scattering, straying, and being lost. He directed their way through the untrodden wilderness, and protected them from all dangers and enemies.

 

53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

 

“And he led them on safely” through the sea, where there were waters on each side; and through the wilderness, in which there were serpents and scorpions, and where they were attacked by many powerful enemies.

 

“So that they feared not,” for though they feared for a while at the Red Sea, yet their fears were soon silenced, and they by faith passed through the Red sea as if it were dry land; and especially their fears were gone, when they saw the Egyptians dead on the sea shore.  They went on from there in hope and in confidence, as if they had no reason for alarm. He showed Himself able and willing to defend them.

 

“But the sea overwhelmed (or "covered") their enemies”; (Exodus 14:27-28; Exodus 15:10); the waters returned, and overflowed and drowned the Egyptians, who were their ruthless enemies, and vowed their destruction, and were sure of it; but now the Israelites had nothing to fear from them.

 

54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

 

“And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary.” Some render this, “to the mountain of His holiness”; that is, his holy mountain. But the reference is, more exactly, to the whole land of Canaan. He brought them to the borders of that land--the land of promise--the holy land; which the Lord had sanctified, and set apart for them; and of Jerusalem, the holy city, the city of the great God, and of the temple where his residence was to be. Of all those who came out of Egypt, Caleb and Joshua were the only ones that entered. It was true that the people--the Hebrew people--came to the Promised Land, and they eventually would take possession of it.

 

“Even to this mountain,” Mount Zion, for the object of the psalm was to show that the worship of God was celebrated there (See Psalm 78:68). The meaning is not that the people who came out of Egypt actually inherited that mountain, but that their descendants, the people of God had taken possession of it, not by the power nor through the merits of the Israelites, but through the power and goodness of God (Psalm 44:3).

 

“Which his right hand had purchased”; had procured, or obtained possession of. That is, He had secured it by His power.

 

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.

 

“He cast out the heathen (the nations) also before them,” the seven nations; the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (Deuteronomy 7:1). The idea of their being *pagan, in the sense which is now attached to that word, is not in the original. The word is one which would be applied to any nation, without reference to its religion. These nations were, indeed, pagans according to the present use of that term, but that idea is not necessarily in the Hebrew word.

 

“And divided them an inheritance by line,” or rather, He gave to His people an inheritance in the land of Canaan. To be precise, the land was divided by Joshua, between the nine tribes and a half, and their limits and boundaries were established (See Joshua 13:7; 18; 19). The other two and a half had their portion assigned them on the other side. This distribution was made very exactly by lot, by line, and measure, so that every tribe had their proper portion and inheritance (see Joshua 13:6).

 

“And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents”; to dwell securely and peacefully, no longer roaming from place to place, but having a fixed habitation in the cities, towns, villages, and houses of the Heathen who were cast out from Canaan.

*It is crucial to stress right from the start that until the 20th century people did not call themselves pagans to describe the religion they practiced. The notion of paganism, as it is generally understood today, was created by the early Christian Church. It was a label that Christians applied to others, one of the antitheses that were central to the process of Christian self-definition. As such, throughout history it was generally used in a derogatory sense.

— Owen Davies, Paganism: A Very Short Introduction, 2011

56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

“Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God” to anger, in the times of the judges, andafter the death of Joshua, and after they were peaceably settled in the Promised Land; by worshipping and serving the gods of the nations around them, and thus, forsaking the Lord their God, who had done such great things for them (Judges 2:11).

“And kept not his testimonies”; the laws of God, which testified and declared his mind and will; nor observed his word and ordinances, which testified of his grace, and of the way of salvation by Jesus Christ.

The object here is to show that it was the character of the people that they were prone to depart from God (Psalm 78:10-11; Psalm 78:17; Psalm 78:40).

57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

“But turned back” from God and His worship, rejected the true religion, and turned to idols. (See the notes at Psalm 78:41).

“And dealt unfaithfully like their fathers” in the wilderness (Psalm 78:8).

 

“They were turned aside like a deceitful bow”--literally, a bow of deceit. That is, a bow that could not be depended on; a bow, one of whose arms was longer or more elastic than the other, so that the arrow would turn aside from the mark. The marksman would attempt to hit an object, and would fail. So it was with the people of Israel. They could not be depended on. No reliance could be placed on their promises, their covenant-engagements, their attachment, their fidelity, for in these things they failed, as the arrow from a deceitful bow would fail to strike the mark. Their whole history shows how true this charge was. Unfortunately, the history of many of the professed people of God has shown how applicable the description has been to them also.

