Psalms 78:63

Psa 78:63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

Ver. 63. The fire consumed] The fire of warlike force, which quickly licketh up all, and layeth waste.

And their maidens were not given in marriage] Heb. praised, as they were wont to be at their weddings with nuptial songs, and epithalamia , which the Hebrews call Hillulim, and the bridechamber, Beth-halulah, the house of praise.

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.

63. (Psa 78:63) His youths (or chosen ones) the fire devoured, and his maidens were not praised. This may either mean that they attracted no attention on account of public troubles, or that they were not praised in nuptial songs, implying what is expressed in the text of the English Bible, to wit, that they were not given to marriage. The fire may be a figure for destructive war, as in Num 21:28. The pronoun (his) refers to Israel as a whole or an ideal person.

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

They had no marriage songs: that is, they were not married.

They were suddenly destroyed, 1 Sam. 4:10.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 63. Their maidens were not given to marriage.] הוללו hullalu, were not celebrated with marriage songs. It is considered a calamity in the east if a maiden arrives at the age of twelve years without being sought or given in marriage.

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

(63) Were not given.—See margin. The desolation and misery were marked by the absence of the glad nuptial song.

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

63. Fire devoured their young men;

And their maidens had no marriage song. (R.V.)

The fire of war (Num_21:28) consumed the young men, so that the maidens remained unmarried.

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.

Their priests fell by the sword,.... Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, and other priests; which shows the cruelty of the enemy, not to spare men unarmed, as the priests were; and the justice of God, which pursued these men, who were very wicked, and whose character and office could not secure them from divine wrath:

and their widows made no lamentation; for their husbands the priests, who fell by the sword; particularly the widow of Phinehas, who upon the news fell into labour, and as soon as she brought forth her child died, and while she lived took no notice of the death of her husband, nor lamented that, only that the ark of the Lord was taken, Sa1 4:19, and which might be the case of others; nor could they attend their funerals, or follow them to the grave with lamentations, they falling in battle; and such was their concern for the public loss, that their private sorrow was swallowed up in it. Some understand it of the disrespect and neglect of others, who came not to lament with them, and comfort them, as was usual: one of the Targums paraphrases the whole thus,

"at the time that the Philistines carried captive the ark of the Lord, the priests of Shiloh, Hophni, and Phinehas, fell by the sword; and at the time they brought their wives the news of it, they wept not, for they died even the same day.''

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

The fire consumed their young men - Fire here may be regarded as an image of destructive war, as in Num 21:28 : “For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab,” etc. The idea here is, that the young people had been cut off in war.

And their maidens were not given to marriage - As the young people who would have entered into this relation were cut off in war. The margin here is praised; “The maidens were not praised.” This is in accordance with the Hebrew. The idea is, “Their virgins were not praised in nuptial songs;” that is, there were no marriage celebrations; no songs such as were usually composed on such occasions in praise of those who were brides. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate render this much less accurately, and much less beautifully, were not lamented.

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

Because the young men who should have married them were slain. Heb. were not praised, to wit, with marriage songs, which was usual at marriage solemnities among the Jews, as appears from Jer 7:34; 16:9; 25:10.

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

Ver. 63. The fire consumed their young men. As fire slew Nadab and Abihu literally, so the fire of divine wrath fell on the sons of Eli, who defiled the sanctuary of the Lord, and the like fire, in the form of war, consumed the flower of the people.

And their maidens were not given to marriage. No nuptial hymn were sung, the bride lacked her bridegroom, the edge of the sword had cut the bands of their espousals, and left unmarried those who else had been extolled in hymns and congratulations. Thus Israel was brought very low, she could not find husbands for her maids, and therefore her state was not replenished; no young children clustered around parental knees. The nation had failed in its solemn task of instructing the young in the fear of Jehovah, and it was a fitting judgment that the very production of a posterity should be endangered.

Ver. 63. The fire consumed their young men. Fire here may be regarded as an image of destructive war, as in Nu 21:28. "For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, "etc. Albert Barnes.

Ver. 63. (first clause). When religion is overthrown among God's people, let not the commonwealth think to stand: when God gave his glory unto the enemies' hand, "He gave his people over also unto the sword, and the fire consumed their young men." David Dickson.

Ver. 63. Not given in marriage. Not praised: viz. they had not been honoured with nuptial songs according to the custom of those times; see Jer 7:34 16:9 25:10. The meaning is, they had not been honourably married, because men were grown scarce by reason of the wars, Isa 4:1 Jer 21:22. Or, they had been married without any solemnity like poor bondwomen; or privately, as in the time of public calamities. John Diodati.

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

63. The fire consumed their young men—Literally, The fire ate their young men. Such was the severity of the battle. So the same word, Psa_27:2. No enemies of Israel were more cruel than the Philistines.

Their maidens were not given to marriage—Literally, Their maidens were not praised, or eulogized, as was the custom at their marriage. Bishop Mant versifies it:—

“No nuptial song their maidens praised.”

In oriental custom it is a great reproach for a maiden to remain unmarried after twelve or thirteen years of age. The slaughter of thirty thousand youth plunged the tribes in deep mourning.

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

The fire consumed their young men. The reference is not to such passages as Lev_10:2 Num_11:1 Num_16:35, where a literal fire seems to be spoken of, but rather to the fire of war, (Num_21:28 Isa_26:11 Jer_48:45) or more generally to the fire of the Divine anger. (Isa_10:16-18 Isa_47:14, etc.) And their maidens were not given to marriage; literally, were not praised in song; i.e. in the bridal song. The destruction of the young men, either in battle or in any other way, caused there to be more marriageable girls in Israel than there were husbands for. (comp. Isa_4:1)

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

Fire consumed his youths [The fire of] His wrath.

were not married Heb. לא הוללו. They were not married by being brought into a litter [under] a canopy because the youths died in battle.

הוּלָלוּ is an expression of nuptials (הִלוּלָא) in Aramaic. Our Sages, however, explained it in reference to Nadab and Abihu (Mid. Ps. 78:18), but I feel uncertain about explaining it that way because he already commenced with the Tabernacle of Shiloh.

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.