Psalms 78:47

Psa 78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

Ver. 47. He destroyed their vines with hail] Heb. He killed, Quia planta habet animam vegetativain, ut Job 14:8, saith Kimchi.

And their sycamores with frost] Or, with great hailstones mingled with fire, running along and catching, Exo 9:24. Confer Rev 16:21.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

47. (Psa 78:47) He kills with hail their vine and their sycamores with frost. The destruction of the vines is not mentioned in the history (Exo 9:23-32), though it is in Psa 105:33. It has even been denied that the culture of the vine was known in ancient Egypt; but the fact has been fully established by modern investigation and discovery. The last word of the sentence occurs nowhere else. Some of the moderns explain it, from an Arabic analogy, to mean an ant; but the parallelism favours the usual interpretation which is derived from the ancient versions.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 47. He destroyed their vines with hail] Though the vine was never plentiful in Egypt, yet they have some; and the wine made in that country is among the most delicious. The leaf of the vine is often used by the Egyptians of the present day for wrapping up their mince-meat, which they lay leaf upon leaf, season it after their fashion, and so cook it, making it a most exquisite sort of food, according to Mr. Maillet.

And their sycamore-trees] This tree was very useful to the ancient Egyptians, as all their coffins are made of this wood; and to the modern, as their barques are made of it. Besides, it produces a kind of fig, on which the common people in general live; and Mr. Norden observes that "they think themselves well regaled when they have a piece of bread, a couple of sycamore figs, and a pitcher of water from the Nile." The loss therefore of their vines and sycamore-trees must have been very distressing to the Egyptians.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(47) Vines.—In the history of the plagues (Exo_9:13-25) no mention is made either of vines or sycamores or of fig-trees, as in Psa_105:33, and some consider that the poem reflects a Palestinian rather than an Egyptian point of view. But besides Num_20:5 and Joseph’s dream there is abundance of evidence of the extensive cultivation of the vine in Egypt. The mural paintings contain many representations of vineyards. Wine stood prominent among the offerings to the gods, and a note on a papyrus of Rameses II. speaks of rations of wine made to workmen.

Sycamore.—See 1Ki_10:27.

Frost.—The Hebrew word is peculiar to this place. The LXX. and Vulg. have “hoar-frost,” Aquila “ice,” Symmachus “worm.” The root of the word appears to mean to cut off, so that by derivation any devastating force would suit the word.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

47. He killed their vines &c. The seventh plague, Exo_9:13 ff. Cp. Psa_105:33. Grapes and figs are among the fruits frequently represented in paintings in Egyptian tombs. The sycomore was and is one of the common trees of Egypt, much valued for its durable wood, of which mummy cases were commonly made.

with frost] This is the rendering of the LXX, Aq., Syr., Jer., but great hailstones (R.V. marg.) or lumps of ice is more probably the meaning.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He gave up their cattle also to the hail,.... For the hail fell upon man and beast, as well as upon herbs and trees, Exo 9:22,

and their flocks to hot thunderbolts: which were killed by them: this is to be understood of the fire that was mingled with the hail, and ran upon the ground, and destroyed their flocks, Exo 9:23. Jarchi, out of the Midrash, interprets the words of fowls which devoured the sheep killed by the hail.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

He destroyed their vines with hail - Margin, killed. See Exo 9:22-26. In the account in Exodus the hail is said to have smitten man and beast, the herb, and the tree of the field. In the psalm only one thing is mentioned, perhaps denoting the ruin by what would be particularly felt in Palestine, where the culture of the grape was so common and so important.

And their sycamore trees with frost - The sycamore is mentioned particularly as giving poetic beauty to the passage. Of the sycamore tree, Dr. Thomson remarks (“land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 25), “It is a tender tree, flourishes immensely in sandy plains and warm vales, but cannot bear the hard, cold mountain. A sharp frost will kill them; and this agrees with the fact that they were killed by it in Egypt. Among the wonders performed in the field of Zoan, David says, ‘He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.’ Certainly, a frost keen enough to kill the sycamore would be one of the greatest ‘wonders’ that could happen at the present day in this same field of Zoan.” The word rendered “frost” - חנמל chănâmâl - occurs nowhere else. It is parallel with the word hail in the other member of the sentence, and denotes something that would be destructive to trees. The Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the Arabic render it frost. Gesenius renders it ants.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Sycomore trees; or, wild fig trees, which were there in great plenty. Under these and the vines all other trees are comprehended. And this hail and frost did destroy the fruits of the trees, and sometimes the trees themselves.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 47. He destroyed their vines with hail. No more shall thy butler press the clusters into thy cup, O Pharaoh! The young fruit bearing shoots were broken off, the vintage failed.