 

58For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

“For they provoked him to anger with their high places,” places where idols to Baal and other Heathen deities were worshipped, usually on mountains or elevated places (Leviticus 26:30; compare 1 Kings 3:2; 1 Kings 12:31-32; 2 Kings 17:32; 2 Chronicles 33:17).

 

“And moved him to jealousy with their graven images” (their idols; “graven images” is used for idols in general), which they worshipped (Judges 10:6). Idolatry was spiritual adultery, and so it made the Lord jealous of them, for they stood in the relation of a husband to them, like a man made jealous by the illicit and lewd conduct of his wife, like a man is when affections due to him are bestowed upon another, as in the married life. The Israelites lived such a life throughout the reigns of the judges, and at certain times, until the times of Eli and Samuel, when the ark was held captive, of which mention is made in the following verses.

 

59When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

 

“When God heard this,” literally, "God heard;" that is, he understood this; he was acquainted with it. He heard their prayers addressed to false gods; he heard their praises sung in honor of idols.

 

“He was wroth.” This is language taken from the common manner of speaking among people, at that time, for language derived from human concepts and usages must be employed when we speak of God, though it may make it difficult to say what its exact meaning is. The general sense is that His conduct toward them was as if he was angry; or was that which is used by a man who is displeased.

 

“And greatly abhorred Israel.” The idea in the word rendered “abhorred” is that of rejecting them with abhorrence; that is, the reference is not merely to the internal feeling or emotion, but to the act which is the proper accompaniment of such an internal feeling. He cast them off; He treated them like they were not His own. The addition of the word "greatly" shows how intense this feeling was; how resolute was His loathing of their conduct. But He did not abhor his remnant among them, according to the election of grace, which He had in all ages; for this would be contrary to His everlasting love, which always continues; nor to the permanence of his nature, who changes not; to His Word, who says, fury is not in Me; and to His oath, who swore that He will not be wroth with His people. He may indeed, and does, abhor their sins, but not their persons; he may seem to them and others, in the dispensing of His divine intervention, to be wroth with them and abhor them; but does not in reality. This is to be understood of the bulk of the people in general, and is to be explained and illustrated by those instances of his displeasure with them in the times of the judges; when his anger became hot against them for their idolatries and other sins, and He delivered them into the hands of their enemies (Judges 3:7).

 

60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

 

“So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh”; the tabernacle or tent which had been erected at Shiloh, the tabernacle which Moses built in the wilderness by the command of the Lord, and according to the pattern showed him. He forsook that as a place where He was to be worshipped; that is, He caused His tabernacle, or His place of worship, to be erected in another place, to wit, on Mount Zion (Psalm 78:68.) The name “Shiloh” means “a place of rest,” and seems to have been given to this place because it was such a place, or as a place where the ark might abide after its migrations. Shiloh was a city within the limits of the tribe of Ephraim, on a mountain north of Bethel. Here the ark of God remained for many years after it came into the Promised Land (Joshua 18:1; Judges 18:31; Judges 21:12, Judges 21:19; 1 Samuel 1:3, 1 Samuel 1:24; 1 Samuel 2:14; 1 Samuel 4:3-4). The ark, after it was taken by the Philistines, was never returned to Shiloh, but was deposited successively at Nob (1 Samuel 21:1-6, and at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:4), until David pitched a tabernacle for it on Mount Zion (1 Chronicles 15:1). The meaning here is, that in consequence of the sins of the people, the place of worship was finally and forever removed from the tribe of Ephraim, within whose limits “Shiloh” was, to the tribe of Judah, and to Mount Zion.

 

“The tent which he placed among men” was the place which He selected for his abode on earth. Since it was a tent it could be moved from place to place, and here the divine Majesty dwelt among men who were vile, sinful, wicked, and ungrateful; which was a wonderful instance of His condescension and goodness (1 Kings 8:27), but when their iniquities grew to be intolerable, he forsook it and moved it elsewhere (see Jeremiah 7:12).

 

61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

 

“And delivered his strength into captivity.” That is, the ark, considered the symbol of His power and the means by which he displayed it, like when the Israelites passed through Jordan into the land of Canaan, and with it circled the city of Jericho; and additionally, it was typical of Christ, the man of God's right hand, made strong for Himself, and in whom there is strength as well as righteousness for His people; now this was given up into the hands of the Philistines, and carried away captive (1 Samuel 4:11). The ark is tantamount to the defense of the people; this was the emblem of the presence of God, which, when with them, was their real protection. The allusion here is to the time when the ark was taken by the Philistines in the days of Eli (1 Samuel 4:3-11).

