Psalms 78:39 Explained in Context

Read It With

• Psalms 78:32–39
• Psalms 78:1–72

Read Psalms 78:39 with 78:32–39 and 78:1–72. Read alone, “For he remembered that they were but flesh” could lose the communal voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 78:32–39, the communal voice carries the movement “Rebellion persists; compassion remembers flesh” as part of “A teaching poem retells rebellion and mercy.” Its historical-wisdom form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.

Why This Verse Appears Here

Psalms 78:32–39 supplies a reason for or clarification of “Craving, provision, and judgment” within Psalm 78 by carrying “Rebellion persists; compassion remembers flesh.” The turn from “The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen…” to “For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works” explains why this movement occurs here. Within that relationship, Psalm 78:39 supplies a reason or consequence through “For he remembered that they were but flesh” and must be read with the claim it supports.