Psalm 78:57
New International Version
Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow.

New Living Translation
They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow.

English Standard Version
but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.

Berean Standard Bible
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.

King James Bible
But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

New King James Version
But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

New American Standard Bible
But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow.

NASB 1995
But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow.

NASB 1977
But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow.

Legacy Standard Bible
But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow.

Amplified Bible
They turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were twisted like a warped bow [that will not respond to the archer’s aim].

Christian Standard Bible
They treacherously turned away like their ancestors; they became warped like a faulty bow.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They treacherously turned away like their fathers; they became warped like a faulty bow.

American Standard Version
But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

Contemporary English Version
They were as unfaithful as their ancestors, and they were as crooked as a twisted arrow.

English Revised Version
But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They were disloyal and treacherous like their ancestors. They were like arrows shot from a defective bow.

Good News Translation
but were rebellious and disloyal like their ancestors, unreliable as a crooked arrow.

International Standard Version
They fell away and were as disloyal as their ancestors. They became unreliable, like a defective bow;

Majority Standard Bible
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.

NET Bible
They were unfaithful and acted as treacherously as their ancestors; they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow.

New Heart English Bible
but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

Webster's Bible Translation
But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

World English Bible
but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were twisted like a deceitful bow.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they turn back, "" And deal treacherously like their fathers, "" They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

Young's Literal Translation
And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will draw back, and they will transgress as their fathers: they were turned as a bow of deceit.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they turned themselves aside, and they did not serve the covenant. In the same manner as their fathers, they were turned backwards, like a crooked bow.

New American Bible
They turned disloyal, faithless like their ancestors; they proved false like a slack bow.

New Revised Standard Version
but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors; they twisted like a treacherous bow.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But turned back and dealt deceitfully like their fathers; they were crooked like a twisted bow.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They turned back and they lied like their fathers and they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
56But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees. 57They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow. 58They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.…

Cross References
Judges 2:17
Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.

Hosea 7:16
They turn, but not to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword for the cursing of their tongue; for this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.

Jeremiah 3:6-10
Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there. / I thought that after she had done all these things, she would return to Me. But she did not return, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. / She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well. ...

Isaiah 1:4
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Ezekiel 20:21
But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy 32:15
But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.

2 Kings 17:15
They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.

2 Chronicles 36:14
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 30:9
These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to obey the LORD’s instruction.

Jeremiah 7:24
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Mark 7:6-7
Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

Romans 1:21-23
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. / Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Hebrews 3:12
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.

2 Timothy 3:8
Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.


Treasury of Scripture

But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

but

Psalm 78:41
Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

Judges 3:5-7,12
And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: …

Ezekiel 20:27,28
Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me…

they were

Psalm 78:8,10-37
And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God…

Hosea 7:16
They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

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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.














But they turned back
The phrase "But they turned back" indicates a deliberate choice to deviate from a path previously taken. In the Hebrew context, the word for "turned back" is "סוּג" (sug), which implies a retreat or a backsliding. This is a recurring theme in the history of Israel, where despite witnessing God's miracles and receiving His laws, the people often reverted to their old ways. This turning back is not just a physical movement but a spiritual regression, highlighting the human tendency to fall away from faithfulness to God. It serves as a cautionary reminder for believers to remain steadfast and not to revert to former sinful behaviors.

and acted treacherously
The phrase "and acted treacherously" comes from the Hebrew root "בָּגַד" (bagad), which means to betray or to act unfaithfully. This word is often used in the context of breaking a covenant or trust. In the historical context of Israel, acting treacherously against God was akin to spiritual adultery, as they were in a covenant relationship with Him. This treachery is a serious offense, as it denotes a willful betrayal of the trust and relationship established by God. For contemporary believers, it serves as a warning against the dangers of infidelity to God's commands and the importance of maintaining integrity in one's spiritual walk.

like their fathers
The phrase "like their fathers" refers to the generational pattern of disobedience and rebellion against God. The Hebrew word for "fathers" is "אָבוֹת" (avot), which can mean ancestors or forefathers. This highlights the cyclical nature of sin and the tendency to repeat the mistakes of previous generations. In the biblical narrative, the Israelites often followed the sinful patterns of their ancestors, despite having the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. This serves as a reminder of the importance of breaking negative cycles and striving for a legacy of faithfulness and obedience to God.

they turned aside
The phrase "they turned aside" uses the Hebrew word "נָטָה" (natah), which means to deviate or to turn away. This suggests a conscious decision to move away from the path of righteousness. In the context of Psalm 78, it underscores the Israelites' tendency to stray from God's commandments and pursue their own desires. This deviation is not just a minor detour but a significant departure from God's will. For believers today, it emphasizes the need for vigilance in maintaining one's spiritual direction and the importance of aligning one's life with God's purposes.

like a faulty bow
The phrase "like a faulty bow" uses the Hebrew word "רְמִיָּה" (remiyyah), which means deceitful or unreliable. A faulty bow is one that cannot be trusted to shoot straight, symbolizing unreliability and failure to fulfill its intended purpose. In the biblical context, this metaphor illustrates Israel's failure to live up to their covenantal responsibilities and their inability to be true to God. For modern readers, it serves as a powerful image of the consequences of unfaithfulness and the importance of being reliable and steadfast in one's commitment to God. It calls believers to examine their own lives and ensure they are not like a faulty bow, but rather instruments of God's will.

(57) Turned aside . . .--Better, turned like a relaxed bow. (See Note to Psalm 78:9.) The bows of the Hebrews, like those of other ancient nations, were probably, when unstrung, bent the reverse way to that assumed when strung, which makes the figure more expressive of the disposition which cannot be relied upon in the moment of need.

Verse 57. - But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers (comp. ver. 8, end the comment ad loc.). They were turned aside like a deceitful bow (comp. Hosea 7:16). A "deceitful bow" is one that fails in the hour of need, either breaking, or losing its strength, or sending its arrows wide of the mark.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They turned back
וַיִּסֹּ֣גוּ (way·yis·sō·ḡū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5472: To move away, backslide

and were faithless
וַֽ֭יִּבְגְּדוּ (way·yiḇ·gə·ḏū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 898: To cover, to act covertly, to pillage

like their fathers,
כַּאֲבוֹתָ֑ם (ka·’ă·ḇō·w·ṯām)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1: Father

twisted
נֶ֝הְפְּכ֗וּ (neh·pə·ḵū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2015: To turn about, over, to change, overturn, return, pervert

like a faulty
רְמִיָּֽה׃ (rə·mî·yāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7423: Remissness, treachery

bow.
כְּקֶ֣שֶׁת (kə·qe·šeṯ)
Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7198: A bow, for, shooting, the iris


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OT Poetry: Psalm 78:57 But turned back and dealt treacherously like (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 78:56
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