 

 “And his glory” - That which was emblematic of His glory, to wit, the ark; the ark being the glory of God, over which upon the mercy seat the glorious majesty of the Lord resided.

 

“Into the enemy's hand”; the hand or power of the Philistines.

 

62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

 

“He gave his people over also unto the sword”; to those that kill with the sword; that is, to the Philistines. The occasion referred to happened when thirty thousand men (Israelites) were killed at once (1 Samuel 4:10), and the ark was taken.

 

“And was wroth with his inheritance.” He was angry with His people, for He considered Israel His “inheritance”; that is, He thought of them as His own special people, or His possession, and the above shows how angry he was with them, though they were chosen by Him to be His own particular people (Psalm 33:12); a privilege which made them unique among all the nations.

 

63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

 

“The fire consumed their young men,” not Nadab and Abihu (Sons of Aaron who, was destroyed by fire from heaven for disobeying the Lord (Leviticus 10:1–5.), as some of the Jewish Rabbis interpret it. These “young men” were the choicest, the flower of Israel’s army, which engaged with the Philistines during the times of Eli; and the fire that consumed them is not a material fire, or an extraordinary fire from heaven; but either the wrath of God, or the flaming glittering sword of the enemy, which consumed them like fire (Numbers 21:28). The idea here is that the young people had been slain in war.

“And their maidens were not given to marriage,” for it was impossible, because the young people who would have entered into this relationship were killed in war. The idea is, “Their virgins were not praised in nuptial songs”; that is, there were no marriage celebrations; no songs such as were usually composed on such occasions in praise of those who were brides. The nuptial chamber is called , "the house of praise"; and so frequently, when a great calamity is threatened or described, it is said, the voice of the bride and bridegroom is not heard (Jeremiah 16:9).

64Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

 

“Their priests fell by the sword”; Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, and other priests, which shows the cruelty of the enemy, for they would not spare unarmed men, such as the priests. And it shows the justice of God, for He pursued these very wicked men, whose character and office could not save them from divine wrath (1 Samuel 4:11). It was considered an exceptional calamity that their ministers of religion were cut down in war.

 

“And their widows (widows of the priests) made no *lamentations for their husbands, who fell by the sword. The reason for this is that their national troubles were so great, the danger was still so imminent, and the calamities worsened so fast, that there was no opportunity for public mourning by formal processions of women, and loud lamentations, such as were customary on these occasions. The meaning is not that there was a lack of affection on the part of the friends of the slain, or that there was no real grief, but that there was no opportunity for displaying it in the customary manner.

What is said here is particularly true of the widow of Phinehas, who upon the news of his death went into labor, and as soon as she delivered, her child died, and while she lived, she took no notice of the death of her husband, nor lamented that, only that the ark of the Lord was taken (1 Samuel 4:19), and this might be the case with others; nor could they attend their funerals, or follow them to the grave with lamentations, because they were slain in battle.

*It is probable that the psalmist alludes to the shrieks of domestic grief which in the East are heard in every part of the house among the females on the death of the master of the family, or to the train of women that usually followed the corpse to the grave, which included the paid mourners. The standing of a man in society was indicated by the length of the train of mourners, and particularly by the number of wives and concubines that followed him as weepers. 

65Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

 

“Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep,” literally, as one sleeping; that is, like one who is asleep suddenly arouses himself. The Lord seemed to have slept, or to have been inattentive while he allowed the ark to be taken, and the Israelites to be slain; and He may be said to awake when he exerted his power in smiting the Philistines, and causing their idol to fall before his ark (Psalm 7:6; Psalm 44:23).

 

“And like a mighty man.” The allusion is probably to a warrior who having taken a generous drink of wine, though not to excess, goes on with great courage and cheerfulness to meet his adversary, shouting as he goes, seeing that he is sure of victory. If applied to God, it must be done with decency, consistent with the glory of His majesty, and the perfections of His nature; and seems designed to express His power and readiness to help His people, and avenge Himself on His enemies. (See Isaiah 42:13).

