Psalms 78:17
Psalms 78:17 in Multiple Translations
But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
Yet went they on still to sin against him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.
And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land;
But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
Yet they sinned stil against him, and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse,
And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.
Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the Most High in the wilderness.
But our ancestors continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 78:17
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 78:17 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
וַ/יּוֹסִ֣יפוּ
ע֭וֹד
לַ/חֲטֹא
ל֑/וֹ
לַֽ/מְר֥וֹת
עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן
בַּ/צִּיָּֽה
וַ/יּוֹסִ֣יפוּ
yâçaph
H3254
to add
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3mp
ע֭וֹד
ʻôwd
H5750
still
Adv
לַ/חֲטֹא
châṭâʼ
H2398
to sin
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
ל֑/וֹ
Prep | Suff
לַֽ/מְר֥וֹת
mârâh
H4784
to rebel
Prep | V-Hiphil-Inf-a
עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן
ʻelyôwn
H5945
high
Adj
בַּ/צִּיָּֽה
tsîyâh
H6723
dryness
Prep | N-fs
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 78:17
וַ/יּוֹסִ֣יפוּ
yâçaph
H3254
"to add"
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3mp
To add means to increase or do something again, like adding more of something or continuing an action. This word is used in the Bible to describe growth or repetition.
Definition: : add/more[amount] 1) to add, increase, do again 1a) (Qal) to add, increase, do again 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to join, join oneself to 1b2) to be joined, be added to 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to add, increase 1c2) to do more, do again
Usage: Occurs in 205 OT verses. KJV: add, [idiom] again, [idiom] any more, [idiom] cease, [idiom] come more, [phrase] conceive again, continue, exceed, [idiom] further, [idiom] gather together, get more, give more-over, [idiom] henceforth, increase (more and more), join, [idiom] longer (bring, do, make, much, put), [idiom] (the, much, yet) more (and more), proceed (further), prolong, put, be (strong-) er, [idiom] yet, yield. See also: Genesis 4:2; 2 Samuel 19:14; Psalms 10:18.
ע֭וֹד
ʻôwd
H5750
"still"
Adv
The word 'still' means something continues or happens again, like in Genesis 29:26 and Isaiah 2:11. It can also mean 'more' or 'additionally'.
Definition: subst 1) a going round, continuance adv 2) still, yet, again, besides 2a) still, yet (of continuance or persistence) 2b) still, yet, more (of addition or repetition) 2c) again 2d) still, moreover, besides Aramaic equivalent: od (עוֹד "still" H5751)
Usage: Occurs in 459 OT verses. KJV: again, [idiom] all life long, at all, besides, but, else, further(-more), henceforth, (any) longer, (any) more(-over), [idiom] once, since, (be) still, when, (good, the) while (having being), (as, because, whether, while) yet (within). See also: Genesis 4:25; Judges 9:37; 2 Chronicles 32:16.
לַ/חֲטֹא
châṭâʼ
H2398
"to sin"
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
To sin means to miss the mark or go wrong, incurring guilt or penalty, and can also mean to repent or make amends. It is used in the Bible to describe wrongdoing and its consequences.
Definition: 1) to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to miss 1a2) to sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty 1a3) to incur guilt, incur penalty by sin, forfeit 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to bear loss 1b2) to make a sin-offering 1b3) to purify from sin 1b4) to purify from uncleanness 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to miss the mark 1c2) to induce to sin, cause to sin 1c3) to bring into guilt or condemnation or punishment 1d) (Hithpael) 1d1) to miss oneself, lose oneself, wander from the way 1d2) to purify oneself from uncleanness
Usage: Occurs in 220 OT verses. KJV: bear the blame, cleanse, commit (sin), by fault, harm he hath done, loss, miss, (make) offend(-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self), make reconciliation, (cause, make) sin(-ful, -ness), trespass. See also: Genesis 20:6; 1 Kings 15:34; Psalms 4:5.
ל֑/וֹ
""
Prep | Suff
לַֽ/מְר֥וֹת
mârâh
H4784
"to rebel"
Prep | V-Hiphil-Inf-a
To rebel means to resist or disobey authority, often in a stubborn or defiant way. In the Bible, it's used to describe people's disobedience towards God or their parents.