And their sycomore trees with frost. Frost was not usual, but Jehovah regards no laws of nature when men regard not his moral laws. The sycomore fig was perhaps more the fruit of the many than was the vine, therefore this judgment was meant to smite the poor, while the former fell most heavily upon the rich. Mark how the heavens obey their Lord and yield their stores of hail, and note how the fickle weather is equally subservient to the divine will.

Ver. 43-51. See Psalms on "Ps 78:43" for further information.

Ver. 47. He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. The grape vine for the rich, and the sycomore fig for the poor, were cut off by the just judgment of God upon the nation. W. Wilson.

Ver. 47. The sycomore (not sycamore, for this is altogether different, though, in consequence of a typographical error, often confounded with it in our Bibles) was the name of a tree, common in Egypt, Am 7:14 Lu 19:4. This tree resembled the mulberry in its leaves, and the fig in its fruit; and on its produce the inferior ranks of people, for the most part, lived. The psalmist refers to but one sort, still he clearly means every kind, of valuable tree. William Keatinge Clay.

Ver. 47. (last clause). Sometimes it will not shoot. Sometimes it will. And when it does, it misses the mark.

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

47. Hail—Not uncommon in Egypt, but this, for severity, exceeded any hail tempest ever known. The miracle consisted in the unwonted severity of the storm, (Exo_9:22-25,) and in its being foretold. Psa_78:18.

Sycamore—Or fig mulberry, or wild fig tree, abounding in Egypt. Its leaves are like the mulberry, and its fruit like the fig, affording large supplies to the poor, and hence cultivated. 1Ch_27:28.

Frost— The Hebrew word occurs nowhere else in Scripture, but as it is parallel to “hail” in the preceding member, the obvious climax of the verse would lead us to suppose icy hailstones of great weight, which destroyed animals, and even trees, where the common hailstone destroyed only the vine. See Jos_10:11; Rev_16:21. The marginal reading is “great hailstones.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He destroyed their vines with hail. (see Exo_9:23-25) Here, again, there is an inversion of the order in which the plagues came, since the plague of hail preceded that of the locusts. There is also an addition to the narrative of Exodus in the mention of "vines", (see also Psa_105:33) which may indicate a use of tradition. That vines were cultivated in Egypt is now generally acknowledged. And their sycamore trees with frost; or, with sleet a variant of the "hail" in the other hemistich.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Sycamore-trees - Under these and the vines, all other trees are comprehended. This hail and frost destroyed the fruit of the trees, and sometimes the trees themselves.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

The writer continues to describe what God did to the Egyptians.

sycamore

a tree that gives fruit

lightning bolts

lightning that makes loud thunder

He rained hail

"He brought hail" or "He caused hail to fall"

The fierceness of his anger lashed out against them

Asaph speaks of God's fierceness as if it were a person who could attack another person. AT: "He was angry with them, so he suddenly and fiercely attacked them" (See: Personification)

The fierceness of his anger

"His fierce anger"

lashed out against them

"attacked them when they were not expecting anything to happen"

He sent wrath, fury, and trouble like agents who bring disaster

Asaph speaks of wrath, fury, and trouble as though they are people God can send to do his work for him. AT: "He was so angry that he wanted to harm the Egyptians, so he made trouble for them and brought them to disaster" (See: Personification and Simile)

fury

anger that makes someone want to harm others

translationWords

vine

hail

livestock

send

anger

wrath

trouble

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

with locusts Heb. בחנמל, the name of the locust. According to the Midrash (Mid. Ps. 78:13) [it is composed of the following words]: בָּא חָן מָל, it comes, encamps, and cuts. It cut off the greens of the tree and the grass and ate it.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.