Psalms 78:12-28

12 In the sight of their fathers ¹he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in ²the fields of Zoan.

13 He ³divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters ⁴stand like a heap.

14 ⁵In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.

15 He ⁶split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

16 He made streams come out of ⁷the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

17 Yet they sinned still more against him, ⁸rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

18 They ⁹tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.

19 They spoke against God, saying, ¹⁰"Can God ¹¹spread a table in the wilderness?

20 ¹²He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?"

21 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; ¹³a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,

22 because they ¹⁴did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

23 Yet he commanded the skies above and ¹⁵opened the doors of heaven,

24 and he ¹⁶rained down on them manna to eat and gave them ¹⁷the grain of heaven.

25 Man ate of the bread of ¹⁸the angels; he sent them food ¹⁹in abundance.

26 He ²⁰caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;

27 he rained meat on them like ²¹dust, winged birds like ²²the sand of the seas;

28 he ²³let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.

Psalms 78:12-28 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.

Cross References

• 1. ver. 43; See Ex. 7-12; Psalms 72:18
• 2. ver. 43; Numbers 13:22; Isaiah 19:11, 13; Ezekiel 30:14
• 3. Psalms 136:13; Exodus 14:21
• 4. Exodus 15:8
• 5. See Psalms 105:39
• 6. ver. 20; Psalms 105:41; Psalms 114:8; Exodus 17:6; Isaiah 48:21
• 7. Num. 20:8, 10, 11
• 8. ver. 40, 56; Deuteronomy 9:22; Isaiah 63:10
• 9. ver. 41, 56; Psalms 95:9; Psalms 106:14; Deuteronomy 6:16; 1 Corinthians 10:9
• 10. [Exodus 16:3; Numbers 11:4; Numbers 20:3; Numbers 21:5]
• 11. See Psalms 23:5
• 12. ver. 15, 16
• 13. Numbers 11:1
• 14. ver. 8, 32, 37
• 15. Genesis 7:11; [Malachi 3:10]
• 16. Exodus 16:4
• 17. Psalms 105:40; [John 6:31]
• 18. Psalms 103:20
• 19. [ver. 29]
• 20. Numbers 11:31
• 21. [Genesis 13:16]
• 22. [Genesis 22:17]
• 23. Exodus 16:13; Numbers 11:31