Psalm 78:63-64

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 78:63

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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 78:63

Their maidens were not given to marriage - הוללו hullalu , were not celebrated with marriage songs. It is considered a calamity in the east if a maiden arrives at the age of twelve years without being sought or given in marriage. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 78:64

Their priests fell by the sword - Hophni and Phinehas, who were slain in that unfortunate battle against the Philistines in which the ark of the Lord was taken, 1 Samuel 4:11 . A Chaldee Targum on this passage says, "In the time in which the ark of the Lord was taken by the Philistines, Hophni and Phinehas, the two priests, fell by the sword at Shiloh; and when the news was brought, their wives made no lamentation, for they both died the same day." 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 78:9-72

The historical portion of the psalm now follows. It commences with some general remarks on the transgressions of Ephraim, i.e. of Israel while under the guidance of Ephraim—from Joshua to Samuel (verses 9-11). It then proceeds to details, and sketches the Israelite history. from the deliverance out of Egypt to the establishment of David's kingdom (verses 12-72). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 78:63

The fire consumed their young men. The reference is not to such passages as Le Psalms 10:2 ; Numbers 11:1 ; Numbers 16:35 , where a literal fire seems to be spoken of, but rather to the fire of war ( Numbers 21:28 ; Isaiah 26:11 ; Jeremiah 48:45 ), or more generally to the fire of the Divine anger ( Isaiah 10:16-18 ; Isaiah 47:14 , etc.). And their maidens were not given to marriage; literally, were not praised in song; i.e. in the bridal song. The destruction of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 78:64

Their priests fell by the sword. As Hophni and Phinehas at the taking of the ark ( 1 Samuel 4:11 ), and, no doubt, many others on other occasions. And their widows made no lamentation. The solemn funeral dirge could not take place, since the bodies remained on the battlefield. read more

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