Psalm 78 (77):42Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He begins to recount His actions toward the Egyptians.

After recounting the blessings granted to them in both the sea and the wilderness, he highlights another form of divine kindness, specifically the misfortunes that struck their adversaries. These included the conversion of the river into blood, the swarms of insects, frogs, lice, pestilence, hail, death, fire, the dispatching of fearsome angels, and all other calamities that led to the demise of the firstborn.

They chose not to reflect on the past blessings or to acknowledge the might of God, which liberated them from the labor in Egypt. The Prophet then describes the wonders that occurred in that place.

And His hand shall not be recalled. By the hand of God, it refers to the divine power that brought favor to the Jews while provoking hostility among their adversaries. On the day when He rescued me from the one who wronged me. In this context, the initial verb signifies being disregarded. The one who insults refers to Pharaoh.

The prophet aptly designates the Son as the hand of God, referring to the Father, because "by Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:3). Another prophet affirms this by stating, "the hand of the Lord has done it" (Isaiah 41:20). They forgot Him who rescued them from the grip of Pharaoh, the tyrant, on the day of the Exodus when He struck down the firstborn of Egypt at midnight and performed signs and wonders in Egypt, including in the fields of Taneos, which was under Pharaoh’s control. This remark is not intended to exclude the Father's involvement in those miraculous events, but rather to indicate that what the Father accomplishes, the Son also accomplishes.

The prophet intensifies his admonitions, demonstrating that the mere recollection of God’s blessings could have quelled the arrogance of the Israelites had they not chosen to forget all that they had witnessed and endured. This sinful amnesia gave rise to their defiance and rebellion against God. The term "hand of God" signifies His divine power, expressed through metonymy. Just as God's hand was remarkably extended at the onset of Israel's exodus from Egypt—a fact the Israelites quickly overlooked—the Prophet vehemently confronts this wickedness, seeing it as inconceivable that they could dismiss or quickly forget what ought to be eternally remembered.

This Psalm attributed to David, rich in prophetic insight, was entrusted to Asaph, the chief musician, so that he might proclaim it for the enlightenment of all regarding the countless blessings bestowed by the Almighty God upon the thankless people of Israel. It serves to admonish them for their ingratitude and teaches others to express gratitude for the immeasurable compassion of God, particularly as manifested through Christ the Lord, who believes in His name. In this composition, the prophet David speaks as though representing Christ, urging Christian believers to pay close attention to the teachings of the Gospel. The message of this psalm, while initially relevant to the Jews, now applies to the faithful followers of Christ: the old covenant foreshadows the new.