Psalm 78:56-57
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Despite all the amazing things God had done, the verse highlights that the people didn't just forget; they actively "tested and rebelled." This implies a deliberate challenging of God's power and goodness, not just a passive failure to obey His commands, which are called His "testimonies" – the things that bear witness to His will.
Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse appears in the latter part of Psalm 78, a historical review of Israel's unfaithfulness despite God's persistent goodness. After detailing their early struggles and miraculous provision in the wilderness, the psalm shifts to their settlement in the promised land under the Judges. This section emphasizes a cycle of sin, divine discipline, and temporary repentance, highlighting how the Israelites repeatedly tested God's patience and broke His commands, even after experiencing His powerful deliverance and provision.
Even after experiencing incredible acts of God's deliverance and provision, the Israelites repeatedly turned away. What does this pattern teach us about human nature and God's patience?
This psalm paints a vivid picture of Israel's history, highlighting a recurring theme: God's consistent goodness met by stubborn disobedience. Even after being led out of Egypt, protected in the wilderness, and settled in the promised land, the people repeatedly 'tested and rebelled' against God.
A Pattern of Disregard
This cycle reveals a profound truth: our human tendency is to take God's blessings for granted and to push the boundaries of His grace. It's a sobering reminder that privilege and deliverance don't automatically guarantee lasting obedience.
What does it mean to 'keep His testimonies,' and why is failing to do so such a grave offense?
The phrase 'his testimonies' refers to God's commands, laws, and ordinances. These aren't arbitrary rules but divine instructions that bear witness to God's will and character.
Ask a follow-up
More Than Just Rules
Failing to keep God's testimonies is a profound act of rebellion because it dismisses His wisdom, disregards His authority, and undermines the very foundation of His relationship with His people.
Understand the original words
nasah · Hebrew Verb
A verb meaning to put to the test, to prove, or to try. In a biblical context, it often refers to humans doubting God's power or character, thereby putting Him to the test.
marah · Hebrew Verb
To act in open resistance against authority. Biblically, it describes the willful defiance of God’s established covenant or commands.
Elyon · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
A title for God emphasizing His supremacy, sovereignty, and transcendence over all creation.
edut · Hebrew Noun
A collective term for God’s revealed laws, warnings, and decrees that bear witness to His nature and requirement for His people.
bagad · Hebrew Verb
To behave unfaithfully or act with treachery. It often implies a breach of trust, particularly in the context of covenant relationship or marriage.
This verse speaks to a recurring theme in Israel's history: their unfaithfulness even after experiencing God's faithfulness. The specific context here points to the period of the Judges, a time when Israel, despite having settled in the Promised Land, repeatedly fell back into idolatry and disobedience, testing God's patience.
~1400 BC
Wilderness Wanderings
After God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, they spent forty years in the wilderness. During this time, they repeatedly tested God with their complaints and disobedience, despite His provision and guidance.
~1350 BC
Conquest of Canaan
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites entered and conquered the Promised Land, driving out the Canaanite nations. This was the fulfillment of God's promise to their ancestors.
~1350 BC - 1050 BC— this verse
Period of the Judges
Following Joshua's death, Israel entered a tumultuous period where they were often oppressed by surrounding nations due to their repeated disobedience and idolatry. Each cycle typically began with apostasy, leading to God allowing them to be conquered, followed by their cries for deliverance, and God raising up judges to rescue them.
~1050 BC
Establishment of the Monarchy
The people demanded a king, leading to the anointing of Saul and later David. This marked a shift from the loose confederation under judges to a more centralized kingdom, with David establishing Jerusalem as the capital.
This passage describes the Israelites testing God by asking 'Is the Lord among us or not?' in the wilderness, directly paralleling the theme of testing God found in Psalm 78:56.
Numbers 14:11Here, God laments, 'How long will they refuse to believe me, despite all the signs I have done among them?' This highlights the persistent disobedience and testing of God that Psalm 78:56 describes.
Judges 2:12-13This passage explicitly states the Israelites 'abandoned the Lord... and served Baalim and the Asheroth,' showing a direct rebellion against God and forsaking His testimonies, which is the core issue in Psalm 78:56.
1 Corinthians 10:9The Apostle Paul directly references the Israelites' rebellion in the wilderness, saying 'We must not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and that same day 23,000 fell dead.' This connects their testing and rebellion to grave consequences and a failure to heed God's ways.
Hebrews 3:16This verse describes those who 'heard and rebelled,' linking their actions to disobedience that led to God’s anger, mirroring the repeated rebellion and provocation mentioned in Psalm 78:56.
cambridgePsalms 78:56: "Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:"
56 . Yet &c.] Yet they tempted and rebelled against God the Most High. In spite of all God’s goodness to them, they persisted in their old unfaithfulness. Cp. Psalm 78:17-18; Psalms 40, 41 . God the Most High is not El Elyôn , as in Psalm 78:35 ; but Elôhîm Elyôn , the equivalent of Jehovah the Most High , Psalm 7:17 ; Psalm 47:2 . his testimonies ] His commandments, regarded as bearing witness to His…
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…
Despite all the amazing things God had done, the verse highlights that the people didn't just forget; they actively "tested and rebelled." This implies a deliberate challenging of God's power and goodness, not just a passive failure to obey His commands, which are called His "testimonies" – the things that bear witness to His will.
This verse appears in the latter part of Psalm 78, a historical review of Israel's unfaithfulness despite God's persistent goodness. After detailing their early struggles and miraculous provision in the wilderness, the psalm shifts to their settlement in the promised land under the Judges. This section emphasizes a cycle of sin, divine discipline, and temporary repentance, highlighting how the Israelites repeatedly tested God's patience and broke His commands, even after experiencing His powerful deliverance and provision.
This verse appears in the latter part of Psalm 78, a historical review of Israel's unfaithfulness despite God's persistent goodness. After detailing their early struggles and miraculous provision in the wilderness, the psalm shifts to their settlement in the promised land under the Judges. This section emphasizes a cycle of sin, divine discipline, and temporary repentance, highlighting how the Israelites repeatedly tested God's patience and broke His commands, even after experiencing His powerful deliverance and provision.
"Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow." — Despite all the amazing things God had done, the verse highlights that the people didn't just forget; they actively "tested and rebelled." This implies a deliberate challenging of God's power and goo…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
