Psalm 78:49-59

49 He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of ¹destroying angels.

50 He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.

51 He struck down every ²firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of ³Ham.

52 Then he led out his people ⁴like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53 ⁵He led them in safety, so that they ⁶were not afraid, but ⁷the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 And he brought them to his ⁸holy land, ⁹to the mountain which his right hand had ¹⁰won.

55 He ¹¹drove out nations before them; he ¹²apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56 Yet they ¹³tested and ¹⁴rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies,

57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like ¹⁵a deceitful bow.

58 For they ¹⁶provoked him to anger with their ¹⁷high places; they ¹⁸moved him to jealousy with their ¹⁹idols.

59 When God heard, he was full of ²⁰wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.

Psalm 78:49-59 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. 78:49 Ex. 12:13, 23; [2 Sam. 24:16]
• 2. 78:51 Ex. 12:29; [Ps. 105:36; 135:8; 136:10]
• 3. 78:51 Ps. 105:23, 27; 106:22
• 4. 78:52 See Ps. 77:20
• 5. 78:53 [Ex. 14:19, 20]
• 6. 78:53 [Ex. 14:13]
• 7. 78:53 Ex. 14:27, 28; 15:10
• 8. 78:54 Ex. 15:17
• 9. 78:54 Isa. 11:9; 57:13; [Ps. 68:16]
• 10. 78:54 Ps. 74:2
• 11. 78:55 See Ps. 44:2
• 12. 78:55 Josh. 23:4; [Ps. 135:12; 136:21, 22; Acts 13:19]
• 13. 78:56 ver. 18; Judg. 2:11, 12
• 14. 78:56 ver. 40
• 15. 78:57 Hos. 7:16; [ver. 9]
• 16. 78:58 Deut. 31:29
• 17. 78:58 Lev. 26:30; Deut. 12:2; 1 Kgs. 11:7; 12:31; Ezek. 20:28
• 18. 78:58 Num. 25:11; Deut. 32:16, 21; Judg. 2:12
• 19. 78:58 Deut. 7:5, 25; 12:3
• 20. 78:59 ver. 62; Ps. 106:40; Deut. 3:26