Psalms 78:21
Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
Original Language Analysis
לָכֵ֤ן׀
H3651
לָכֵ֤ן׀
Strong's:
H3651
Word #:
1 of 11
properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner
שָׁמַ֥ע
heard
H8085
שָׁמַ֥ע
heard
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
2 of 11
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
יְהוָ֗ה
Therefore the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֗ה
Therefore the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
3 of 11
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
וַֽיִּתְעַבָּ֥ר
this and was wroth
H5674
וַֽיִּתְעַבָּ֥ר
this and was wroth
Strong's:
H5674
Word #:
4 of 11
to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in
וְגַם
H1571
וְגַם
Strong's:
H1571
Word #:
8 of 11
properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...and
אַ֝֗ף
and anger
H639
אַ֝֗ף
and anger
Strong's:
H639
Word #:
9 of 11
properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire
Historical Context
Taberah's fire occurred shortly before the quail plague (Numbers 11). The double judgment—fire and plague—demonstrated that God's patience has limits. Moses's intercession stopped the fire, prefiguring Christ's superior mediation (Hebrews 7:25).
Questions for Reflection
- How should the reality of God's wrath inform your view of the cross where Christ absorbed that fire?
- What grumbling in your life invites the 'fire' of divine discipline?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel—divine wrath (qeṣep) isn't petulant reaction but holy response to covenant betrayal. The 'fire' ('ēš) at Taberah (Numbers 11:1-3) consumed the camp's outskirts as judgment, while 'anger' ('ap, literally 'nose burning') indicates God's righteous indignation at their libel against His character.
Paul warns: 'We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer' (1 Corinthians 10:9-10). God's wrath isn't arbitrary—it's the inevitable collision between holiness and rebellion. Yet Christ bore this fire: 'the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all' (Isaiah 53:6).