Psalms 78:60-70

60 He deserted the holy tent at Shiloh. He left the tent he had set up among his people.

61 He allowed the ark to be captured. Into the hands of his enemies he sent the ark where his glory rested.

62 He let his people be killed with swords. He was very angry with them.

63 Fire destroyed their young men. Their young women had no one to get married to.

64 Their priests were killed with swords. Their widows weren't able to cry.

65 Then the Lord woke up as if he had been sleeping. He was like a man waking up from the deep sleep caused by wine.

66 He drove his enemies back. He put them to shame that will last forever.

67 He turned his back on the tents of the people of Joseph. He didn't choose to live in the tribe of Ephraim.

68 Instead, he chose to live in the tribe of Judah. He chose Mount Zion, which he loved.

69 There he built his holy place as secure as the heavens. He built it to last forever, like the earth.

70 He chose his servant David. He took him from the sheep pens.

Psalms 78:60-70 Meaning and Commentary

Maschil of Asaph. Or for "Asaph" {f}; a doctrinal and "instructive" psalm, as the word "Maschil" signifies; see Psalm 32:1, which was delivered to Asaph to be sung; the Targum is, "the understanding of the Holy Spirit by the hands of Asaph." Some think David was the penman of it; but from the latter part of it, in which mention is made of him, and of his government of the people of Israel, it looks as if it was wrote by another, and after his death, though not long after, since the account is carried on no further than his times; and therefore it is probable enough it was written by Asaph, the chief singer, that lived in that age: whoever was the penman of it, it is certain he was a prophet, and so was Asaph, who is called a seer, the same with a prophet, and who is said to prophesy, 2 Chronicles 29:30 and also that he represented Christ; for that the Messiah is the person that is introduced speaking in this psalm is clear from Matthew 13:34 and the whole may be considered as a discourse of his to the Jews of his time; giving them an history of the Israelites from their first coming out of Egypt to the times of David, and in it an account of the various benefits bestowed upon them, of their great ingratitude, and of the divine resentment; the design of which is to admonish and caution them against committing the like sins, lest they should be rejected of God, as their fathers were, and perish: some Jewish writers, as Arama observes, interpret this psalm of the children of Ephraim going out of Egypt before the time appointed.