Yea, they turned back, and tempted God,.... They talked of going back to Egypt, and of choosing a captain to lead them back thither, Nu 14:3, and they turned back from the Lord, and from his good ways, and chose their own ways, and followed after idols; or the sense is, they again tempted God, not only at Meribah, but elsewhere; they tempted him again and again, even ten times, as before observed:and limited the Holy One of Israel; or "signed" him; signed him with a sign, so the Targum; they tempted him by asking a sign of him, as Jarchi interprets it; insisting that a miracle be wrought, by which it might be known whether the Lord was among them or not, Ex 17:7, with which compare Mt 16:1, or they set bounds, so Kimchi; to his power and goodness, saying, this he could do, and the other he could not; see Ps 78:19, and so men limit the Lord when they fix on a blessing they would have, even that, and not another; and the measure of it, to what degree it should be bestowed on them, as well as set the time when they would have it; whereas the blessing itself, and the degree of it, and the time of giving it, should be all left with the Lord; who knows which and what of it is most convenient for us, and when is the best time to bestow it on us.
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Psalms 78:41
Psalms 78:41
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain
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Psalms 78 — OverviewPsalms 78 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleThis psalm is historical; it is a narrative of the great mercies God
had bestowed upon Israel, the great sins wherewith they had provoked
him, and the many tokens of his displeasure they had been under for…Psalms 78 — OverviewPsalms 78 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgePsalms 78:1, An exhortation both to learn and to preach, the law of God; Psalms 78:9, The story of God’s wrath against the incredulous and disobedient; Psalms 78:67, The Israelites being rejected, God chose Judah, Zion,…Psalms 78 — OverviewPsalms 78 · John Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleMaschil of Asaph. Or for "Asaph" ; a doctrinal and "instructive" psalm, as the word "Maschil" signifies; see Ps 32:1, which was delivered to Asaph to be sung; the Targum is,"the understanding of the Holy Spirit by the…Psalms 78:40-72Psalms 78:40-72 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleThe matter and scope of this paragraph are the same with the former,
showing what great mercies God had bestowed upon Israel, how provoking
they had been, what judgments he had brought upon them for their sins,…Psalms 78:41Psalms 78:41 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgeYea: Numbers 14:4, Numbers 14:22; Deuteronomy 6:16; Acts 7:39; Hebrews 3:8-11; 2 Peter 2:21-22
limited: Psalms 78:19-20; Mark 5:35-36