Psalm 78:40-50

40 ¡Cuántas veces se rebelaron contra El en el desierto, y le entristecieron en las soledades!

41 Tentarona Dios una y otra vez, y afligieron al Santo de Israel.

42 No se acordaron de su poder, del día en que los redimió del adversario,

43 cuando hizo sus señales en Egipto, y sus prodigios en el campo de Zoán.

44 Convirtió en sangre sus ríos y sus corrientes, y no pudieron beber.

45 Envió entre ellos enjambres de moscas que los devoraban, y ranas que los destruían.

46 Entregó también sus cosechas al saltamontes, y el fruto de su trabajo a la langosta.

47 Con granizo destruyó sus vides, y sus sicómoros con escarcha.

48 Entregó también al granizo sus ganados, y sus rebaños a los rayos.

49 Envió sobre ellos el ardor de su ira, furia, indignación y angustia, un ejército de ángeles destructores.

50 Preparó senda para su ira; no eximió sus almas de la muerte, sino que entregó sus vidas a la plaga,

Psalm 78:40-50 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.