Definition: 1) to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, be rebellious against 1a) (Qal) to be disobedient, be rebellious 1a1) towards father 1a2) towards God 1b) (Hiphil) to show rebelliousness, show disobedience, disobey
Usage: Occurs in 44 OT verses. KJV: bitter, change, be disobedient, disobey, grievously, provocation, provoke(-ing), (be) rebel (against, -lious). See also: Numbers 20:10; Psalms 78:17; Psalms 5:11.
עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן
ʻelyôwn
H5945
"high"
Adj
The Most High, a name for God emphasizing His supreme power and authority. It appears in Psalm 57:2, where David cries out to the Most High God for help, showing trust in God's power. This name highlights God's lofty position above all things.
Definition: adj 1) high, upper 1a) of Davidic king exalted above monarchs
Usage: Occurs in 53 OT verses. KJV: (Most, on) high(-er, -est), upper(-most). See also: Genesis 14:18; Psalms 47:3; Psalms 7:18.
בַּ/צִּיָּֽה
tsîyâh
H6723
"dryness"
Prep | N-fs
This word describes a dry and barren place, like a desert or wilderness, often used in the Bible to depict a lack of water or fertility in a land.
Definition: dryness, drought, desert
Usage: Occurs in 16 OT verses. KJV: barren, drought, dry (land, place), solitary place, wilderness. See also: Job 24:19; Isaiah 53:2; Psalms 63:2.
Study Notes — Psalms 78:17
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 78:17 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 78:17
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 78:17
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 78:17
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 78:17
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 78:17
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 78:17
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 78:17
- Sermons on Psalms 78:17
Context — I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
15He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
16He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.
17But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved. 19They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaiah 63:10 | But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy, and He Himself fought against them. |
| 2 | Hebrews 3:16–19 | For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed? So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter. |
| 3 | Deuteronomy 9:12–22 | And the LORD said to me, “Get up and go down from here at once, for your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten image.” The LORD also said to me, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. Leave Me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. Then I will make you into a nation mightier and greater than they are.” So I went back down the mountain while it was blazing with fire, with the two tablets of the covenant in my hands. And I saw how you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves a molten calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you. So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, shattering them before your eyes. Then I fell down before the LORD for forty days and forty nights, as I had done the first time. I did not eat bread or drink water because of all the sin you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD and provoking Him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and wrath that the LORD had directed against you, enough to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me this time as well. The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I also prayed for Aaron. And I took that sinful thing, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust, and I cast it into the stream that came down from the mountain. You continued to provoke the LORD at Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah. |
| 4 | Deuteronomy 9:8 | At Horeb you provoked the LORD, and He was angry enough to destroy you. |
| 5 | Psalms 95:8–10 | do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness, where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work. For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.” |
| 6 | Psalms 106:13–32 | Yet they soon forgot His works and failed to wait for His counsel. They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. So He granted their request, but sent a wasting disease upon them. In the camp they envied Moses, as well as Aaron, the holy one of the LORD. The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram. Then fire blazed through their company; flames consumed the wicked. At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped a molten image. They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox. They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. So He said He would destroy them— had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach to divert His wrath from destroying them. They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise. They grumbled in their tents and did not listen to the voice of the LORD. So He raised His hand and swore to cast them down in the wilderness, to disperse their offspring among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands. They yoked themselves to Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods. So they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. But Phinehas stood and intervened, and the plague was restrained. It was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come. At the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them. |
| 7 | Psalms 78:32 | In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe. |
Psalms 78:17 Summary
This verse, Psalms 78:17, tells us that even though God was taking care of the Israelites and providing for their needs, they still chose to disobey and rebel against Him. This is a reminder that we can easily forget God's goodness and provision in our own lives, and instead focus on our own desires and wants, as warned against in 1 John 2:15-17. But God wants us to trust and obey Him, even when things are hard, because He is our loving and sovereign Father, as seen in Matthew 6:25-34. By remembering God's past blessings and provision, we can seek to trust Him more and rebel less, and instead choose to follow Him in obedience and faith, as encouraged in Hebrews 11:6.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to rebel against the Most High?
