Psalms 78:58 — Word Study
WLCוַיַּכְעִיס֥וּהוּ בְּבָמוֹתָ֑ם וּ֝בִפְסִילֵיהֶ֗ם יַקְנִיאֽוּהוּ׃
BSAThey enraged Himkaʻaç▸ [provoked to anger, made angry] with their high placesbâmâh [cultic platforms, elevations for idol worship] and provoked His jealousyqânâʼ▸ [moved to wrath, stirred up, zeal, envy] with their idolspᵉçîyl [graven images, carved representations of false gods]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיַּכְעִיס֥וּהוּ | and they provoked to anger him | Verb hiphil sequential imperfect third person masculine plural, suffix |
| בְּבָמוֹתָ֑ם | by high places their | Preposition, noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
| וּ֝בִפְסִילֵיהֶ֗ם | and by idols their | Conjunction, preposition, noun common masculine plural construct |
| יַקְנִיאֽוּהוּ׃ | they made jealous him | Verb hiphil imperfect third person masculine plural, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols. |
| KJV | For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. |
| ASV | For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images. |
| YLT | And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous, |
| WEB | For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images. |
| BBE | They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images. |
Where they part company is יַכְעִיס֥וּ — see How Translations Differ.
One main verb with two prepositional phrases detailing how the provocation occurred, emphasizing the direct actions of the Israelites.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 78:58
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Unfaithfulness of Israelgenerated
Psalm 78:58 reflects on how the Israelites angered God through their worship practices. The psalmist describes their actions of building high places and idols, which led to God's jealousy and wrath. This verse serves as a warning about the consequences of turning away from true worship and the importance of faithfulness to God.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leviticus 26:30 | I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you. |
| 2 | Numbers 33:52 | you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places. |
| 3 | Deuteronomy 12:2–4 | Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. |
| 4 | Ezekiel 20:28–29 | When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, presented offerings that provoked Me, sent up their fragrant incense, and poured out their drink offerings. |
| 5 | Psalm 79:5 | How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 20 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יַכְעִיס֥וּ, vai.yakh.'i.Su.hugenerated
The verb כָּעַס (ka`as) means to provoke or make someone angry. In this verse, it is in the Hiphil stem, indicating that the Israelites actively provoked God's anger through their actions. This word conveys strong emotions related to anger and vexation, highlighting the seriousness of their offense.
The use of this verb emphasizes the gravity of the Israelites' actions, as they did not merely displease God; they provoked Him to anger, showing a deliberate choice to worship idols instead of remaining faithful.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the term enraged.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb יַכְעִיס֥וּ governs the verse, indicating the action of provoking God. Two phrases follow, detailing how this provocation occurred: through their high places and their idols.
The structure emphasizes the direct actions of the Israelites that led to God's anger, with the high places and idols as the specific means of their rebellion.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the word for יַכְעִיס֥וּ is rendered as παρεζήλωσαν, which suggests a more intense form of provocation. This choice indicates a deeper interpretation of the Israelites' actions as not just provoking anger but also stirring up a strong response from God.
The Greek translation captures the emotional weight of the Hebrew, reinforcing the seriousness of the Israelites' idolatry.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 78:58 tells us that the Israelites angered God by worshiping idols and high places. Their actions stirred God's jealousy, leading to serious consequences. This verse serves as a reminder of the importance of faithfulness in worship.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
To provoke God to anger means to act in ways that go against His commands and lead to His displeasure, as seen in the actions of the Israelites.
High places are elevated sites used for worship, often associated with idolatry, where people would build altars to false gods.
God's jealousy reflects His desire for exclusive devotion from His people, as He is a jealous God who does not tolerate idolatry.
This verse connects to other passages, such as Leviticus 26:30, where God warns against idolatry and the consequences of turning away from Him.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways can I ensure that I am worshiping God alone and not allowing other things to take His place?
- How can I recognize and address any idols in my life that may provoke God's anger?
- What steps can I take to deepen my relationship with God and avoid the pitfalls of unfaithfulness?
- How does understanding God's jealousy help me appreciate His love and desire for a relationship with me?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 78:58 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleFor they provoked him to anger with their high places,.... Which they built to Baal, and other Heathen dieties: and moved him to jealousy with their graven images; which they worshipped, see Jude
Read John Gill on Psalms 78 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryYet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies: -Israel's unfaithfulness in the time of the Judges caused God to forsake the tabernacle of Shiloh, and brought down other sore judgments. Verse 56.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 78 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 78:58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.Ver. 58. For they provoked him to anger with their high places] After the manner of the heathens; yet with a good intention, as they called it; because God is to be everywhere worshipped. But this was against an express law, Deuteronomy 12:2 Exodus 20:3-4.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 78 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges58. They provoked Jehovah, the “jealous God” Who can tolerate no rival (Exodus 20:5), by their adoption of Canaanite idolatries. Cp. Deuteronomy 32:16; Deuteronomy 32:21.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 78 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleFor they provoked him to anger with their high places - places where idols were worshipped; usually on mountains or elevated places. Leviticus 26:30; compare 1 Kings 3:2; 1 Kings 12:31-32; 2 Kings 17:32; 2 Chronicles 33:17.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 78 →The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
They made him angry with their pagan shrines, and made him jealous with their idols.
