Psalms 78:26

26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;

Psalms 78:26 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 78:26

He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens
In the airy heaven: or "he caused it to go" F6; to go forth out of its place, out of the repositories and treasures of it, from whence he brings the wind, ( Psalms 130:7 ) the winds are under the power and government of God, they are his servants that obey him; he says to one, Go, and it goes; and to another, Come, and it comes; stormy wind fulfils his word of command, and obeys its Creator:

and by his power he brought in the south wind;
into the heavens, into the air, as before, and with it he brought the quails; and which made his power to appear the greater, since they do not fly with the south wind, which is too moist and heavy for them, as naturalists observe {g}; it looks as if first one wind blew, and then another was used for the bringing of them from the place where they were; perhaps about the Red sea, where they are said to have been in great numbers; and that the east wind brought them to a certain point, and then the south wind blew to bring them into the camp of Israel, where, by the moistness of it, they fell; hence fowlers, as the above naturalists relate, observe the south wind, in order to take them; though it may be that only one wind is intended, namely, the southeast wind; and so Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, understand it.


FOOTNOTES:

F6 (eoy) "fecit proficisci", Pagninus, Montanus, Gejerus.
F7 Aristot. de Hist. Animal. l. 8. c. 12. Plin. Hist. l. 10. c. 23.

Psalms 78:26 In-Context

24 and he rained down upon them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained flesh upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their habitations.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.