Psalms 78:49

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

Psalms 78:49 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 78:49

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger
This with the following words,

wrath, and indignation, and trouble,
are thought by some to intend the other plagues, which are not particularly mentioned; or rather they express the manner in which they were all inflicted, in great wrath and hot displeasure for their sins and iniquities, and which particularly were shown

by sending evil angels among them;
not evil in themselves, but because they were the instruments God made use of to bring evil things upon the Egyptians, as good angels often are; though some think that demons, devils, or wicked spirits, were sent among them at that time; the darkness was over all the land, and frightened them; in the Apocrypha:

``3 For while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, being horribly astonished, and troubled with [strange] apparitions. 4 For neither might the corner that held them keep them from fear: but noises [as of waters] falling down sounded about them, and sad visions appeared unto them with heavy countenances.'' (Wisdom 17)

According to Arama, the three last plagues are meant: the words may be rendered "messengers of evil things" F12, as they are by some, and be understood of Moses and Aaron, who were sent time after time with messages of evil things to Pharaoh, in which were expressed his wrath and fury against them.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 (Myer ykalm) "numcios malorum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Psalms 78:49 In-Context

47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying 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 smote all the first-born in Egypt, the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.