Psalm 78:59-72
New Catholic Bible
59 When God saw this, he became enraged
and rejected Israel totally.[a]
60 He forsook his dwelling in Shiloh,[b]
the tent where he dwelt among mortals.
61 He surrendered his might into captivity
and his glory[c] into the hands of the enemy.
62 He abandoned his people to the sword
and vented his wrath on his own heritage.
63 Fire devoured their young men,
and their maidens had no wedding song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows sang no lamentation.
65 [d]Then the Lord awakened as from sleep,
like a warrior flushed from the effects of wine.
66 He struck his enemies and routed them,
inflicting perpetual shame on them.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 Rather, he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion,[e] which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
and like the earth[f] that he founded forever.
70 He chose David[g] to be his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds.
71 From tending sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel, his heritage.
72 He shepherded them with an unblemished heart
and guided them with a knowing hand.[h]
Footnotes
- Psalm 78:59 The psalmist is not speaking here of a permanent abandonment of Israel by God.
- Psalm 78:60 Shiloh: a shrine located in Ephraim (see Jdg 21:19) that was the center of Israelite worship from the time of Joshua (see Jos 18:1, 8; 21:1f; Jdg 18:31; 1 Sam 1:3; Jer 7:12; 26:6). It was destroyed by the Philistines when the Ark of the Covenant was captured (see 1 Sam 4:1-11).
- Psalm 78:61 His might . . . his glory: the divine attributes of which the Ark of the Covenant was the symbol (see Ps 132:17; 1 Sam 4:19ff; 2 Chr 6:41).
- Psalm 78:65 After the Israelites had been cleansed by the divine chastisement, the Lord had mercy on them and fought by their side once more in vanquishing their enemies. But afterward, God chose Judah instead of Ephraim as the leading tribe, Mount Zion instead of Shiloh as the royal seat (the place of his sanctuary), and David instead of Saul as his king and regent. David is the ideal shepherd (see Ezek 34:23; 37:24), the Lord’s anointed (see Ps 89:21), and the type of the Messiah to come (see Ps 110). What the Lord did for the people in the wilderness, David did in his name for the people of Judah.
- Psalm 78:68 He chose . . . Mount Zion: see Ps 132:11, 17.
- Psalm 78:69 High heavens . . . earth: the Lord built his sanctuary to last like the heavens and the earth (see note on Ps 24:2) and to reflect his glory as they do (see Pss 19:2; 29:9; 97:6).
- Psalm 78:70 He chose David: see Ps 132.
- Psalm 78:72 The Prophets regarded Israel, led by David, as the hope of God’s people (see Ezek 34:23; 37:24; Mic 5:2)—fulfilled in Jesus (see Mt 2:6; Jn 10:11; Rev 7:17).
