Psalm 78:16-26

16 Fece scaturire ruscelli dalla roccia e ne fece scender dell’acque a guisa di fiumi.

17 Ma essi continuarono a peccare contro di lui, a ribellarsi contro l’Altissimo, nel deserto;

18 e tentarono Dio in cuor loro, chiedendo cibo a lor voglia.

19 E parlarono contro Dio, dicendo: Potrebbe Dio imbandirci una mensa nel deserto?

20 Ecco, egli percosse la roccia e ne colarono acque, ne traboccaron torrenti; potrebb’egli darci anche del pane, e provveder di carne il suo popolo?

21 Perciò l’Eterno, avendoli uditi, s’adirò fieramente, e un fuoco s’accese contro Giacobbe, e l’ira sua si levò contro Israele,

22 perché non aveano creduto in Dio, né avevano avuto fiducia nella sua salvazione;

23 eppure egli comandò alle nuvole di sopra, e aprì le porte del cielo,

24 e fece piover su loro manna da mangiare, e dette loro del frumento del cielo.

25 L’uomo mangiò del pane dei potenti; egli mandò loro del cibo a sazietà.

26 Fece levare in cielo il vento orientale, e con la sua potenza addusse il vento di mezzodì;

Psalm 78:16-26 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.