Psalm 78

Psalm 78 is one of the psalms of Asaph in Book Three of the Psalms (Psalms 73–89). It is the second-longest psalm, after Psalm 119. The preceding Psalm 77 ends with the confession that God led His people like a flock, and Psalm 78 takes up this Exodus theme in an extended review of Israel's entire history.

Structure

• Verses 1–8: The psalmist urges that the works of the LORD heard from the fathers be passed on to their children, so that the children will not become like their stubborn ancestors.
• Verses 9–11: The children of Ephraim, though armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle and forgot the covenant.
• Verses 12–16: The psalmist recalls the marvels in the field of Zoan, the dividing of the sea, the guidance by cloud and fire, and the water brought out of the rock.
• Verses 17–31: The people tempt God, saying, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" God sent down manna and birds, but while the food was yet in their mouths, His wrath came upon them and He struck them down.
• Verses 32–39: The people sought God only when He chastened them, and they flattered Him with their mouths. Even so, God remembered that they were but flesh and turned His anger away many times.
• Verses 40–51: The signs God worked in Egypt are listed again: blood, flies, frogs, caterpillars and locusts, hail and frost, pestilence, and the death of the firstborn.
• Verses 52–55: God led His people like a flock, brought them to the mountain of His sanctuary, and divided the land to them as an inheritance.
• Verses 56–64: The people provoked God with their high places and graven images. God forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh and delivered His "strength" and His "glory" into the hand of the enemy, and the young men and the priests perished.
• Verses 65–72: The Lord awakes and smites His enemies. He refused the tabernacle of Joseph and the tribe of Ephraim, chose Judah and Mount Zion, and called David from the sheepfolds to feed His people.

Key Verses

• Psalm 78:4: "shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works" — This verse states the psalm's purpose: passing the faith on to the next generation.
• Psalm 78:2: "I will open my mouth in a parable" — This verse is quoted in Matthew 13 (13:35) to explain Jesus' teaching in parables.
• Psalm 78:72: "So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands" — This verse summarizes David's shepherdlike rule.

People and Places

• Asaph: The figure named in the superscription, a Levite in charge of praise in the time of David.
• Ephraim: The son of Joseph and the tribe bearing his name. In this psalm Ephraim represents the northern tribes.
• David: Portrayed as a shepherd chosen to become king.
• Zoan: A city in the Nile Delta of Egypt. "The tabernacles of Ham" also refers to Egypt.
• Shiloh: The site of the tabernacle during the period of the judges.
• Zion: The mountain God chose, where the sanctuary was established.

Interpretive Considerations

• The "strength" and "glory" of verse 61 are commonly interpreted as referring to the ark of the covenant, which was captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4). The text itself, however, does not explicitly identify them as the ark.
• Scholars differ on which event the battle of verse 9 refers to and on when the psalm was composed (whether in the time of David and Solomon or after the fall of the northern kingdom).
• The list of plagues includes only some of the ten plagues of Exodus and presents them in a different order.
• The phrase in verse 25 that reads literally "bread of the mighty" was translated "bread of angels" in the Septuagint (compare the KJV's "angels' food").
• The manna passage of verse 24 is quoted by the crowd in John 6 (6:31). Jesus takes up the quotation and presents Himself as the "bread of life." The use of the wilderness generation as a warning also connects with 1 Corinthians 10.

In the Korean Church

Verses 4–7 are frequently cited in sermons on Sunday school education, the transmission of faith, and so-called "next generation" ministry. Verses 70–72 are used as a text on the faithfulness of leaders.