Psalms 78:47

47 God killed their vines with hail, their sycamore trees with frost.

Psalms 78:47 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 78:47

He destroyed their vines with hail
Or "killed" F11 them; for there is a vegetative life in plants: this was the seventh plague of Egypt, attended with thunder and lightning, and was very terrible to Pharaoh, ( Exodus 9:23 Exodus 9:28 ) , with this compare ( Revelation 16:21 ) ,

and their sycamore trees with frost:
sycamore trees, according to Kimchi, were a sort of wild figs, and these with the vines are only mentioned; though the plague of hail destroyed all sorts of trees; because there were many of these in Egypt, and are put for all others; and who also observes, that the word (lmnx) , rendered "frost", which is only used in this place, signifies a kind of hail; and so Aben Ezra interprets it of great hailstones which beat off the fruit of the sycamore trees: but R. Saadiah Gaon explains it by the Arabic word "Al-sakia", which signifies a strong frost which breaks the buds of trees, and dries up their moisture. Jarchi will have it to be, according to the Midrash, a kind of locust, which comes and sits and cuts off the green of the trees and grass, and eats it. Aben Ezra makes mention of this sense, but rejects it.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 (grhy) "occidit", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "interfecit", Gejerus.

Psalms 78:47 In-Context

45 God sent swarms against them to eat them up, frogs to destroy them.
46 God handed over their crops to caterpillars, their land's produce to locusts.
47 God killed their vines with hail, their sycamore trees with frost.
48 God delivered their cattle over to disease, their herds to plagues.
49 God unleashed his burning anger against them— fury, indignation, distress, a troop of evil messengers.
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