Tyndale line
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
And they prouoked him to anger with their high places, and mooued him to wrath with their grauen images.
Strictly literal
And they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,
And make Him angry with their high places, || And make Him zealous with their carved images,
And they provoked him to anger with their high-places, and with their graven images they moved him to jealousy.
For they made him angry with their high places and provoked him to jealous anger with their idols.
Simplified
They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all four words matched in the Greek translation. This consistency highlights the shared understanding of the Israelites' actions and their consequences.
וַיַּכְעִיס֥וּהוּ בְּבָמוֹתָ֑ם וּ֝בִפְסִילֵיהֶ֗ם יַקְנִיאֽוּהוּ׃
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 78:58
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
כָּעַס (ka`as) is a Hebrew verb that conveys a range of emotions related to anger and vexation. It can mean to be angry, vexed, or indignant, and can also imply provoking someone to anger. The word has different forms, including Qal (to be angry), Piel (to provoke to anger), and Hiphil (to vex).
כָּעַס vb. be vexed, angry
Qal
be vexed, indignant
be angry
Piel. provoke to anger
Hiph.
vex
vex, provoke to anger
base
H3707 כָּעַס be vexed, angry
3707 ka`ac kaw-as'
a primitive root; to trouble; by implication, to grieve,
rage, be indignant:--be angry, be grieved, take indignation,
provoke (to anger, unto wrath), have sorrow, vex, be wroth.
כָּעַס (ka.as) — to provoke.
1) to be angry, be vexed, be indignant, be wroth, be grieved, provoke to anger and wrath
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be vexed, be indignant
1a2) to be angry
1b) (Piel) to provoke to anger
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to vex
1c2) to vex, provoke to anger
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3mp | Suff — Verb hiphil sequential imperfect third person masculine plural · suffixHc/Vhw3mp/Sp3ms
בָּמָה (bamah) refers to a 'high place' or elevation, often associated with cultic worship sites. It can denote various heights, including mountains and battlefields, and may also imply a funeral mound. The term is derived from an unused root meaning 'to be high,' indicating its connection to elevation.
בָּמָה 104 n.f. high place
high place, mountain
high places, battle-fields
high places, as places of worship
funereal mound (?)
base
H1116 בָּמָה high place
1116 bamah bam-maw'
from an unused root (meaning to be high); an
elevation:--height, high place, wave.
בָּמָה (ba.mah) — high place.
1) high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform)
1a) high place, mountain
1b) high places, battlefields
1c) high places (as places of worship)
1d) funeral mound?
Prep | N-fp | Suff — Preposition · noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp
פָּסִיל (pasil) refers to an idol or a carved image, derived from the root word for idol, פֶּ֫סֶל (pesel). It encompasses the concept of a graven image and is noted in various contexts related to idolatry. The entries indicate that it is closely related to another term for idol, but do not present significant disagreement among lexicons.
[פָּסִיל] 23 n.m. id. [פֶּ֫סֶל]
base
H6456 [פָּסִיל] id. [פֶּ֫סֶל]
6456 pciyl pes-eel'
from 6458; an idol:--carved (graven) image, quarry.
see HEBREW for 06458
פָּסִיל (pe.sil) — idol.
image, idol, graven image
Another spelling of pe.sel (פֶּ֫סֶל "idol" H6459)
Conj | Prep | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHC/R/Ncmpc/Sp3mp
The Hebrew word קָנָא (qana') is a verb that conveys meanings related to jealousy and zeal. It can mean to be jealous, envious, or zealous, and can also imply provoking jealousy or anger. The entries highlight its use in different forms, particularly the Piel and Hiphil stems, indicating both personal feelings and actions that incite jealousy.
[קָנָא] vb. denom.
Pi. be jealous, zealous
be jealous of
be envious of
be zealous for
excite to jealous anger
Hiph. provoke to jealous anger
base
H7065 קָנָא vb. denom. Pi. be jealous, zealous
7065 qana' kaw-naw'
a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) zealous, i.e. (in
a bad sense) jealous or envious:--(be) envy(-ious), be (move
to, provoke to) jealous(-y), X very, (be) zeal(-ous).
קָנָא (qa.na) — be jealous.
1) to envy, be jealous, be envious, be zealous
1a) (Piel)
1a1) to be jealous of
1a2) to be envious of
1a3) to be zealous for
1a4) to excite to jealous anger
1b) (Hiphil) to provoke to jealous anger, cause jealousy
V-Hiphil-Imperf-3mp | Suff — Verb hiphil imperfect third person masculine plural · suffixHVhi3mp/Sp3ms