Psalms 78:5

78:5 He established a rule in Jacob;

he set up a law in Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to make his deeds known to their descendants,

Psalms 78:8

78:8 Then they will not be like their ancestors,

who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation that was not committed

and faithful to God.

Psalms 78:12

78:12 He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors,

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

Psalms 78:57

78:57 They were unfaithful and acted as treacherously as their ancestors;

they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow.


tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).

tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).

tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).

sn The region of Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta, where the enslaved Israelites lived (see Num 13:22; Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4; Ezek 30:14).

tn Heb “they turned back.”

tn Or “acted treacherously like.”

tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”