Psalm 78:19-20
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This question isn't just about food; it reveals a deep distrust of God's power to provide in challenging circumstances. The people, having just witnessed a miracle of water, immediately doubt God's ability to offer more than mere survival, betraying a desire for comfort and abundance rather than trusting God’s provision.
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness? He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm recounts Israel's history as a lesson, highlighting their repeated rebellion despite God's faithfulness. After reminding them of God's miraculous provision of water from the rock in the wilderness, the psalmist describes their ungrateful response. Instead of trusting God, they questioned His ability to provide their desired food, revealing their discontent with the manna He had already given.
You've seen God do amazing things, but a nagging doubt creeps in: Can He really handle your everyday needs? This is the heart of testing God.
The Israelites in the wilderness had just witnessed incredible acts of God – the parting of the Red Sea, guidance by cloud and fire, water from a rock. Yet, when faced with hunger, their immediate reaction wasn't trust, but doubt.
Their question, 'Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?' wasn't just about food. It was a challenge to God's power and commitment. They were essentially saying, 'You did that, but can You handle the mundane, the consistent, the daily provision?'
This is what it means to 'test' or 'tempt' God. It's not about asking for proof, but about doubting His ability or willingness to provide even when His past faithfulness is undeniable. It's a refusal to believe He can sustain us in the ordinary moments of life, not just the spectacular ones.
It's easy to focus on what we don't have. But what happens when gratitude is replaced by grumbling, and God's patience is pushed to its limit?
Psalm 78 is a powerful recounting of Israel's history, highlighting a recurring cycle: God's great acts of deliverance and provision met with persistent human unfaithfulness.
In this passage, the Israelites' doubt wasn't an isolated incident. It stemmed from a deeper issue: ingratitude and a spiritual 'blindness' to God's ongoing work. Even after God provided manna ('bread from heaven'), their hearts yearned for the 'dainties' they remembered from Egypt. They forgot the hardship of slavery and focused only on the perceived comfort of the past.
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This 'speaking against God' reveals a heart that isn't resting in His promises. It's a heart that demands more than what's given, mistaking God's patience as an invitation to further rebellion. The psalm reminds us that while God is indeed patient, He hears and responds to this persistent unbelief.
Understand the original words
yeshimon · Hebrew Noun
A desolate, uninhabited place; biblically, it is often a place of testing, provision, and divine encounter where humans are stripped of worldly supports and forced to rely entirely on God.
shulchan · Hebrew Noun
A metaphor for God's ability to provide sustenance and bounty. It reflects the covenantal care God promises to those who walk in obedience.
nakah · Hebrew Verb
To smite or strike with physical force; in Scripture, it is often used for God's exercise of power, whether in judgment or to miraculously open sources of provision.
This verse captures a moment of profound ingratitude. Despite God's consistent provision of miraculous food and water in the harsh wilderness, the Israelites questioned His ability to sustain them, revealing a deep lack of faith and trust in His power and goodness.
~1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
After generations in slavery, God miraculously delivered the Israelites from Egypt under Moses' leadership.
c. 1446-1406 BC
Wilderness Wanderings Begin
Following the Exodus, the Israelites began their 40-year journey through the Sinai Peninsula towards the Promised Land.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Manna and Quail Provided
In response to Israel's complaints of hunger, God miraculously provided manna daily and quail periodically for sustenance in the desert.
c. 1446 BC
Water from the Rock
When the Israelites thirsted, God commanded Moses to strike a rock, from which water gushed forth to sustain them.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
After 40 years, the Israelites, under Joshua, crossed the Jordan River and began conquering the Promised Land.
c. 1000 BC
Davidic Kingdom Established
David was established as king over a united Israel, marking a high point in the nation's history.
This passage directly records the Israelites' grumbling about having no food in the wilderness, which is the specific complaint echoed in Psalm 78:19. It highlights the tension between God's provision and the people's desire for more.
Numbers 11:4-6Here, the Israelites explicitly express their discontent, longing for the food they had in Egypt and questioning God's ability to provide an adequate diet in the wilderness. This provides the direct historical event behind the psalmist's words.
Deuteronomy 8:3Moses reminds the Israelites that God sustained them in the wilderness not just with bread, but with every word that comes from the mouth of God. This verse contrasts the Israelites' demand for physical food with God's emphasis on spiritual sustenance.
John 6:31-35Jesus directly addresses the 'bread from heaven' and the miracle of feeding the multitude, drawing a parallel to the manna in the wilderness. He points to Himself as the true spiritual nourishment, contrasting with the Israelites' focus on physical food.
1 Corinthians 10:3-4The Apostle Paul references the Israelites' miraculous sustenance in the wilderness, including drinking from the spiritual rock, and identifies Christ as that very rock. This shows how the ancient provision of food and water was a sign pointing to Jesus.
poolePsalms 78:19: "Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?"
No text from Poole on this verse.
expositorsPsalms 78:1-72: "Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth."
Psalm 78:1-72 THIS psalm is closely related to Psalm 105:1-45 ; Psalm 106:1-48 ; Psalm 107:1-43 . Like them, it treats the history of Israel, and especially the Exodus and wilderness wanderings, for purposes of edification, rebuke, and encouragement. The past is held up as a mirror to the present generation. It has been one long succession of miracles of mercy met by equally continu…
This question isn't just about food; it reveals a deep distrust of God's power to provide in challenging circumstances. The people, having just witnessed a miracle of water, immediately doubt God's ability to offer more than mere survival, betraying a desire for comfort and abundance rather than trusting God’s provision.
This psalm recounts Israel's history as a lesson, highlighting their repeated rebellion despite God's faithfulness. After reminding them of God's miraculous provision of water from the rock in the wilderness, the psalmist describes their ungrateful response. Instead of trusting God, they questioned His ability to provide their desired food, revealing their discontent with the manna He had already given.
This psalm recounts Israel's history as a lesson, highlighting their repeated rebellion despite God's faithfulness. After reminding them of God's miraculous provision of water from the rock in the wilderness, the psalmist describes their ungrateful response. Instead of trusting God, they questioned His ability to provide their desired food, revealing their discontent with the manna He had already given.
"They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness? He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”" — This question isn't just about food; it reveals a deep distrust of God's power to provide in challenging circumstances. The people, having just witnessed a miracle of water, immediately doubt God's a…
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Last reviewed October 2026