Rebelling against the Most High means to intentionally disobey and resist God's will and commands, as seen in Psalms 78:17, despite His provision and care, similar to the rebellion in Exodus 32:1-6.
Why did the Israelites continue to sin against God in the desert?
The Israelites continued to sin against God in the desert because of their lack of faith and trust in His goodness and provision, as stated in Psalms 78:17, and as warned against in Deuteronomy 8:2-5.
How does this verse relate to our lives today?
This verse reminds us that, like the Israelites, we can easily forget God's past blessings and provision, and instead rebel against Him, as seen in Romans 1:21, and that we must continually seek to trust and obey Him.
What is the significance of the phrase 'the Most High' in this verse?
The phrase 'the Most High' is a title for God, emphasizing His sovereignty and power, as seen in Psalms 57:2, and reminding us of His authority over all things, including our lives.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways I have rebelled against God's will in my own life, and how can I turn back to Him?
- How can I cultivate a deeper trust in God's goodness and provision, even in difficult circumstances?
- What are some 'deserts' in my life where I feel like God is not providing, and how can I seek to trust Him in those areas?
- How can I remember God's past blessings and provision in my life, and use those memories to fuel my faith and obedience?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 78:17
And they sinned yet more against him,.... Or, "and they added yet to sin against him" (c); which was great ingratitude; they had sinned before, and it might have been hoped that the goodness of God
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 78:17
Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 78:17
Where they had such strong and singular obligations to obedience, both from the great things which God had then and there done for them, and from their dependence upon God’ s favour and help for their safety and subsistence. This was a great aggravation of their sin and folly.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 78:17
Psalms 78:17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.Ver. 17. And they sinned yet more against him] The better he was to them the worse were they toward him, as if God had hired them to be wicked; and this was ordinary with them, and is still among us. Oh the Divine patience! By provoking the most High in the wilderness] In terra arida ubi Deo indies indigebant, ibi peccabant, saith Aben Ezra here. This was another aggravation of their sin.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 78:17
(17) They sinned yet more and more.—This implies the discontent which had already shown itself before the miraculous supply of water.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 78:17
17–31. In spite of these miracles of mercy they sinned yet more, and tempted God in their unbelief, so that while He supplied their wants He was compelled to punish them for their sin. The order is logical not chronological. The first murmurings for food (Exodus 16) preceded the giving of the water: and the narratives of Exodus 16 and Numbers 11 are fused into one.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 78:17
And they sinned yet more against him - literally, “They added to sin against him.” The idea is, that his mercies, and the proofs of his presence were only made the occasion of greater sin on their part.
Sermons on Psalms 78:17
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Psalm 78 by Henry Law | Henry Law preaches about the importance of heeding God's words and the consequences of ingratitude and rebellion. The sermon emphasizes the need to pass down God's teachings to fut |
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Getting to Know the Holy Spirit by David Wilkerson | This sermon focuses on the importance of getting to know the Holy Spirit as described in John 14:16. It emphasizes the ministry of the Holy Spirit, including comfort, sonship, and |
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The Ten Virgins (Reading) by Robert Murray M'Cheyne | In this sermon, Reverend Robert Murray McChain focuses on the parable of the ten virgins from Matthew 25:1-13. He addresses the congregation, dividing them into two classes: the wi |
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Murmuring Against One Another by Alan Martin | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of controlling one's tongue and being slow to anger. He encourages listeners to be quick to hear and slow to speak, showing re |
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Christ Our Life - Part 1 by Art Katz | In this sermon, the speaker shares his personal experience of preparing for a speaking engagement. He describes how he fasted for five days in order to seek God's guidance and insp |
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Hindering the Holy Spirit by A.B. Simpson | A.B. Simpson emphasizes the importance of not hindering the Holy Spirit in our lives and communities. He explains that we can quench, grieve, and resist the Holy Spirit through dis |
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Of the Hatred of God. by John Gill | John Gill addresses the concept of God's hatred, clarifying that while God does not hate His creatures, He does hate sin and the actions of sinners. He emphasizes that God's hatred |