Psalms 78:11
in Psalms 78They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they forgat his doings, And his wondrous works that he had showed them.
KJV
And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
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This verse in Psalms 78
Commentary
11 notes on this verseThe children of Ephraim, in which tribe Shiloh was, though they were well armed and shot with bows, yet turned back in the day of battle. This seems to refer to that shameful defeat which the Philistines gave them in Eli's time, when they took the ark prisoner, 1 Sam. iv.
This site's exposition
The archers of Ephraim turned back
on Psalms 78:9-16
Ephraim's archers turned back, and verses 10 and 11 name the failure, a broken covenant and forgotten works. The works come next, wonders in Egypt at Zoan, the sea split, the cloud and fire, and water out of split rock. Delitzsch ties the tribe to its rejection at verse 67.
This site's exposition
the wonders He had shown them
Gill noted how fast the people forgot, within three days of the sea, when they grumbled at Marah. Barnes said the wonders forgotten are the ones the next verses tell. The psalm now tells them.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"And they forgat His benefits, and the wonderful works of Him which He showed to them; before their fathers the wonderful things which He did" [Psalm 78:11]. What this is, is not a question to be negligently passed over. Concerning those very fathers he was speaking a little before, that they had been a generation crooked and embittering....What fathers, inasmuch as these are the very fathers, whom he would not have posterity to be like? If we shall take them to be those out of whom the others had derived their being, for example, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, by this time they had long since fallen asleep, when God showed wonderful things in Egypt. For there follows, "in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Thanis" [Psalm 78:12]: where it is said that God showed to them wonderful things before their fathers. Were they perchance present in spirit? For of the same the Lord says in the Gospel, "for all do live to Him." [Luke 20:38] Or do we more suitably understand thereby the fathers Moses and Aaron, and the other elders who are related in the same Scripture also to have received the Spirit, of which also Moses received, in order that they might aid him in ruling and bearing the same people? [Numbers 11:17] For why should they not have been called fathers? […]
"They did not keep the covenant of God, and in his law they were unwilling to walk, and they forgot his benefits." They rose up against him who regenerated them in baptism. "And his wonders which he showed them: before their fathers the wonders which he did." See the sense of the Scriptures, how from the sons of Ephraim it comes to past histories; so that it shows that what is written, "I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter propositions from the beginning," was said parabolically.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And forgat his works, and his wonders,.... That is, his wonderful works, the miracles he wrought in their favour, and for their deliverance, afterwards particularly mentioned; these were not only forgotten in the next generation, Jdg 15:10, but in a few years, yea, in a few months, nay, in a few days, when they had been but three days' journey in the wilderness, after their passage through the Red sea, see Exo 15:1, which occasioned the observation of the psalmist, Psa 106:12, that he had showed them; done in their sight, and in the sight of their fathers, as follows.
The narrative in these verses is very remarkable, for it relates a kind of struggle between God's goodness and man's badness, and mercy, at length, rejoices against judgment.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
2Sa 19:41), it appears, in this place, that it had rather led the rest in cowardice than courage; and had incurred God's displeasure, because, diffident of His promise, though often heretofore fulfilled, it had failed as a leader to carry out the terms of the covenant, by not driving out the heathen (Ex 23:24;
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. Had they remembered them they would have been filled with gratitude and inspired with holy awe: but the memory of God's mercies to them was as soon effaced as if written upon water. Scarcely could one generation retain the sense of the divine presence in miraculous power, the succeeding race needed a renewal of the extraordinary manifestations, and even then was not satisfied without many displays thereof. Ere we condemn them, let us repent of our own wicked forgetfulness, and confess the many occasions upon which we also have been unmindful of past favours.
And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. Had they remembered them they would have been filled with gratitude and inspired with holy awe: but the memory of God's mercies to them was as soon effaced as if written upon water. Scarcely could one generation retain the sense of the divine presence in miraculous power, the succeeding race needed a renewal of the extraordinary manifestations, and even then was not satisfied without many displays thereof.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And forgat his works - The works which he had performed in behalf of the nation. These works are referred to in the verses following. And his wonders that he had shewed them - The wonderful works in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness; the miracles which he had performed on behalf of the nation.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Before their forefathers He wrought wonders (Nevertheless—Shem Ephraim) Afterwards, when the end arrived, they too “continued to sin against Him,” as he further concludes. (Another explanation—Shem Ephraim)
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁכְּח֥וּ | vaiyishkechu | and they forgot | H7911 → | 102 times |
| עֲלִילוֹתָ֑יו | alilotav | deeds his | H5949 → | 24 times |
| וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו | venifleotav | and wonders his | H6381 → | 71 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| הֶרְאָֽם׃ | heram | he had shown them | H7200 → | 1300 times |
וַיִּשְׁכְּח֥וּand they forgot
vaiyishkechuH7911 →102 times
עֲלִילוֹתָ֑יוdeeds his
alilotavH5949 →24 times
וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יוand wonders his
venifleotavH6381 →71 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
הֶרְאָֽם׃he had shown them
heramH7200 →1300 times
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
Deuteronomy 32:18You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
it leads to
- Isaiah 17:10
For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge. Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out cuttings from exotic vines—
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 17:10
Through
Jeremiah 2:32Does a maiden forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number.
it leads to
- Psalms 106:21
They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 106:21
Through
Psalms 78:7that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 5:29
If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.
- Revelation 14:12
Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
- Deuteronomy 5:29
Through
Psalms 106:13Yet they soon forgot His works and failed to wait for His counsel.
it leads to
- Exodus 15:24
So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
- Isaiah 48:17–18
Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go.
- Exodus 16:2
And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
- Psalms 107:11
because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.
- Exodus 15:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
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About Psalms
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; 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, Vol. 3; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Homily 11, on Psalm 77; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.