He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text highlights the sycamore tree, a vital food source and material for coffins, alongside the vine, showing God's power to strike at the very heart of Egypt's sustenance and livelihood. The mention of frost, an unusual weather phenomenon for that region and time, emphasizes the supernatural nature of this judgment.
He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm recounts Israel's history, focusing on God's powerful acts and their repeated unfaithfulness. The psalmist shifts from earlier wilderness events to the plagues in Egypt, describing them not just as punishments, but as reminders of God's might and Israel's deliverance. The text then moves on to Israel's subsequent rebellions after entering the Promised Land, highlighting their persistent pattern of forgetting God's goodness and turning away from Him, leading to judgment.
Hail and frost might seem like natural weather events, but the Bible presents them as divine tools. How does understanding this change how we view suffering?
The Power Behind the Plagues
This verse, describing the destruction of Egypt's precious crops, isn't just a poetic account of bad weather. The Psalmist, Asaph, is reminding Israel of God's mighty acts during the Exodus.
Why focus on vines and sycamores? What made these specific losses so significant for the Egyptians and so illustrative for Israel?
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More Than Just Crops
The mention of vines and sycamore trees isn't arbitrary. These were vital parts of the Egyptian economy and daily life, making their destruction a profound loss.
The mention of hail and frost destroying crops points directly to the plagues of Egypt, specifically the plague of hail (Exodus 9:13-25), though the psalm creatively combines elements and may reflect a later perspective or poetic license, emphasizing God's judgment on Egypt and His power to protect Israel.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites, after centuries of slavery in Egypt, are miraculously led out of the land by God.
c. 1446 BC - 1406 BC
Wilderness Wandering
The Israelites journey through the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years, facing numerous challenges and demonstrating repeated disobedience.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites begin to conquer and settle the Promised Land, fulfilling God's promise.
c. 1400 BC - 1046 BC
Period of the Judges
A turbulent era where Israel cycles through cycles of disobedience, oppression, and deliverance, often marked by internal conflict.
c. 1046 BC
David Anointed King
David is established as king, ushering in a golden age for Israel and unifying the tribes under a strong monarchy.
Post-Davidic Kingdom— this verse
Composition of Psalm 78
The psalm is likely composed after the establishment of the Davidic monarchy, reflecting on Israel's entire history of God's faithfulness and their ingratitude, possibly during or after the divided kingdom.
This passage describes the plague of hail in Egypt, directly paralleling the destruction of vines and sycamore trees mentioned in Psalm 78, highlighting God's power over nature to judge enemies.
Psalm 105:33This psalm also recounts God's mighty acts for Israel, mentioning the destruction of trees by hail, reinforcing the theme of divine judgment through natural phenomena against oppressors.
Job 38:22-23Here, God challenges Job's understanding of His power, listing phenomena like snow, hail, thunder, and lightning, which directly relate to the destructive natural forces described in Psalm 78 as weapons of divine judgment.
Isaiah 28:2This prophetic passage speaks of God sending a 'tempest of hail' and a 'flood of mighty waters' to destroy the pride of Ephraim, showing a consistent biblical pattern of using severe weather as a form of divine punishment.
poolePsalms 78:47: "He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost."
Sycomore trees; or, wild fig trees , which were there in great plenty. Under these and the vines all other trees are comprehended. And this hail and frost did destroy the fruits of the trees, and sometimes the trees themselves.
clarkePsalms 78:47: "He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost."
He destroyed their vines with hail - Though the vine was never plentiful in Egypt, yet they have some; and the wine made in that country is among the most delicious. The leaf of the vine is often used by the Egyptians of the present day for wrapping up their mince-meat, which they lay leaf upon leaf, season it after their fashion, and so cook it, making it a most exquisite sort of food, according to Mr. Mai…
The text highlights the sycamore tree, a vital food source and material for coffins, alongside the vine, showing God's power to strike at the very heart of Egypt's sustenance and livelihood. The mention of frost, an unusual weather phenomenon for that region and time, emphasizes the supernatural nature of this judgment.
This psalm recounts Israel's history, focusing on God's powerful acts and their repeated unfaithfulness. The psalmist shifts from earlier wilderness events to the plagues in Egypt, describing them not just as punishments, but as reminders of God's might and Israel's deliverance. The text then moves on to Israel's subsequent rebellions after entering the Promised Land, highlighting their persistent pattern of forgetting God's goodness and turning away from Him, leading to judgment.
This psalm recounts Israel's history, focusing on God's powerful acts and their repeated unfaithfulness. The psalmist shifts from earlier wilderness events to the plagues in Egypt, describing them not just as punishments, but as reminders of God's might and Israel's deliverance. The text then moves on to Israel's subsequent rebellions after entering the Promised Land, highlighting their persistent pattern of forgetting God's goodness and turning away from Him, leading to judgment.
"He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost." — The text highlights the sycamore tree, a vital food source and material for coffins, alongside the vine, showing God's power to strike at the very heart of Egypt's sustenance and livelihood. The ment…
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Last reviewed October 2026