The Meaning of Psalms 78:17 Explained

Psalms 78:17

KJV: And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

YLT: And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

Darby: Yet they still went on sinning against him, provoking the Most High in the desert;

ASV: Yet went they on still to sin against him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they sinned  yet more  against him by provoking  the most High  in the wilderness. 

What does Psalms 78:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalm 78:13-24 - "a Table In The Wilderness"
Throughout this wonderful recital there is a perpetual contrast between God's unswerving goodness and the incessant backsliding of His people; and as we read it, we learn that sin is not simply the violation of the divine law, but a source of pain and trouble to our Heavenly Father's heart. For us He cleaves the seas, leads us in the daytime, builds His watch-fires around us at night, and brings streams of blessing from the rocks. But we tempt Him by our incessant unbelief. We say, He certainly did thus and thus, but can He, will He, do this or that? "Can God furnish?" "Can God give bread?"
When shall we dare to believe in our Lord's assurances; first, that "with God all things are possible;" and second, that "all things are possible to him that believeth"? But we must live habitually in fellowship with God before we are able to exercise this faith. As we nourish our souls by feeding on the promises, and studying what He has done in the lives of others, out faith removes all the boundaries with which it had limited the Holy One, and cries, "Thou canst and thou wilt!" [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 78

1  An exhortation both to learn and to preach, the law of God
9  The story of God's wrath against the incredulous and disobedient
67  The Israelites being rejected, God chose Judah, Zion, and David

What do the individual words in Psalms 78:17 mean?

But more even they sinned against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness
וַיּוֹסִ֣יפוּ ע֭וֹד לַחֲטֹא־ ל֑וֹ לַֽמְר֥וֹת עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן בַּצִּיָּֽה

וַיּוֹסִ֣יפוּ  But  more 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָסַף 
Sense: to add, increase, do again.
ע֭וֹד  even 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
לַחֲטֹא־  they  sinned 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
ל֑וֹ  against  Him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לַֽמְר֥וֹת  by  rebelling  against 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: מָרָה  
Sense: to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, be rebellious against.
עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן  the  Most  High 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עֶלְיׄון 
Sense: high, upper.
בַּצִּיָּֽה  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיָּה  
Sense: dryness, drought, desert.