The Meaning of Psalms 78:19 Explained

Psalms 78:19

KJV: Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

YLT: And they speak against God -- they said: 'Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'

Darby: And they spoke against God: they said, Is God able to prepare a table in the wilderness?

ASV: Yea, they spake against God; They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Yea, they spake  against God;  they said,  Can  God  furnish  a table  in the wilderness? 

What does Psalms 78:19 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 78:19 mean?

And Yes they spoke against God they said can God prepare a table in the wilderness
וַֽיְדַבְּר֗וּ בֵּֽאלֹ֫הִ֥ים אָ֭מְרוּ הֲי֣וּכַל אֵ֑ל לַעֲרֹ֥ךְ שֻׁ֝לְחָ֗ן ؟ בַּמִּדְבָּֽר

וַֽיְדַבְּר֗וּ  And  Yes  they  spoke 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
בֵּֽאלֹ֫הִ֥ים  against  God 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אָ֭מְרוּ  they  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הֲי֣וּכַל  can 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
אֵ֑ל  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.
לַעֲרֹ֥ךְ  prepare 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָרַךְ  
Sense: to arrange, set or put or lay in order, set in array, prepare, order, ordain, handle, furnish, esteem, equal, direct, compare.
שֻׁ֝לְחָ֗ן  a  table 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֻׁלְחָן  
Sense: table.
؟ בַּמִּדְבָּֽר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.