 

“That shouteth by reason of wine.” - The idea here is that of singing, or lifting up the voice in exultation and rejoicing; the idea of a man who sings and shouts as he is excited by wine, and as he presses onward to conflict and to victory. It is not uncommon in the Scriptures to compare God with a warrior (See Exodus 15:3; Psalm 24:8), as He goes forth to accomplish his purposes on his enemies,

 

66And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

 

“And he smote his enemies in the hinder part”; that is, from behind; as they fled. There are two ideas here: first, that they fled at his approach, or turned their backs; and second, that as they fled, he caught up and destroyed them. Not the Israelites, but the Philistines, who in another battle were put to flight, and turned their backs, and so were smitten in their hind parts; or rather this has reference to the Philistines being smitten with hemorrhoids, or piles in their posteriors, while they maintained possession of the ark (1 Samuel 5:6).

 

“He put them to a perpetual reproach,” by causing their idol Dagon to fall before His ark, and to be broken upon the threshold of the house of the idol; in memory of which the priests and any that came into that house, stepped upon the threshold (1 Samuel 5:3), which was their perpetual reproach.

 

67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

 

“Moreover, he *refused the tabernacle of Joseph,” as a place where His worship, would be celebrated. The reason is to show that there had been a transfer of the preeminence from the tribe of Ephraim to the tribe of Judah, and from Shiloh to Zion. Joseph is mentioned here as the father of Ephraim, for whom one of the tribes (one of the most influential and numerous) was named. Jacob had twelve sons, from whom the twelve tribes in general took their name. But the tribe of Levi, being devoted to the priestly work, was not considered one of the twelve But the number was made up by giving to the descendants of the two sons of Joseph--Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:5)--a place among the tribes; and, on this account, the name Joseph does not appear as one of the twelve tribes. Yet Joseph is mentioned here, as the ancestor of one of them - that of Ephraim, from whom the priority and supremacy were withdrawn in favor of the tribe of Judah.

The “tabernacle of Joseph”, is in actual fact, the tabernacle of Moses, which had been for a long time at Shiloh, a city in the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph. But when the ark was brought back by the Philistines, it was not returned to Shiloh, but instead, it was carried to Kirjathjearim, where it remained for twenty years, and after that was housed at Zion, the city of David (1 Samuel 7:1).

*The Lord did not refuse the tabernacle, or remove His presence from it; but He refused the place it had been in, or refused to allow it to be there anymore.

68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

 

“But chose the tribe of Judah.” He chose David of the tribe of Judah as ruler and king; he chose a place within the borders of Judah--Mount Zion or Jerusalem--as the place where His worship was to be celebrated. Thus, the ancient prediction in regard to the supremacy of Judah was fulfilled (Genesis 49:8-10).

 

God chose Jerusalem to be the seat of kingly power and government, and of religious worship. Jerusalem was, at least part of it, in the tribe of Judah: here David, who was of that tribe, dwelt, and Solomon his son, and all the kings of Judah that came afterwards; here the temple was built, into which the ark of the covenant was put, and it is where the tribes went up to worship

 

“the mount Zion, which he loved”; where was the city of David; into which the ark was brought when removed from Gibeah, and on part of which the temple was built: the choice of this place, for such a purpose, was from love, Psalm 87:2, it was typical of the church, the choice of which also arises from the everlasting and unchangeable love of God to it.

 

69And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

 

“And he built his sanctuary,” His holy place; that is, His tabernacle. The temple was not built at that time; and, when it was, it was not on Mount Zion, but on Mount Moriah. The name Zion, however, was often given to the whole city.

 

The temple at Jerusalem is called a “sanctuary,” or holy place, because it was separated and dedicated to holy use and service; where the holy God had his residence, and was worshipped, and was a figure of the holy place not made with hands. It is said to be built by the Lord, because the materials provided for it, and which David and his people so willingly offered, were His own or “from his own”; as well as the pattern after which it was built, for it was from the Spirit of God; and it was the Lord that put it into the heart of David to initiate such a work, and He encouraged Solomon to begin and finish it, and gave wisdom, health, and strength to the workmen to build it; and in reference to this are the words in Psalm 127:1, “except the Lord build the house,” and He built it, but not like the “high places,” where idolatry was committed.

 

The temple was the most magnificent in all the world, and it is said to be built by Solomon, and rebuilt by Zerubbabel, and repaired by Herod (Mark 13:1), and it was built on a high hill, Mount Moriah.

 

“Like high palaces.” The word “palaces” is not in the original. The Hebrew means simply high places, like hills or mountains. The meaning is that His sanctuary was exalted, as if it were placed on a high hill. It was a conspicuous object; it could be seen from far away; it was the most prominent thing in the land. It was like the “high heavens” for magnificence and glory, and like the earth for stability.

