Psalms 78:49-51
He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels. He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague. He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse lists "anger, wrath, indignation, and distress" to emphasize the overwhelming force of God's judgment, but the phrase "a company of destroying angels" is crucial; it doesn't necessarily mean "wicked angels," but rather angels specifically commissioned as agents of God's punishment in this instance.
The psalmist is recounting the history of Israel's faithfulness and unfaithfulness, contrasting God's persistent goodness with Israel's recurring disobedience. After detailing God's mighty acts in Egypt and the wilderness, the psalm shifts focus to the severe plagues unleashed upon Egypt as a consequence of their oppression, leading to this verse which describes these judgments as a "sending of destroying angels." This imagery emphasizes the intensity of God's wrath, culminating in the final plague against the Egyptians before Israel's exodus.
Did you know that the plagues of Egypt were more than just natural disasters or divine 'special effects'? They were a deliberate, layered expression of God's judgment.
This psalm doesn't just list the plagues; it describes them as a manifestation of God's 'burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress.' This isn't just a description of misfortune; it's a theological statement. These aren't accidental events, but carefully orchestrated actions by God. The intensity of the language shows that God's judgment wasn't a light matter. It was a serious, purposeful outpouring of His righteous displeasure against Pharaoh and Egypt for their oppression of His people.
The mention of 'destroying angels' might sound like something out of a fantasy novel, but it points to a profound truth about God's agents of judgment.
The phrase 'a company of destroying angels' is significant. It's the first time in Scripture that we see angels explicitly described as agents of divine wrath in this manner. It's important to understand that these aren't 'evil' or 'wicked' angels in the sense of being independent rebels against God. Rather, they are 'angels of ills' or 'messengers of evil things' because of the they were commissioned to do – to bring judgment upon Egypt. God uses various agents, including heavenly beings, to execute His purposes. Whether it's natural forces, human leaders, or angelic beings, God is sovereign over all and can deploy them for His judgment or His mercy.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Psalms 78:49-51 is available in the Sola app.
Understand the original words
charon · Hebrew Noun
A display of God’s holiness and justice against rebellion, characterized by intense heat or fire, representing the consuming nature of His righteous opposition to sin.
ebrah · Hebrew Noun
A term expressing God's intense, deep-seated resentment and judicial fury toward persistent unrighteousness and apostasy.
zaam · Hebrew Noun
A state of extreme displeasure or indignation, often describing God’s settled stance against evil and the manifestation of His holy character in response to defiance.
malakim · Hebrew Noun
Divine messengers or created spiritual beings commissioned by God to execute His judgments and carry out His sovereign will upon the earth.
deber · Hebrew Noun
A fatal, infectious, or destructive calamity, often viewed in the Bible as a direct act of God’s sovereign judgment against those who persist in sin.
bekor · Hebrew Noun
The oldest son in a family, often holding a place of honor, inheritance rights, and symbolic representation of the entire family or nation. In Scripture, the firstborn often signifies the strength and future of a household, and the firstborn of Egypt were struck as a judgment against the gods of Egypt.
reshith · Hebrew Noun
The initial yield of a harvest, set apart as a sign of the whole. Metaphorically, it refers to the prime or best part of something, and here it emphasizes the supreme loss suffered by Egypt as a result of God's judgment.
Cham · Hebrew Noun
A geographic or ancestral designation for Egypt, tracing the line of Ham, the son of Noah. It serves as a reminder of the historical origin of the nation oppressed by God’s judgment.
This verse reflects on the devastating plagues God sent upon Egypt during the Exodus. The Psalmist uses powerful imagery of 'destroying angels' or 'messengers of evil' to describe the divine agents carrying out God's judgment, highlighting the terrible finality and fury of God's wrath against Pharaoh's oppression.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt after 400 years, performing numerous signs and wonders.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Plagues of Egypt Intensify
God sends a series of devastating plagues upon Egypt as Pharaoh refuses to let the Israelites go, culminating in the death of the firstborn.
c. 1446 BC
Destruction of Firstborn in Egypt
The final plague strikes, killing every firstborn male in Egypt, including Pharaoh's heir, leading to the Israelites' release.
c. 1446 BC
Israelites Cross the Red Sea
Following their exodus, the Israelites miraculously cross the Red Sea as God parts the waters, then drowns the pursuing Egyptian army.
c. 1406 BC - 1077 BC
Period of the Judges
Following settlement in Canaan, Israel experiences cycles of disobedience, oppression, and deliverance, often marked by tribal conflict and unfaithfulness.
c. 1077 BC
Establishment of the Monarchy
Samuel anoints Saul as the first king of Israel, marking a significant shift in Israel's national structure and leadership.
c. 1010 BC - 970 BC
Reign of King David
David unites the tribes, establishes Jerusalem as the capital, and solidifies the kingdom, though not without significant struggles and failures.
This passage describes the final plague on Egypt, the death of the firstborn, which is directly alluded to in the psalm as the culmination of God's wrath and a key event involving a 'destroying angel' or 'messenger of evil.'
2 Samuel 24:15-16Here, King David faces a choice of punishments, including a plague sent by God, which is carried out by an angel. This shows God using angels as instruments of His judgment and wrath.
2 Kings 19:35This account of the Assyrian army being struck down by the Lord involves an angel who destroys 185,000 soldiers in one night, illustrating the terrifying power of God's 'destroying angels' against His enemies.
Though from the Apocrypha, this passage vividly describes the Egyptians' terror during the plagues, including 'strange apparitions' and 'monstrous apparitions,' which aligns with the concept of divine agents of punishment and fear.
poolePsalms 78:49: "He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them."
Indignation and trouble; other most grievous plagues, which were mixed with and were the effects of his anger and wrath; whereby their miseries were greatly aggravated, and distinguished from the afflictions which God sent upon the Israelites in Egypt, which were only fatherly chastisements, and the effects of God’s love and occasions of their deliverance. By se…
clarkePsalms 78:49: "He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them."
By sending evil angels - This is the first mention we have of evil angels. There is no mention of them in the account we have of the plagues of Egypt in the Book of Exodus, and what they were we cannot tell: but by what the psalmist says here of their operations, they were the sorest plague that God had sent; they were marks or the fierceness of his anger, wrath…
The verse lists "anger, wrath, indignation, and distress" to emphasize the overwhelming force of God's judgment, but the phrase "a company of destroying angels" is crucial; it doesn't necessarily mean "wicked angels," but rather angels specifically commissioned as agents of God's punishment in this instance.
The psalmist is recounting the history of Israel's faithfulness and unfaithfulness, contrasting God's persistent goodness with Israel's recurring disobedience. After detailing God's mighty acts in Egypt and the wilderness, the psalm shifts focus to the severe plagues unleashed upon Egypt as a consequence of their oppression, leading to this verse which describes these judgments as a "sending of destroying angels." This imagery emphasizes the intensity of God's wrath, culminating in the final plague against the Egyptians before Israel's exodus.
The psalmist is recounting the history of Israel's faithfulness and unfaithfulness, contrasting God's persistent goodness with Israel's recurring disobedience. After detailing God's mighty acts in Egypt and the wilderness, the psalm shifts focus to the severe plagues unleashed upon Egypt as a consequence of their oppression, leading to this verse which describes these judgments as a "sending of destroying angels." This imagery emphasizes the intensity of God's wrath, culminating in the final plague against the Egyptians before Israel's exodus.
"He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels. He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plag…" — The verse lists "anger, wrath, indignation, and distress" to emphasize the overwhelming force of God's judgment, but the phrase "a company of destroying angels" is crucial; it doesn't necessarily mea…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
