Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance. Psalm 78:25 NASB Bread of angels – If God provided you special nutrients directly from heaven’s kitchen, would you be satisfied? Asaph calls it לֶחֶם אַבִּירִים, translated here as “bread of angels.” But the translation is a later poetic interpolation. The words are literally…
Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath; and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also mounted against Israel, because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation. Psalm 78:21-22 NASB Did not believe in God – I believe in God. But that’s a mistake. Why? Because when I say, “I believe…
Then they spoke against God; they said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Psalm 78:19 NASB Hebrew Acronyms – BTW, FYI, CYA. We use them all the time. Acronyms. But did you know that the instructions about praying the Amidah in Hebrew also employ an acronym, a Hebrew acronym. Here’s what it looks…
Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, and streams were overflowing; Can He also provide bread? Will He prepare meat for His people? Psalm 78:20 NASB Provide – Here today, gone tomorrow. Life often seems to follow that sort of pattern, doesn’t it? Even the best of things pass. I have a small heart-shaped…
Then they spoke against God; they said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Psalm 78:19 NASB A table in the wilderness – שֻׁלְחָן, בַּמִּדְבָּר šūlḥān bamidbār. Eighteen years ago I started writing Today’s Word. It didn’t begin with that title. In fact, it began with a personal email to a friend who lived…
And in their heart they put God to the test by asking for food [g]that suited their taste. Psalm 78:18 That suited their taste – The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue, most of it not very pleasant. The tongue is a source of disagreement, the power of life and death, the instrument of “binding…
Yet they still continued to sin against Him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert. And in their heart they put God to the test Psalm 78:17-18a NASB Sin/ rebel – Hebrew has several words for our general idea of “sin.” Knowing how they differ is important. The two words in this verse are ḥāṭāʾ…
He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths. He brought forth streams from the rock and made waters run down like rivers. Psalm 78:15-16 NASB Like rivers – One of the benefits and beauties of poetry is that language can be stretched. No one expects poems to be historically accurate. …
He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, and He made the waters stand up like a heap. Psalm 78:13 NASB Like a heap – How did the waters of the yām sûp (Sea of Reeds, usually known as the “Red Sea”) stand up? Oh, I don’t mean, “What was the mechanism that made the…
The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, yet they turned back on the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God and refused to walk in His Law; they forgot His deeds and His miracles that He had shown them. Psalm 78:9-11 NASB Turned back – You’re in the fight of your life. It might seem calm…
