The Meaning of Psalms 78:20 Explained

Psalms 78:20

KJV: Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

YLT: Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. 'Also -- bread is He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?'

Darby: Behold, he smote the rock, and waters gushed out, and streams overflowed; is he able to give bread also, or provide flesh for his people?

ASV: Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, And streams overflowed; Can he give bread also? Will he provide flesh for his people?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, he smote  the rock,  that the waters  gushed out,  and the streams  overflowed;  can  he give  bread  also? can  he provide  flesh  for his people? 

What does Psalms 78:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 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: Psalms 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 78:20 mean?

behold He struck the rock so that gushed out the waters and the streams overflowed can also bread He give lo can He provide meat for His people
הֵ֤ן הִכָּה־ צ֨וּר ׀ וַיָּז֣וּבוּ מַיִם֮ וּנְחָלִ֪ים יִ֫שְׁטֹ֥פוּ ؟ הֲגַם־ לֶ֭חֶם י֣וּכַל תֵּ֑ת אִם־ יָכִ֖ין שְׁאֵ֣ר ؟ לְעַמּֽוֹ

הֵ֤ן  behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
הִכָּה־  He  struck 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
צ֨וּר ׀  the  rock 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צוּר 
Sense: rock, cliff.
וַיָּז֣וּבוּ  so  that  gushed  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: זוּב  
Sense: to flow, gush, issue, discharge.
מַיִם֮  the  waters 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
וּנְחָלִ֪ים  and  the  streams 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נַחַל 
Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
יִ֫שְׁטֹ֥פוּ  overflowed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁטַף  
Sense: to wash, rinse, overflow, engulf, rinse or wash off.
؟ הֲגַם־  can  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
לֶ֭חֶם  bread 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
תֵּ֑ת  give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
אִם־  lo 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
יָכִ֖ין  can  He  provide 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כּוּן 
Sense: to be firm, be stable, be established.
שְׁאֵ֣ר  meat 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁאֵר  
Sense: flesh, food, body, near kin, near kinswoman.
؟ לְעַמּֽוֹ  for  His  people 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.