 

“Like the earth,” it was permanent and established. As for the substance of it, it will “pass away,” and a new one arise; otherwise it will abide for ever (Ecclesiastes 1:4), this concerns the continuance of the temple during the Jewish dispensation, when the Gospel temple, or Gospel church, should take place, which will continue to the end of the world: this is opposed to the frequent moves of the tabernacle and ark before the temple was built, when there was no abiding habitation provided for it

 

“Which he hath established for ever.” The earth is often represented as founded or established on a solid basis, and thus becomes an emblem of stability and perpetuity.

 

70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

 

“He chose David also his servant,” to be king over His people, the youngest of his father's family, an eminent type of our Lord Jesus Christ; who not only frequently has the name of a servant (Psalm 89:19), but appeared in the form of one (Philippians 2:7), had the work of a servant to do, the most important being the great work of our salvation (John 17:4), which He has accomplished, and to this work and office He was chosen and called by His Father--“Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my elect, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit on him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:1). The idea is that David was selected when he had no natural claim to the office, since he did not belong to a royal family, and could have no claim to such a distinction. The account of this choice is contained in (1 Samuel 15:1-30).

 

“And took him from the sheepfolds”; from the humble occupation of a shepherd (1 Samuel 16:11; 2 Samuel 7:8); from what place he was fetched when Samuel was sent by the Lord to anoint him, (1 Samuel 16:11); likewise Moses, while he was feeding his father's sheep, was called to be the savior and deliverer of Israel (Exodus 3:1), and Amos was taken from following the flock to be a prophet of the Lord (Amos 7:13), and since David was a type of Christ, this may express the humble condition of our Lord, in His state of humiliation, previous to His exaltation.

 

71From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

 

“From following the ewes great with younq.” The meaning is that He followed after them, that is, he cared for them, or watched over them as a shepherd. The single word rendered “the ewes great with young” means to ascend, to go up; and then, to bring up, to nourish. The exact idea here is doubtless that of bringing up, or of taking care of them, and the word should have been translated that way here.

 

Some interpreters render this clause as “From following after the ewes great with young”; it was the usual practice of the shepherd to keep the sheep before him, and to follow them, and gently drive them, which is expressive of his care and tenderness toward them (Genesis 33:13). The same is said of the great and good Shepherd of the sheep (Isaiah 40:11). David in his work as a shepherd was a type of Christ; just as he kept his father's sheep, so Christ keeps those that the Father has given him (John 10:29).

 

“He brought him to feed (rule over) Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.” This was a great honor indeed, to be the governor of the Lord's people, a special people above all people on the face of the earth, and whom he had chosen to be His inheritance; and in this also he was a type of Christ, who has the throne of His father David given him, and who reigns over the house of Jacob. One of His titles is King of saints; for just as the government of the world is in general, so is the church in particular, for both are on His shoulders (Luke 1:32). Nothing is more common than for kings to be represented as shepherds, and their acts of government represented by leading and feeding sheep.

 

72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

 

“So he fed them”; that is,He fulfilled the office of a shepherd by feeding and protecting them.

 

“So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart,” or rather, “reigned over them”; that is, over the people of Israel, and he did so in a manner which showed uprightness of heart, and that he was, as his character confirmed, a man after God's own heart. It appeared from his administration of government, that he sought not his own honor and profit, and the aggrandizing of his family, but the good of his people, and the glory of God; and this attribute, in the fullest extent, and highest sense of it, agrees best with the character of Christ, the righteous branch raised unto David (Jeremiah 23:5).

 

“According to the integrity of his heart” - literally, “According to the perfection of his heart.” That is, he was upright and pure in the administration of his government.

 

“And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands,” literally, “by the understanding of his hands,” as if the hand had been endued with intelligence. Compare Psalm 144:1, which says, “Which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” (See also Psalm 137:5). The idea is that he administered the government with integrity and uprightness. This is a beautiful tribute to the integrity and purity of the administration of David. It is not the language of flattery; it is a simple statement, flowing from the heart, in favor of a just and upright administration; and it is a true statement of what the administration of David was like. Except the matter of Uriah--over which he afterward wept so bitterly--his administration was exceedingly just, pure, impartial, wise, and kind; probably no other person has been more so. The whole psalm is a beautiful argument showing why the government had been transferred from Ephraim to Judah, and why it had been placed in the hands of David.