Psalms 78:65

While His people were at the mercy of their enemies He seemed to be asleep. Cp. Psalms 44:23, note.

that shouteth&c. Cp. Isaiah 42:13-14. "The daring figure of God's awaking as from sleep, and dashing upon Israel's foes, who are also His, with a shout like that of a hero stimulated by wine, is more accordant with Eastern fervour than with our colder imagination; but it wonderfully expresses the sudden transition from a period, during which God seemed passive and careless of His people's wretchedness, to one in which His power flashed forth triumphant for their defence." (Maclaren). Many modern commentators follow the LXX, Targ., and Jer., in rendering like a giant who has been overcome with wine. This gives a good parallelism to the preceding line, but the verb does not occur elsewhere in this sense, and bold as are the similes of the Psalmists, this would be scarcely seemly.