Psalms 78:26
in Psalms 78He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens; And by his power he guided the south wind.
KJV
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
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This verse in Psalms 78
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
He commanded the clouds above
on Psalms 78:23-29
The doubt is answered with the gift, manna rained down, grain from heaven, the bread of angels. An east wind and a south wind brought meat like dust and birds like the sand of the sea. They ate and were filled with what they craved.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Lastly, when both these things have been briefly touched, afterwards he is evidently following out the order of the narrative. "Because they believed not in God, nor hoped in His saving health." For when he had told why fire was lighted in Jacob, and anger went up upon Israel, that is to say, "because they believed not in God, nor hoped in His saving health:" immediately subjoining the evident blessings for which they were ungrateful, he saith, "and He commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of Heaven." "And He rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them bread of Heaven." "Bread of angels man did eat: dainties He sent them in abundance." "He brought over the South Wind from Heaven, and in His virtue He led in the South West Wind." "And He rained upon them fleshes like dust, and winged fowls like the sand of the sea." "And they fell in the midst of their camp, around their tabernacles." "And they ate and were filled exceedingly; and their desire He brought to them: they were not deprived of their desire." Behold why He had delayed. But what He had delayed let us hear. "Yet the morsel was in their mouths, and the anger of God came down upon them." Behold what He had delayed. For before "He delayed:" and afterwards, "fire was lighted in Jacob and anger went up upon Israel." He had delayed therefore in order that He might first do what they had believed that He could not do, and then might bring upon them what they deserved to suffer. For if they placed their hope in God, not only would their desires of the flesh but also those of the spirit have been fulfilled. […]
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven. He is Lord Paramount, above the prince of the power of the air: storms arise and tempests blow at his command. Winds sleep till God arouses them, and then, like Samuel, each one answers, "Here am I, for thou didst call me." And by his power he brought in the south wind.
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven. He is Lord Paramount, above the prince of the power of the air: storms arise and tempests blow at his command. Winds sleep till God arouses them, and then, like Samuel, each one answers, "Here am I, for thou didst call me." And by his power he brought in the south wind. Either these winds followed each other, and so blew the birds in the desired direction, or else they combined to form a south east wind; in either case they fulfilled the design of the Lord, and illustrated his supreme and universal power. If one wind will not serve, another shall; and if need be, they shall both blow at once. We speak of fickle winds, but their obedience to their Lord is such that they deserve a better word. If we ourselves were half as obedient as the winds, we should be far superior to what we are now.
He caused an east wind to blow - See the note on Num 11:31.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven - See Num 11:31. In the history, the quarter from which the wind came is not mentioned, except as it might be indicated by the statement that the “quails were brought from the sea;” - that is, evidently, the Red Sea. This wind would have come from the southeast. The phrase “in the heaven” means in the air, or from above. And by his power ... - By his direct agency. It was a wind which he caused to blow for the purpose; a miracle.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יַסַּ֣ע | yasa' | he led out | H5265 → | 146 times |
| קָ֭דִים | kadim | an east wind | H6921 → | |
| בַּשָּׁמָ֑יִם | bashamayim | in the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וַיְנַהֵ֖ג | vaynaheg | and he led forth | H5090 → | 31 times |
| בְּעֻזּ֣וֹ | beuzo | by strength his | H5797 → | 92 times |
| תֵימָֽן׃ | teiman | a south wind | H8486 → |
יַסַּ֣עhe led out
yasa'H5265 →146 times
קָ֭דִיםan east wind
kadimH6921 →
בַּשָּׁמָ֑יִםin the heavens
bashamayimH8064 →421 times
וַיְנַהֵ֖גand he led forth
vaynahegH5090 →31 times
בְּעֻזּ֣וֹby strength his
beuzoH5797 →92 times
תֵימָֽן׃a south wind
teimanH8486 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 135:7He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 10:13
When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from…
- Zechariah 10:1
Ask the LORD for rain in springtime; the LORD makes the storm clouds, and He will give everyone showers of rain and crops in the field.
- Job 28:25–26
When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,
- Jeremiah 51:16
When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from…
- Psalms 148:8
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,
- Jeremiah 10:13
Through
Numbers 11:31Now a wind sent by the LORD came up, drove in quail from the sea, and brought them near the camp, about two cubits above the surface of the ground, for a day’s journey…
it leads to
- Exodus 16:13
That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
- Psalms 78:26–29
He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.
- Psalms 105:40
They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
- Exodus 16:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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About Psalms

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 78; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).
