Discovery BoxPsalms 78:56-64 
Context78:56 Yet they challenged and defied 1 the sovereign God, 2
and did not obey 3 his commands. 4
78:57 They were unfaithful 5 and acted as treacherously as 6 their ancestors;
they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow. 7
78:58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines, 8
and made him jealous with their idols.
78:59 God heard and was angry;
he completely rejected Israel.
78:60 He abandoned 9 the sanctuary at Shiloh,
the tent where he lived among men.
78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; 10
he gave the symbol of his splendor 11 into the hand of the enemy. 12
78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation. 13
78:63 Fire consumed their 14 young men,
and their 15 virgins remained unmarried. 16
1 tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”
2 tn Heb “God, the Most High.”
3 tn Or “keep.”
4 tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).
5 tn Heb “they turned back.”
6 tn Or “acted treacherously like.”
7 tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”
8 tn Traditionally, “high places.”
9 tn Or “rejected.”
10 tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.
11 tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.
12 sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).
13 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
14 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
15 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
16 tn Heb “were not praised,” that is, in wedding songs. The young men died in masses, leaving no husbands for the young women.
17 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
18 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
19 sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.
