Psalms 78:23

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He gave a command to the clouds aboveand opened the doors of heaven.

Hebrew Names Version
Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven.

King James Version
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

English Standard Version
Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,

New Century Version
But he gave a command to the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven.

New English Translation
He gave a command to the clouds above, and opened the doors in the sky.

Amplified Bible
Yet He commanded the clouds from above And opened the doors of heaven;

New American Standard Bible
Yet He commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven;

World English Bible
Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Yet he had comanded the clouds aboue, and had opened the doores of heauen,

Legacy Standard Bible
Yet He commanded the skies aboveAnd opened the doors of heaven;

Berean Standard Bible
Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.

Contemporary English Version
But God gave a command to the clouds, and he opened the doors in the skies.

Complete Jewish Bible
So he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven.

Darby Translation
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of the heavens,

Easy-to-Read Version
But then God opened the clouds above, and manna rained down on them for food. It was as if doors in the sky opened, and grain poured down from a storehouse in the sky. <

George Lamsa Translation
Though he had commanded the clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven,

Good News Translation
But he spoke to the sky above and commanded its doors to open;

Lexham English Bible
Nevertheless, he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,

Literal Translation
And He commanded the fine clouds above; and He opened the doors of the heavens;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Because they beleued not in God, and put not their trust in his helpe.

American Standard Version
Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven;

Bible in Basic English
And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And He commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;

King James Version (1611)
Though he had commanded the cloudes from aboue: and opened the doores of heauen:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And yet he commaunded the cloudes aboue: and opened the doores of heauen.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

English Revised Version
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he comaundide to the cloudis aboue; and he openyde the yatis of heuene.

Update Bible Version
Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven;

Webster's Bible Translation
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

New King James Version
Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven,

New Living Translation
But he commanded the skies to open; he opened the doors of heaven.

New Life Bible
Yet He spoke to the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven.

New Revised Standard
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Though he had commanded the skies above, And, the doors of the heavens, had opened;

Douay-Rheims Bible
(77-23) And he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of heaven.

Revised Standard Version
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;

Young's Literal Translation
And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Yet He commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven;

Contextual Overview

⁹The Ephraimites, armed to the teeth, ran off when the battle began. They were cowards to God's Covenant, refused to walk by his Word. They forgot what he had done— marvels he'd done right before their eyes. He performed miracles in plain sight of their parents in Egypt, out on the fields of Zoan. He split the Sea and they walked right through it; he piled the waters to the right and the left. He led them by day with a cloud, led them all the night long with a fiery torch. He split rocks in the wilderness, gave them all they could drink from underground springs; He made creeks flow out from sheer rock, and water pour out like a river. ¹⁷All they did was sin even more, rebel in the desert against the High God. They tried to get their own way with God, clamored for favors, for special attention. They whined like spoiled children, "Why can't God give us a decent meal in this desert? Sure, he struck the rock and the water flowed, creeks cascaded from the rock. But how about some fresh-baked bread? How about a nice cut of meat?" ²¹When God heard that, he was furious— his anger flared against Jacob, he lost his temper with Israel. It was clear they didn't believe God, had no intention of trusting in his help. But God helped them anyway, commanded the clouds and gave orders that opened the gates of heaven. He rained down showers of manna to eat, he gave them the Bread of Heaven. They ate the bread of the mighty angels; he sent them all the food they could eat. He let East Wind break loose from the skies, gave a strong push to South Wind. This time it was birds that rained down— succulent birds, an abundance of birds. He aimed them right for the center of their camp; all round their tents there were birds. They ate and had their fill; he handed them everything they craved on a platter. But their greed knew no bounds; they stuffed their mouths with more and more. Finally, God was fed up, his anger erupted— he cut down their brightest and best, he laid low Israel's finest young men. ³²And—can you believe it?—they kept right on sinning; all those wonders and they still wouldn't believe! So their lives dribbled off to nothing— nothing to show for their lives but a ghost town. When he cut them down, they came running for help; they turned and pled for mercy. They gave witness that God was their rock, that High God was their redeemer, But they didn't mean a word of it; they lied through their teeth the whole time. They could not have cared less about him, wanted nothing to do with his Covenant. ³⁸And God? Compassionate! Forgave the sin! Didn't destroy! Over and over he reined in his anger, restrained his considerable wrath. He knew what they were made of; he knew there wasn't much to them, How often in the desert they had spurned him, tried his patience in those wilderness years. Time and again they pushed him to the limit, provoked Israel's Holy God. How quickly they forgot what he'd done, forgot their day of rescue from the enemy, When he did miracles in Egypt, wonders on the plain of Zoan. He turned the River and its streams to blood— not a drop of water fit to drink. He sent flies, which ate them alive, and frogs, which bedeviled them. He turned their harvest over to caterpillars, everything they had worked for to the locusts. He flattened their grapevines with hail; a killing frost ruined their orchards. He pounded their cattle with hail, let thunderbolts loose on their herds. His anger flared, a wild firestorm of havoc, An advance guard of disease-carrying angels to clear the ground, preparing the way before him. He didn't spare those people, he let the plague rage through their lives. He killed all the Egyptian firstborns, lusty infants, offspring of Ham's virility. Then he led his people out like sheep, took his flock safely through the wilderness. He took good care of them; they had nothing to fear. The Sea took care of their enemies for good. He brought them into his holy land, this mountain he claimed for his own. He scattered everyone who got in their way; he staked out an inheritance for them— the tribes of Israel all had their own places.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Though: Psalms 33:9, Isaiah 5:6

opened: Genesis 7:11, 2 Kings 7:2, 2 Kings 7:19, Malachi 3:10

Reciprocal: Numbers 11:9 - General Deuteronomy 8:3 - fed thee 1 Kings 17:6 - the ravens Psalms 105:40 - bread Jeremiah 31:2 - found Hosea 11:4 - and I laid John 6:32 - Moses 1 Corinthians 10:3 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Though he had commanded the clouds from above,.... Which were round about him, his chariots, and the dust of his feet; and which were at his command to go here and there, and carry and let down provisions for his people, as they did:

and opened the doors of heaven; as a large granary, from whence the manna, afterwards called the corn of heaven, was given out in great abundance, which is signified by opening the doors; see Malachi 3:10.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Though he had commanded the clouds from above - Though he had showed that he had absolute control over the clouds, and had only to command them and they would furnish rain in abundance. Compare the notes at Isaiah 5:6.

And opened the doors of heaven - As he had done at the deluge, Genesis 7:11. The idea is, that he had rained down manna upon them in such abundance that it might be compared with the waters that had been sent down at the deluge.