Psalms 78:9

This verse presents serious difficulties. (1) It seems to speak of some well-known act of cowardice on the part of the Ephraimites. But why should cowardice in war be censured, when it is disloyalty to God of which the Psalmist is speaking? It has been suggested that it refers to the slackness of Ephraim in prosecuting the conquest of Canaan (Judges 1), regarded as shewing their distrustfulness of God, in view of all the mighty works that He had done for them in the past. But it seems better to understand it figuratively (cp. Psalms 78:57), to mean that the Ephraimites were like cowards who flee in battle, and failed to fight for the cause of God. (2) Why are the Ephraimites particularly named, when the context refers to all Israel? Possibly to point forward to the rejection of Ephraim and choice of Judah which is the climax of the Psalm (Psalms 78:67). Psalms 78:10 must then be taken with Psalms 78:9, as a literal description of the disobedience and unfaithfulness of the Ephraimites.

After all attempts to explain it, the verse remains obscure, and many commentators suppose that it is an interpolation or that the text is in some way corrupt. The absence of parallelism and rhythm casts some suspicion on it independently; and it may possibly have been a gloss suggested by Psalms 78:57, and inserted here as an illustration of Israel's want of stedfastness (Psalms 78:8). Psalms 78:10 would follow naturally on Psalms 78:8, introducing the description of the rebellious generation, whose conduct is held up to reprobation for the admonition of their descendants.