Psalms 78:51-61

51 And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

52 And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,

53 And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.

54 And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,

55 And casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,

56 And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.

57 And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

58 And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,

59 God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.

60 And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

61 And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

Psalms 78:51-61 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.