Psalm 77:20 kjv
Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalm 77:20 nkjv
You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalm 77:20 niv
You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalm 77:20 esv
You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalm 77:20 nlt
You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,
with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.
Psalm 77 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 48:15 | ...God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who has fed me all my life long... | Jacob's blessing acknowledging God as his personal Shepherd and sustainer. |
| Gen 49:24 | ...by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel... | Prophetic blessing identifying God as Israel's divine Shepherd and Protector. |
| Ex 13:21 | And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud... and by night in a pillar of fire, to lead them along the way. | God's visible leading during the Exodus journey. |
| Num 12:7-8 | Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house... With him I speak mouth to mouth... | Highlights Moses' unique relationship with God as a chosen instrument. |
| Deut 4:34 | Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself... as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt... | Emphasizes God's unique act of deliverance for Israel. |
| Deut 8:2 | And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you... that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart. | Remembering God's purpose in leading Israel through the wilderness. |
| Neh 9:12 | By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire... | Recalling God's specific guidance during the Exodus. |
| Neh 9:19 | you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness... did not depart from over them... | God's unfailing presence and care for His wandering people. |
| Psa 23:1 | The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. | The quintessential Psalm depicting God as a caring Shepherd. |
| Psa 28:9 | Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever. | A prayer for God's continued shepherding of His people. |
| Psa 78:52-53 | Then he led forth his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock... He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid... | Explicitly reiterates God leading His people as a flock during the Exodus. |
| Psa 95:7 | For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. | Defines the relationship: God is the Shepherd, Israel is His flock. |
| Psa 100:3 | Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. | Acknowledges humanity as God's sheep, underscoring His sovereignty. |
| Isa 40:11 | He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms... | Prophecy of God's gentle and powerful future shepherding. |
| Isa 48:17 | Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go." | God as the instructor and guide of His people. |
| Isa 63:11-12 | Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses his servant... who led them through the deep, "Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit...? | Recalls God's leading through Moses during the Red Sea crossing. |
| Eze 34:11-12 | For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out... I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered... | God's promise to actively search for and deliver His scattered flock. |
| Matt 2:6 | ...from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. | Prophecy fulfilled in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, born in Bethlehem. |
| Matt 9:36 | When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. | Jesus' compassion for the lost, seeing them as leaderless sheep. |
| John 10:11 | I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. | Jesus explicitly identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd. |
| Acts 7:35-36 | "This Moses, whom they rejected... God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush... who led them out..." | Stephen's speech reaffirming Moses as God's appointed leader. |
| Heb 13:20-21 | Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant... | Christ as the great Shepherd, whose work is foundational. |
| 1 Pet 2:25 | For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. | Believers turning to Christ as the ultimate Shepherd. |
| Rev 7:17 | For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water... | The Lamb (Jesus) as the future Shepherd leading the redeemed in eternity. |
Psalm 77 verses
Psalm 77 20 Meaning
Psalm 77:20 is a declaration of God’s sovereign and protective guidance of His covenant people. It states that the Almighty God, who just displayed His powerful signs and wonders in the preceding verses, personally led His people, Israel, out of bondage "like a flock," utilizing Moses and Aaron as His chosen human instruments. This verse encapsulates the foundational event of the Exodus, showcasing God as the ultimate Shepherd-King and demonstrating His faithful care for His beloved nation.
Psalm 77 20 Context
Psalm 77 is a prayer of lament, reflecting deep distress and questioning (v. 1-9). The psalmist, Asaph, struggles with overwhelming sorrow and wonders if God has forgotten His mercy. However, the psalm takes a significant turn from despair to declaration of faith around verse 10. The psalmist consciously chooses to remember God's past works, shifting his focus from his own troubled spirit to God's mighty deeds. Verses 11-19 detail a dramatic recount of the Exodus, highlighting God's overwhelming power displayed through signs, wonders, thunder, lightning, and the miraculous parting of the Red Sea (v. 16-19). Verse 20 serves as the culmination of this reflection, asserting that behind all these grand cosmic displays, God's ultimate purpose was the meticulous, shepherd-like guidance of His people. It contrasts God's powerful but hidden ways ("Your footprints were not seen" - v.19) with His visible, caring outcome: His people being led to safety through human agents.
