Psalms 78:59-64

78:59 God heard and was angry;

he completely rejected Israel.

78:60 He abandoned ¹  the sanctuary at Shiloh,

the tent where he lived among men.

78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; ² 

he gave the symbol of his splendor ³  into the hand of the enemy. ⁴ 

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

and was angry with his chosen nation. ⁵ 

78:63 Fire consumed their ⁶  young men,

and their ⁷  virgins remained unmarried. ⁸ 

78:64 Their ⁹  priests fell by the sword,

but their ¹⁰  widows did not weep. ¹¹ 

[78:60]  ¹ tn Or “rejected.”

[78:61]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).

[78:62]  ⁵ tn Heb “his inheritance.”

[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 “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:63]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:64]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:64]  ¹¹ sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.