King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
Complete Jewish Bible:
They turned away and were faithless, like their fathers; they were unreliable, like a bow without tension.
Berean Standard Bible:
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.
American Standard Version:
But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
But turned back{H5472}{H8735)}, and dealt unfaithfully{H898}{H8799)} like their fathers{H1}: they were turned aside{H2015}{H8738)} like a deceitful{H7423} bow{H7198}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Hosea 7:16
- They return, [but] not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this [shall be] their derision in the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 20:27
- ¶ Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
Ezekiel 20:28
- [For] when I had brought them into the land, [for] the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.
Psalms 78:8
- And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation [that] set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
Judges 3:12
- ¶ And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
Judges 3:5
- And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:
Judges 3:7
- And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
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Commentary for Psalms 78:57
Psalm 78 is a historical psalm that recounts the history of Israel from the time of their slavery in Egypt up to the reign of King David. The purpose of the psalm is to remind the people of Israel of God's mighty acts and their consistent pattern of forgetting and rebelling against Him. The verse in question, Psalm 78:57, is part of a larger section that describes the people's infidelity to God.
In Psalm 78:57, the psalmist Asaph condemns the Israelites for turning away from God and acting unfaithfully, just as their ancestors did. The metaphor of a "deceitful bow" is particularly poignant. A bow is an instrument of war, meant to shoot arrows straight and true to protect and provide for oneself. However, a deceitful bow is unreliable; it fails to shoot straight and thus cannot be trusted in battle. This metaphor suggests that the Israelites, like a faulty weapon, were unreliable in their commitment to God. Instead of being faithful and effective instruments for God's purposes, they were erratic and untrustworthy.
Historically, this verse reflects the cyclical nature of Israel's spiritual life—a pattern of turning to God in times of need, only to fall back into sin and idolatry once they were comfortable or faced with new challenges. This theme is a central motif in the Deuteronomistic history of Israel, which emphasizes the importance of faithfulness to the covenant with God and the consequences of disobedience. Psalm 78 serves as a cautionary tale, urging the people to remember God's faithfulness and to remain steadfast in their loyalty to Him, lest they suffer the same fate as their forebears who were "turned aside like a deceitful bow."
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H5472
There are 14 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: סוּג
Transliteration: çûwg
Pronunciation: soog
Description: a primitive root; properly, to flinch, i.e. (by implication) to go back, literally (to retreat) or figuratively (to apostatize); backslider, drive, go back, turn (away, back). - Strong's Number: H898
There are 39 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בָּגַד
Transliteration: bâgad
Pronunciation: baw-gad'
Description: a primitive root; to cover (with a garment); figuratively, to act covertly; by implication, to pillage; deal deceitfully (treacherously, unfaithfully), offend, transgress(-or), (depart), treacherous (dealer, -ly, man), unfaithful(-ly, man), [idiom] very. - Strong's Number: H1
There are 15773 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָב
Transliteration: ʼâb
Pronunciation: awb
Description: a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application; chief, (fore-) father(-less), [idiom] patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'. - Strong's Number: H2015
There are 92 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: הָפַךְ
Transliteration: hâphak
Pronunciation: haw-fak'
Description: a primitive root; to turn about or over; by implication, to change, overturn, return, pervert; [idiom] become, change, come, be converted, give, make (a bed), overthrow (-turn), perverse, retire, tumble, turn (again, aside, back, to the contrary, every way). - Strong's Number: H7423
There are 15 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רְמִיָּה
Transliteration: rᵉmîyâh
Pronunciation: rem-ee-yaw'
Description: from רָמָה; remissness, treachery; deceit(-ful, -fully), false, guile, idle, slack, slothful. - Strong's Number: H7198
There are 74 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: קֶשֶׁת
Transliteration: qesheth
Pronunciation: keh'-sheth
Description: from קָשָׁה in the original sense (of קוֹשׁ) of bending; a bow, forshooting (hence, figuratively, strength) or the iris; [idiom] arch(-er), [phrase] arrow, bow(-man, -shot).