Psalm 78:57-73

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 78:40-72

The matter and scope of this paragraph are the same with the former, showing what great mercies God had bestowed upon Israel, how provoking they had been, what judgments he had brought upon them for their sins, and yet how, in judgment, he remembered mercy at last. Let not those that receive mercy from God be thereby emboldened to sin, for the mercies they receive will aggravate their sin and hasten the punishment of it; yet let not those that are under divine rebukes for sin be discouraged... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:57

But turned back ,.... From God and his worship, apostatized from the true religion, and turned to idols: and dealt unfaithfully, like their fathers ; in the wilderness; see Psalm 78:8 , they were turned aside like a deceitful bow ; that promises well to carry the arrow right, but drops it at the feet of the archer; or carries it another way, so that it misses the mark, The Targum is, "as a bow casting arrows;' to the ground, and not to the mark; see Hosea 7:16 , or being too... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:58

For they provoked him to anger with their high places ,.... Which they built to Baal, and other Heathen dieties: and moved him to jealousy with their graven images ; which they worshipped, see Judges 10:6 , which idolatry was spiritual adultery, and so made the Lord jealous of them, who stood in the relation of a husband to them, as a man becomes jealous by the unchaste and lascivious conduct of his wife; and such a course of life the Israelites lived, throughout the reigns of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:59

When God heard this ,.... Their building high places, and sacrificing on them, their making and worshipping graven images, and the language which such actions spoke; who also heard what they said to their idols, when they paid their devotion to them, acknowledging them to be their gods; he took notice of and observed all this, for nothing could pass his all seeing eye and hearing ear; and who acted as a righteous Judge, first heard, and then proceeded to give and execute the sentence; by... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:60

So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh .... The tabernacle which Moses built in the wilderness by the command of the Lord, and according to the pattern showed him; and which, when the Israelites were settled in the land of Canaan, was set up in Shiloh; see Joshua 18:1 , and here it was in the times of Eli and Samuel, which are here referred to: the tent which he placed among men ; it was as a tent moveable from place to place, and was to continue at longest but for a while, as the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:61

And delivered his strength into captivity ,.... That is, the ark, called his strength, and the ark of his strength, Psalm 105:4 , 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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:62

He gave his people over also to the sword ,.... To those that kill with the sword, as the Targum; that is, to the Philistines, when there fell of them thirty thousand men at once, 1 Samuel 4:10 . and was wroth with his inheritance ; and the above showed that he was, though they were his inheritance, his portion and possession, and he had chosen them for it, Psalm 33:12 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:63

The fire consumed their young men ,.... Not Nadab and Abihu, as some of the Jewish Rabbins interpret it, of which Jarchi makes mention; but the young men, the choice, the flower, of the Israelitish army, which engaged with the Philistines in the times of Eli; and the fire that consumed them is not to be understood of material fire, or of extraordinary fire from heaven, but either of the wrath of God, as Jarchi, or of the flaming glittering sword of the enemy, which consumed them like fire;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:64

Their priests fell by the sword ,.... Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, and other priests; which shows the cruelty of the enemy, not to spare men unarmed, as the priests were; and the justice of God, which pursued these men, who were very wicked, and whose character and office could not secure them from divine wrath: and their widows made no lamentation ; for their husbands the priests, who fell by the sword; particularly the widow of Phinehas, who upon the news fell into labour, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:65

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep ,.... He seemed to be asleep, while he suffered the ark to be taken, and the Israelites to be slain; and he may be said to awake when he exerted his power in smiting the Philistines, and causing their idol to fall before his ark; see Psalm 7:6 , and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine ; who having taken a free draught of generous wine, not to excess, goes forth with great courage and cheerfulness to meet his adversary, shouting as... read more

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