Psalm 77 20 Word analysis
- You led (נָחִיתָ, nakhita): From the Hebrew root נָחָה (nachah), meaning "to lead," "guide," or "conduct." This verb implies a direct, intentional, and sovereign action by God. It signifies personal care and direction, not mere oversight. The suffix "You" refers unequivocally to God.
- your people (עַמֶּךָ, ʻammeka): This highlights the covenantal relationship. Israel is not just "people" generally, but "His people," implying ownership, special care, and a unique bond with God. It emphasizes divine election and distinction.
- like a flock (כַצֹּאן, khatsōn): The preposition "like" (כְ, kĕ) creates a vivid simile. "Flock" (צֹאן, tsōn) typically refers to sheep or goats. This metaphor portrays the people as vulnerable, dependent, and prone to straying, yet receiving tender and protective guidance. It evokes images of a shepherd’s provision, protection, and patient leading, often to pastures and water.
- by the hand of (בְּיַד, bĕyad): This is an idiomatic phrase denoting instrumentality or agency. It means "through the instrumentality of" or "under the direction of." It clarifies that Moses and Aaron were not the source of power or leadership but the delegated agents, chosen vessels, through whom God's mighty leading was exercised. The true leader was God.
- Moses and Aaron (מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן, Mōsheh wĕʼAharōn): These are specifically named as God’s appointed human agents for the Exodus. Moses was the primary leader, deliverer, and law-giver; Aaron was his spokesman, helper, and the first high priest, central to the tabernacle worship. Their combined leadership represented both the civil and priestly aspects of Israel’s early governance, both delegated by God.
- Words-Group Analysis:
- "You led your people like a flock": This phrase powerfully conveys God's intimate, personal, yet authoritative guidance. The metaphor of a flock implies dependency on a wise shepherd, while "your people" establishes a deep, abiding covenant relationship. It points to God's tender care despite His awesome power. This guidance wasn't random; it was a deliberate act of divine providence.
- "by the hand of Moses and Aaron": This emphasizes divine delegation and enablement. God’s leadership was enacted through human instruments. It signifies that God chooses to work through His servants, empowering them to fulfill His will. It highlights the principle of delegated authority, where human leaders serve as conduits for divine purposes, rather than being the source of power themselves. This phrase connects the invisible, majestic work of God in verses 16-19 to the tangible leadership seen on earth.
Psalm 77 20 Bonus section
This verse offers a crucial theological link to the New Testament understanding of Christ as the ultimate Good Shepherd. Just as God the Father faithfully led Israel, so too does Christ lead His new covenant people (John 10). Moses and Aaron prefigure Christ not just as the Lawgiver and High Priest but as the consummate Shepherd. The historical act of leading Israel from Egypt prefigures Christ's redemptive work of delivering His church from the bondage of sin and death, guiding them through the wilderness of this world to their eternal home. The psalm's journey from lament to remembrance of God's historical faithfulness (and then a powerful affirmation of His shepherding) provides a template for navigating doubt: anchor your faith in what God has done, for His character revealed in past deeds is a guarantee for future deliverance and guidance.
Psalm 77 20 Commentary
Psalm 77:20 serves as the concluding crescendo to Asaph’s remembrance of God's redemptive work during the Exodus. After contemplating God's awe-inspiring power, the psalmist brings the divine action into sharp focus on its ultimate purpose: the meticulous, personal care for His people. The metaphor of a shepherd leading a flock highlights God’s perfect blend of power and tenderness – powerful enough to cleave the sea, yet tender enough to guide each sheep. It refutes any notion of an impersonal deity, revealing a God who is intimately involved in the lives and destinies of His chosen. The role of Moses and Aaron reinforces the biblical principle of divine-human cooperation: God appoints and empowers human instruments to accomplish His sovereign will, yet He remains the ultimate and true Leader. This verse offers comfort by reminding believers that God’s methods may sometimes be mysterious (as in verse 19, "Your footprints were not seen"), but His intent to lovingly guide His people is unwavering. Practically, it encourages us to trust God's leadership even when His ways are unclear, acknowledging that He guides us, often through those He has appointed, toward His purposes.