Psalms 78:49

Psalm 78:49

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

a. NLT: He loosed on them his fierce anger—all his fury, rage, and hostility. He dispatched against them a band of destroying angels.

b. NIV: He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility— a band of destroying angels.

c. YLT: He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress -- A discharge of evil messengers.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: He let loose upon them the fierceness of His anger, His wrath and indignation and distress, by sending [a mission of] angels of calamity and woe among them.

e. Septuagint [In the Septuagint, Psalm 78 is Psalm 77, Psalm 78:49 is listed under Psalm 77:49]:  He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: He sent upon them His fierce anger, fury and wrath and trouble, a band of emissaries of evil.

1. “He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble…”

a. he cast [7971 * shalach] [Strong: a primitive root; to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications):--X any wise, appoint, bring (on the way), cast (away, out), conduct, X earnestly, forsake, give (up), grow long, lay, leave, let depart (down, go, loose), push away, put (away, forth, in, out), reach forth, send (away, forth, out), set, shoot (forth, out), sow, spread, stretch forth (out).]

b. the fierceness [2740 * charown; or Charon] [Strong: from 2734; a burning of anger:--sore displeasure, fierce(-ness), fury, (fierce) wrath(-ful).]

c. of his anger [639 * ‘aph] [Strong: from 599; properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire:--anger(-gry), + before, countenance, face, + forebearing, forehead, + (long-)suffering, nose, nostril, snout, X worthy, wrath.]

1). Tehillim, Rabbinic Commentary on Psalms: Rabbi Eliezer interprets fierceful anger as a description of the Ten Plagues each of which was four fold in nature: Wrath, rage, distress, and a delegation of evil messengers.

d. wrath [5678 * `ebrah] [Strong: feminine of 5676; an outburst of passion:--anger, rage, wrath.]

e. and indignation [2195 * za’am] [Strong: from 2194; strictly froth at the mouth, i.e. (figuratively) fury (especially of God's displeasure with sin):--angry, indignation, rage.]

f. and trouble [6869 * tsarah] [Strong: feminine of 6862; tightness (i.e. figuratively, trouble); transitively, a female rival:--adversary, adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble.]

2. “…by sending evil angels among them.”

a. by sending [4917 * mishlachath] [Strong: feminine of 4916; a mission, i.e. (abstractly) and favorable) release, or (concretely and unfavorable) an army:--discharge, sending.]

b. evil [7451 * ra’] [Strong: from 7489; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral):-- adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease(-ure), distress, evil((- favouredness), man, thing), + exceedingly, X great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, + not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).]

c. angels [4397 * mal'ak] [Strong: from an unused root meaning to despatch as a deputy; a messenger; specifically, of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher):--ambassador, angel, king, messenger.]

1). Albert Barnes Commentary: There is reference here undoubtedly to the slaying of the first-born in Egypt. Exodus 11:4, 5; Exodus 12:29, 30. This work is ascribed to the agency of a destroyer (Exodus 12:23; compare Hebrews 11:28), and the allusion seems to be to a destroying angel, or to an angel employed and commissioned to accomplish such a work. Compare 2 Samuel 24:16; 2 Kings 19:35. The idea here is not that the angel himself was evil or wicked, but that he was the messenger of evil or calamity; he was the instrument by which these afflictions were brought upon them.

a). Exodus 12:23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

b). Hebrews 11:28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

c). 2 Samuel 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

d). 2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.