New King James Version
Psalms 78:18
18And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy.
Psalms 78:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
- New International Version (NIV)They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.
- English Standard Version (ESV)They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.
- New Living Translation (NLT)They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved.
Context of Psalms 78:18
16He also brought streams out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers. 17But they sinned even more against Him By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy. 19Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? 20Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?”
Read all of Psalms 78Psalms 78:18 word by word
וַיְנַסּוּ־אֵ֥ל בִּלְבָבָ֑ם לִֽשְׁאָל־אֹ֥כֶל לְנַפְשָֽׁם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 78:18
- Psalms 106:14But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert.
- Exodus 16:2Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
- Numbers 11:4Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?
- 1 Corinthians 10:6Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
- James 4:2You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
Commentaries on Psalms 78:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18By asking meat for their lust - לנפשם lenaphsham, "for their souls," i.e., for their lives; for they said in their hearts that the light bread, the manna, was not sufficient to sustain their natural force, and preserve their lives. It seems, however, from the expression, that they were wholly carnal; that they had no spirituality of mind; they were earthly, animal, and devilish.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18And they tempted God in their heart - Exodus 16:2. The heart was the source of the evil. They were not satisfied with what he gave them. They asked for that which would be more agreeable to them, and they did it with a complaining and a murmuring spirit. It is not wrong in itself to ask of God that which will be better than what we now possess, for that is the object of all our prayers; but this may be done from a wrong motive - for mere…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-39Verses 9-39 Sin dispirits men, and takes away the heart. Forgetfulness of God's works is the cause of disobedience to his laws. This narrative relates a struggle between God's goodness and man's badness. The Lord hears all our murmurings and distrusts, and is much displeased. Those that will not believe the power of God's mercy, shall feel the fire of his indignation. Those cannot be said to trust in God's salvation as their happiness at last, who can not…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-31Israel rebelled in the wilderness despite God’s abundant provision.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-2017-20. yet more--literally, "added to sin," instead of being led to repentance (Ro 2:4).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 78:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 78
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries