Psalm 78:4

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 78:1-8

These verses, which contain the preface to this history, show that the psalm answers the title; it is indeed Maschil?a psalm to give instruction; if we receive not the instruction it gives, it is our own fault. Here, I. The psalmist demands attention to what he wrote (Ps. 78:1): Give ear, O my people! to my law. Some make these the psalmist's words. David, as a king, or Asaph, in his name, as his secretary of state, or scribe to the sweet singer of Israel, here calls upon the people, as his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 78:4

We will not hide them from their children ,.... The children of the Jewish fathers, but faithfully publish and declare them, as Christ and his apostles did; or the children of God and Christ, their spiritual seed and offspring: showing to the generation to come ; and so in all successive ages, by the ministration of the word, and the Spirit attending it; see Psalm 22:30 , the praises of the Lord ; what he has done in predestination, redemption, and effectual calling, which is to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 78:4

We will not hide them - In those ancient times there was very little reading, because books were exceedingly scarce; tradition was therefore the only, or nearly the only, means of preserving the memory of past events. They were handed down from father to son by parables or pithy sayings and by chronological poems. This very Psalm is of this kind, and must have been very useful to the Israelites, as giving instructions concerning their ancient history, and recounting the wonderful deeds of... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 78:4

Verse 4 4.We will not conceal them from their children in the generation to come. Some take the verb נכחד, nechached, in the nephil conjugation, and translate it, they are not concealed or hidden. But it ought, according to the rules of grammar, to be resolved thus: — We will not conceal them from our posterity, implying, that what we have been taught by our ancestors we should endeavor to transmit to their children. By this means, all pretense of ignorance is removed; for it was the will of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 78:1-8

The introduction calls special attention to the teaching that is about to be put forth, which it declares to be traditional ( Psalms 78:3 ), and, further, to be the sort of instruction which God had especially commanded to be given to his people by their teachers ( Psalms 78:5 , Psalms 78:6 ) for their edification ( Psalms 78:7 , Psalms 78:8 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 78:1-72

The psalm is, as the title also declares, one of "instruction." It seeks to keep the people faithful to David and his house, and to check their tendency to place themselves under the leadership of the tribe of Ephraim, by recalling the whole course of God's dealings with Israel in the past, from the time of the sojourn in Egypt to the establishment of David's kingdom. It also seeks to keep them faithful to God, by showing how all their past calamities and sufferings had arisen out of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 78:1-72

Whole psalm: Warnings against unbelief. I. ITS PURPOSE . 1 . To warn Ephraim; not to taunt and exult over him, but to warn. This psalm seems to belong to the period of the disruption. Ephraim, with the other northern tribes, had broken away from Judah and from the worship of God, and this psalm seems designed, by its recital of their old sins and the consequences thereof, to warn them against like sin in the future (cf. 2 Chronicles 13:1-22 .). 2 . To warn Judah. If... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 78:3-8

The Divine object of revelation. In this paragraph we have stated the object which God had appointed Israel to fulfil—to receive his Law and truth, that they might transmit them to posterity, and that they and their posterity might be brought to a living trust in God, and obedience to his will. Suggests— I. GOD HAS MADE THE FULLEST REVELATION OF HIMSELF AND HIS WILL TO MANKIND IN JESUS CHRIST . 1 . He has gloriously revealed his character in Christ ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 78:4

We will not hide them from their children. They shall still be handed down in the same way. We of this generation will still continue the practice of handing down, by word of mouth, to the next generation, how God has dealt with Israel. Asaph's psalms were written, it must be remembered, to be recited in the services of the sanctuary. Showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord ; i.e. the actions for which he deserves praise. And his strength, and his wonderful works that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 78:4

Religious education. The first eight verses of this psalm have much to say upon this great question. Upon— I. ITS AUTHORITY . "He commanded our fathers" ( Psalms 78:5 ; cf. Deuteronomy 6:1-25 .). That which reason, conscience, and experience would alike teach, the authority of God confirms by direct command. And it is at our peril that we neglect this. The sanctions that accompany the command have not to wait for the future life for their fulfilment; they are visible everywhere... read more

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