Psalms 78:53
in Psalms 78He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he led them safely, so that they feared not; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
KJV
And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
⋯
This verse in Psalms 78
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
"And He led them down in hope, and they feared not, and their enemies the sea covered" [Psalm 78:53]. But we are being led home in hope, "For by hope we are saved." [Romans 8:24] Nor ought we to fear. For, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" [Romans 8:31] And our enemies the sea has covered, He has effaced them in baptism by the remission of sins.
"And He led them down in hope, and they feared not, and their enemies the sea covered" [Psalm 78:53]. But we are being led home in hope, "For by hope we are saved." [Romans 8:24] Nor ought we to fear. For, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" [Romans 8:31] And our enemies the sea has covered, He has effaced them in baptism by the remission of sins.
The Spirit speaks with the authority of the Lord: "The Spirit said to [Peter], 'Rise and go down, and accompany them without hesitation; for I have sent them.' " Are these the words of an abject inferior? "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Does a slave give commands like this? Isaiah says, "The Lord God and his Spirit have sent me," and "the Spirit came down from the Lord and led them." Do not try again to convince me that this "leading" by the Spirit is some lowly service.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he led them on safely,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And he led them on safely, so that they feared not. After the first little alarm, natural enough when they found themselves pursued by their old taskmasters, they plucked up courage and ventured forth boldly into the sea, and afterwards into the desert where no man dwelt. But the sea overwhelmed their enemies. They were gone, gone for ever, never to disturb the fugitives again. That tremendous blow effectually defended the tribes for forty years from any further attempt to drive them back. Egypt found the stone too heavy and was glad to let it alone. Let the Lord be praised who thus effectually freed his elect nation. What a grand narrative have we been considering. Well might the mightiest master of sacred song select "Israel in Egypt" as a choice theme for his genius; and well may every believing mind linger over every item of the amazing transaction. The marvel is that the favoured nation should live as if unmindful of it all, and yet such is human nature. Alas, poor man! Rather, alas, base heart! We now, after a pause, follow again the chain of events, the narration of which had been interrupted by a retrospect, and we find Israel entering into the promised land, there to repeat her follies and enlarge her crimes.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
And he led them on safely, so that they feared not. After the first little alarm, natural enough when they found themselves pursued by their old taskmasters, they plucked up courage and ventured forth boldly into the sea, and afterwards into the desert where no man dwelt. But the sea overwhelmed their enemies. They were gone, gone for ever, never to disturb the fugitives again. That tremendous blow effectually defended the tribes for forty years from any further attempt to drive them back. Egypt found the stone too heavy and was glad to let it alone.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And he led them on safely, so that they feared not - In hope; in confidence; so that they had no occasion for alarm. He showed himself able and willing to defend them. But the sea overwhelmed their enemies - Margin, as in Hebrew, covered. See Exo 14:27-28; Exo 15:10.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּנְחֵ֣ם | vaiyanchem | and he guided them | H5148 → | 39 times |
| לָ֭בֶטַח | lavetach | to security | H983 → | 42 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| פָחָ֑דוּ | fachadu | they were afraid | H6342 → | 25 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| א֝וֹיְבֵיהֶ֗ם | ʾoyveihem | enemies their | H341 → | 282 times |
| כִּסָּ֥ה | kisah | it covered | H3680 → | 152 times |
| הַיָּֽם׃ | haiyam | the sea | H3220 → | 396 times |
וַיַּנְחֵ֣םand he guided them
vaiyanchemH5148 →39 times
לָ֭בֶטַחto security
lavetachH983 →42 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
פָחָ֑דוּthey were afraid
fachaduH6342 →25 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
א֝וֹיְבֵיהֶ֗םenemies their
ʾoyveihemH341 →282 times
כִּסָּ֥הit covered
kisahH3680 →152 times
הַיָּֽם׃the sea
haiyamH3220 →396 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
Exodus 14:15Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.
it leads to
- Joshua 7:10
But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face?
- Ezra 10:4–5
Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we will support you. Be strong and take action!”
- Exodus 17:4
Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”
- Nehemiah 9:9
You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea.
- Joshua 7:10
Through
Exodus 15:10But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 11:4
what He did to the Egyptian army and horses and chariots when He made the waters of the Red Sea engulf them as they pursued you, and how He destroyed them completely, even to…
- Isaiah 11:15
The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men…
- Deuteronomy 11:4
Through
Psalms 136:15but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His loving devotion endures forever.
it leads to
- Psalms 135:9
He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants.
- Nehemiah 9:10–11
You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our fathers. You made a name for Yourself…
- Psalms 135:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
About Psalms
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 78; Basil of Caesarea, ON THE HOLY SPIRIT 19:49; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).