John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:34
When he slew them ,.... Some of them, the spies particularly; or when he threatened to slay them, or was about to do it: then they sought him ; that is, those who either survived the slain, or were threatened with destruction; these sought the Lord by prayer and supplication, that he would not destroy them; the Targum is, "they repented and sought him;' see Numbers 14:37 , and they returned ; from their evil ways, and by repentance, at least in show and appearance: and... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 78:9-39
In these verses, I. The psalmist observes the late rebukes of Providence that the people of Israel had been under, which they had brought upon themselves by their dealing treacherously with God, Ps. 78:9-11. The children of Ephraim, in which tribe Shiloh was, though they were well armed and shot with bows, yet turned back in the day of battle. This seems to refer to that shameful defeat which the Philistines gave them in Eli's time, when they took the ark prisoner, 1 Sam. 4:10, 11. Of this the... read more