Psalms 78:9

78:9 The Ephraimites ¹  were armed with bows, ² 

but they retreated in the day of battle. ³ 

Psalms 78:60-64

78:60 He abandoned ⁴  the sanctuary at Shiloh,

the tent where he lived among men.

78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; ⁵ 

he gave the symbol of his splendor ⁶  into the hand of the enemy. ⁷ 

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

and was angry with his chosen nation. ⁸ 

78:63 Fire consumed their ⁹  young men,

and their ¹⁰  virgins remained unmarried. ¹¹ 

78:64 Their ¹²  priests fell by the sword,

but their ¹³  widows did not weep. ¹⁴ 

[78:9]  ¹ tn Heb “the sons of Ephraim.” Ephraim probably stands here by synecdoche (part for whole) for the northern kingdom of Israel.

[78:9]  ² tn Heb “ones armed, shooters of bow.” It is possible that the term נוֹשְׁקֵי (noshÿqey, “ones armed [with]”) is an interpretive gloss for the rare רוֹמֵי (romey, “shooters of”; on the latter see BDB 941 s.v. I רָמָה). The phrase נוֹשְׁקֵי קֶשֶׁת (noshÿqey qeshet, “ones armed with a bow”) appears in 1 Chr 12:2; 2 Chr 17:17.

[78:9]  ³ sn They retreated. This could refer to the northern tribes’ failure to conquer completely their allotted territory (see Judg 1), or it could refer generally to the typical consequence (military defeat) of their sin (see vv. 10-11).

[78:60]  ⁴ tn Or “rejected.”

[78:61]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).

[78:62]  ⁸ tn Heb “his inheritance.”

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

[78:63]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:63]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:64]  ¹³ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:64]  ¹⁴ sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.