They did not remember his power and how he rescued them from their enemies.
Parallel translations
- WEB They didn’t remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
- KJV They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
- BSB They did not remember His power—the day He redeemed them from the adversary,
- NKJV They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
- NASB They did not remember His power, The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They forgot God's power and the day He redeemed them from the enemy. Forgetfulness of grace fueled their unbelief.
Overview
At the root of their rebellion was a failure to 'remember his hand' and the redemption from Egypt. Forgetting God's past mercies bred present distrust. Scripture repeatedly calls believers to remember God's saving acts, supremely the redemption accomplished in Christ, as the foundation for faith.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Judg 8:34The children of Israel didn’t remember Yahweh their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side;
- Jer 32:21and brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror;
- Ps 78:11They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.
- Exod 14:12Isn’t this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
- Ps 106:7–10Our fathers didn’t understand your wonders in Egypt. They didn’t remember the multitude of your loving kindnesses, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
- Ps 136:10–15To him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn; for his loving kindness endures forever;
- Exod 13:9It shall be for a sign to you on your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that Yahweh’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand Yahweh has brought you out of Egypt.
- Isa 11:11It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
- Ps 78:21–22Therefore Yahweh heard, and was angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,
- Exod 14:30–31Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 78:42 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.