Discovery BoxPsalms 78:17-42 
Context78:17 Yet they continued to sin against him,
and rebelled against the sovereign One 1 in the desert.
78:18 They willfully challenged God 2
by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.
78:19 They insulted God, saying, 3
“Is God really able to give us food 4 in the wilderness?
78:20 Yes, 5 he struck a rock and water flowed out,
streams gushed forth.
But can he also give us food?
Will he provide meat for his people?”
78:21 When 6 the Lord heard this, he was furious.
A fire broke out against Jacob,
and his anger flared up 7 against Israel,
78:22 because they did not have faith in God,
and did not trust his ability to deliver them. 8
78:23 He gave a command to the clouds above,
and opened the doors in the sky.
78:24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them the grain of heaven. 9
78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. 10
He sent them more than enough to eat. 11
78:26 He brought the east wind through the sky,
and by his strength led forth the south wind.
78:27 He rained down meat on them like dust,
birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores. 12
78:28 He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp,
all around their homes.
78:29 They ate until they were stuffed; 13
he gave them what they desired.
78:30 They were not yet filled up, 14
their food was still in their mouths,
78:31 when the anger of God flared up against them.
He killed some of the strongest of them;
he brought the young men of Israel to their knees.
78:32 Despite all this, they continued to sin,
and did not trust him to do amazing things. 15
78:33 So he caused them to die unsatisfied 16
and filled with terror. 17
78:34 When he struck them down, 18 they sought his favor; 19
they turned back and longed for God.
78:35 They remembered that God was their protector, 20
and that the sovereign God was their deliverer. 21
78:36 But they deceived him with their words, 22
and lied to him. 23
78:37 They were not really committed to him, 24
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.
78:38 Yet he is compassionate.
He forgives sin and does not destroy.
He often holds back his anger,
and does not stir up his fury. 25
78:39 He remembered 26 that they were made of flesh,
and were like a wind that blows past and does not return. 27
78:40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness,
and insulted him 28 in the desert!
78:41 They again challenged God, 29
and offended 30 the Holy One of Israel. 31
78:42 They did not remember what he had done, 32
how he delivered them from the enemy, 33
1 tn Heb “rebelling [against] the Most High.”
2 tn Heb “and they tested God in their heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the center of their volition.
3 tn Heb “they spoke against God, they said.”
4 tn Heb “to arrange a table [for food].”
5 tn Heb “look.”
6 tn Heb “therefore.”
7 tn Heb “and also anger went up.”
8 tn Heb “and they did not trust his deliverance.”
9 sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.
10 sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).
11 tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”
12 tn Heb “and like the sand of the seas winged birds.”
13 tn Heb “and they ate and were very satisfied.”
14 tn Heb “they were not separated from their desire.”
15 tn Heb “and did not believe in his amazing deeds.”
16 tn Heb “and he ended in vanity their days.”
17 tn Heb “and their years in terror.”
18 tn Or “killed them,” that is, killed large numbers of them.
19 tn Heb “they sought him.”
20 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
21 tn Heb “and [that] God Most High [was] their redeemer.”
22 tn Heb “with their mouth.”
23 tn Heb “and with their tongue they lied to him.”
24 tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”
25 tn One could translate v. 38 in the past tense (“he was compassionate…forgave sin and did not destroy…held back his anger, and did not stir up his fury”), but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narrational summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for v. 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.
26 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive signals a return to the narrative.
27 tn Heb “and he remembered that they [were] flesh, a wind [that] goes and does not return.”
28 tn Or “caused him pain.”
29 tn Heb “and they returned and tested God.” The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate that an earlier action was repeated.
30 tn Or “wounded, hurt.” The verb occurs only here in the OT.
31 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the
32 tn Heb “his hand,” symbolizing his saving activity and strength, as the next line makes clear.
33 tn Heb “[the] day [in] which he ransomed them from [the] enemy.”
