Psalms 94:10
He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
Original Language Analysis
הֲיֹסֵ֣ר
He that chastiseth
H3256
הֲיֹסֵ֣ר
He that chastiseth
Strong's:
H3256
Word #:
1 of 7
to chastise, literally (with blows) or figuratively (with words); hence, to instruct
גּ֭וֹיִם
the heathen
H1471
גּ֭וֹיִם
the heathen
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
2 of 7
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
הֲלֹ֣א
H3808
הֲלֹ֣א
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
3 of 7
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
יוֹכִ֑יחַ
shall not he correct
H3198
יוֹכִ֑יחַ
shall not he correct
Strong's:
H3198
Word #:
4 of 7
to be right (i.e., correct); reciprocal, to argue; causatively, to decide, justify or convict
הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד
he that teacheth
H3925
הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד
he that teacheth
Strong's:
H3925
Word #:
5 of 7
properly, to goad, i.e., (by implication) to teach (the rod being an middle eastern incentive)
Cross References
Job 35:11Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?Isaiah 28:26For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.Psalms 44:2How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.Jeremiah 10:25Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
Historical Context
Psalm 94 is a communal lament confronting theodicy—why does God allow the wicked to prosper? Written likely during exile or post-exilic persecution, it reflects Israel's struggle with apparent divine silence while enemies blaspheme Yahweh.
Questions for Reflection
- How does recognizing God as the source of all knowledge challenge your intellectual pride or doubt?
- Where do you need to trust God's discipline as evidence of His fatherly care rather than absence?
- What rhetorical questions does your soul ask God in suffering—and how does this psalm reframe them?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? (הֲיֹסֵר גּוֹיִם)—The rhetorical question assumes God's pedagogical sovereignty. If Yahweh disciplines (yasar) the nations in history's theater, how much more His own covenant people? He that teacheth man knowledge (הַמְלַמֵּד אָדָם דַּעַת) establishes God as the universal source of all understanding—not merely revealing truth but creating the very capacity for human knowing.
Paul echoes this in 1 Corinthians 1:20-21, declaring God's wisdom confounds human philosophy. The psalm's logic flows from greater to lesser: if God governs history's macro-movements, He certainly attends to individual lives. This grounds confidence in divine justice despite wicked oppression.