Psalms 81:7

7 You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. ^[a] Selah

Psalms 81:7 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 81:7

Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee
That is, when Israel were in trouble in Egypt, as the Targum adds, and they cried unto the Lord in their distress, he heard them, and answered them, and sent them a deliverer, and brought them out of all their troubles, ( Exodus 3:7-10 ) .

I answered thee in the secret place of thunder;
by bringing the plague of thunder and lightnings upon the Egyptians, when the Israelites were hidden from them; a sense given by some, as Kimchi observes: or rather this was done when the Lord looked out of the pillar of cloud at the Red sea upon the Egyptian host, and troubled them; at which time the voice of his thunder was heard in heaven, ( Psalms 77:16-18 ) . Some think this has reference to the thunder at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai; but the sense before given is best:

I proved thee at the waters of Meribah;
by withholding water from them to try them, and see whether they would behave patiently, and put their trust and confidence in the Lord, or not; see ( Exodus 17:4-7 ) .

Selah. (See Gill on Psalms 3:2).

Psalms 81:7 In-Context

5 He ordained it as a testimony for Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt, where I heard an unfamiliar language:

6 “I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.

7 You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

8 Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!

9 There must be no strange god among you, nor shall you bow to a foreign god.

Footnotes

• [a] Meribah means quarreling; see Exodus 17:7.