Psalms 78:58-64

78:58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines, ¹ 

and made him jealous with their idols.

78:59 God heard and was angry;

he completely rejected Israel.

78:60 He abandoned ²  the sanctuary at Shiloh,

the tent where he lived among men.

78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; ³ 

he gave the symbol of his splendor ⁴  into the hand of the enemy. ⁵ 

78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,

and was angry with his chosen nation. ⁶ 

78:63 Fire consumed their ⁷  young men,

and their ⁸  virgins remained unmarried. ⁹ 

78:64 Their ¹⁰  priests fell by the sword,

but their ¹¹  widows did not weep. ¹² 

[78:58]  ¹ tn Traditionally, “high places.”

[78:60]  ² tn Or “rejected.”

[78:61]  ³ tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.

[78:61]  ⁴ tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.

[78:61]  ⁵ sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).

[78:62]  ⁴ tn Heb “his inheritance.”

[78:63]  ⁵ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:63]  ⁶ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:63]  ⁷ tn Heb “were not praised,” that is, in wedding songs. The young men died in masses, leaving no husbands for the young women.

[78:64]  ⁶ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:64]  ⁷ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:64]  ⁸ sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.