Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
-The unbelief of the Israelite fathers is detailed as a sad contrast to God's marvels performed in their behalf; the object is in order that the sons might see in their fathers' unbelief a vivid picture of their own (Psalms 78:41 and following verses).
Verse 12-16.-God's doings for the fathers, in order to draw them to loving obedience, set forth in historical sequence.
Verse 12. Marvellous things did he in ... Egypt. First come the wonders performed in Egypt, only briefly alluded to here, because in Psalms 78:43-55 the means to take them up at greater length.
In the field of Zoan. Zoan, or Tanis, was a royal city of Lower Egypt, on the east of the Tanitic branch of the Nile. The Egyptian name is Ha-awar, 'the abode of departure.' Zoan means 'a place of departure' [zaa`an, he moved tents]. Numbers 13:22 connects its building with the building of Hebron, which was under the rule of the Palestinian Anakim. The shepherd kings were probably of this race. These made themselves masters of Lower Egypt; and their king, Salatis, built Zoan, or Avaris, about the time of Abraham. Zoan was the capital of the shepherd Pharaoh, who oppressed Israel; and hence, "the field of (i:e., the nome, or region round) Zoan" was the scene of God's miracles in behalf of Israel.
Verse 13. He divided the sea ... he made the waters to stand as an heap - (from Exodus 15:8; cf. Psalms 33:7.)
Verse 15,16. He clave the rocks in the wilderness ... He brought streams also out of the rock. The plural "rocks," and the quotation in Psalms 78:16 (first clause) of Numbers 20:8, "streams," only being substituted for the prosaic 'water,' show that the two occasions of miraculously supplying water are joined here-that at Rephidim, Exodus 17:6, and that at Kadesh, Numbers 20:1-29; Psalms 78:15 refers to both; Psalms 78:16 to the one at Kadesh, as the greater of the two. Only on this second occasion, at Kadesh, is the Hebrew for "rock" used both in Numbers 20:8 and here in Psalms 78:16 х cela` (H5553)]. On the first occasion, that at Rephidim, the Hebrew translated in the English version, "rock," is rather 'a stone' х tsuwr (H6697)]. It is the general term, and might be applied to both occasions. "He clave" ( yªbaqa` (H1234)) alludes to a very different cleaving or breaking up-namely, that of "the fountains of the great deep" (Genesis 7:11), the same Hebrew verb. Then the cleaving was in wrath; now it is in grace.
And gave (them) drink as (out of) the great depths. Here again the great mood is alluded to. Some manuscripts read: "in" [bª-] for "as" [kª-]. Great in Hebrew is singular; depths, plural. The plural is distributive-`the depths, each one of them great.' Compare Psalms 18:15 (14); 68:30. 'Calves (everyone) submitting himself' (Gejer). The plural denotes the flood absolutely, the mundane sea (cf. behemoth); as but one flood is meant, the Hebrew adjective is singular (Hengstenberg). From Mount Serbal, along the valley of Firan, there still runs a perennial stream. Eusebius mentions the place as Rephidim, 'a locality in the desert, close to Horeb, into which the waters flowed from the smitten rock, and the place was called the Temptation.' Paul (1 Corinthians 10:4) says - "they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them" - namely, the perennial stream from Rephidim. It accompanied them until they resolved higher land, 38 or 39 years afterward at Kadesh, when again they needed a miraculous supply, as the water could not rise above its source. The wadys, or valleys, all bear traces of being the beds of streams which originally flowed in them. The grass which would spring on the banks would feed their cattle during their journey. So Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria in the third century, held. Previously to the miracle the people had no water. Weeks after it Moses cast the dust of Verse 37. For their heart was not right with him - (cf. Psalms 78:8.) To have a 'heart right with God' we must pray as Psalms 51:10.
Neither were they stedfast in his covenant - cf. Jeremiah 34:8; Jeremiah 34:11 as an instance how 'ease recants vows made in pain as recreant and void.'
Verse 38,39. But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity - (Exodus 34:6-7.)
And destroyed them not - at once, as their rebellion merited, and as God threatened (Exodus 32:10; Numbers 14:12; Numbers 16:21).
Verse 39. For he remembered that they were but flesh - (Psalms 103:14-16.) The frailty of man's life moves the merciful God to abate some of the strict severity which our sins deserve. This is the ground of Job's appeal, Job 10:20-21.