Psalms 78:61

61 He allowed our enemies to capture the Covenant Box, ¹ the symbol of his power and glory.

Psalms 78:61 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 78:61

And delivered his strength into captivity
That is, the ark, called his strength, and the ark of his strength, ( Psalms 105:4 ) ( 132:8 ) , because it was a token of his strength, and by means of which he displayed it, as when the Israelites passed through Jordan into Canaan's land, and encompassed the city of Jericho; and besides, it was typical of Christ, the man of God's right hand, made strong for himself, and in whom is strength as well as righteousness for his people; now this was delivered up into the hands of the Philistines, and carried captive, ( 1 Samuel 4:11 ) . The Targum renders it, "his law", because the two tables of the law were in the ark; so Jarchi interprets it, the ark and the tables:

and his glory into the enemy's hand;
which designs the same thing, the ark being the glory of God, over which upon the mercy seat the glorious majesty of the Lord was; hence Phinehas's wife, when she heard the ark was taken, fell into labour, her time being near, and brought forth a son, and called him Ichabod, saying, the glory is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken, ( 1 Samuel 4:21 1 Samuel 4:22 ) .

Psalms 78:61 In-Context

59 God was angry when he saw it, so he rejected his people completely.

60 He abandoned his tent in Shiloh, the home where he had lived among us.

61 He allowed our enemies to capture the Covenant Box, the symbol of his power and glory.

62 He was angry with his own people and let them be killed by their enemies.

63 Young men were killed in war, and young women had no one to marry.

Cross References

• 1. 78.61 1 Samuel 4.4-22.