Psalms 78:34

34 Whenever he killed some of them, the rest would turn to him; they would repent and pray earnestly to him.

Psalms 78:34 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 78:34

When he slew them
Some of them, the spies particularly; or when he threatened to slay them, or was about to do it:

then they sought him;
that is, those who either survived the slain, or were threatened with destruction; these sought the Lord by prayer and supplication, that he would not destroy them; the Targum is,

``they repented and sought him;''

see ( Numbers 14:37 Numbers 14:39 Numbers 14:40 ) ,

and they returned;
from their evil ways, and by repentance, at least in show and appearance:

and inquired early after God;
but not earnestly, and with their whole hearts and spirits; the Targum is,

``they prayed before God;''

which is often done, by carnal professors, in trouble; see ( Isaiah 26:16 ) ( Hosea 5:15 ) .

Psalms 78:34 In-Context

32 In spite of all this the people kept sinning; in spite of his miracles they did not trust him.

33 So he ended their days like a breath and their lives with sudden disaster.

34 Whenever he killed some of them, the rest would turn to him; they would repent and pray earnestly to him.

35 They remembered that God was their protector, that the Almighty came to their aid.

36 But their words were all lies; nothing they said was sincere.