Psalm 78:1 kjv
Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
Psalm 78:1 nkjv
A Contemplation of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
Psalm 78:1 niv
A maskil of Asaph. My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
Psalm 78:1 esv
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
Psalm 78:1 nlt
O my people, listen to my instructions.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
Psalm 78 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 6:4-7 | "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God... impress them on your children." | Call to diligent listening and teaching God's Word. |
| Josh 1:8 | "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night..." | Obedience and meditation on God's law. |
| Ps 1:2 | "...whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night." | Blessing of delighting in God's law. |
| Ps 19:7 | "The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul..." | Perfection and life-giving nature of God's law. |
| Ps 119:105 | "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." | God's Word as guidance. |
| Prov 4:20-22 | "My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words... for they are life to those who find them..." | Parental call to hear wisdom, source of life. |
| Isa 1:10 | "Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God..." | Prophetic call to hear God's word. |
| Jer 7:23 | "...Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people..." | Covenantal call to obey God's voice. |
| Deut 30:19-20 | "...Choose life, so that you and your children may live... by obeying His voice..." | Life depends on hearing and obeying. |
| Ex 19:5-6 | "Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession..." | Basis of God's covenant with His people. |
| Isa 43:1 | "...O Jacob, you who formed you, O Israel: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are Mine.'" | God's claim on "My people." |
| Hos 11:1 | "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son." | God's loving call to Israel, "My people." |
| 1 Pet 2:9-10 | "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession..." | New Testament understanding of "My people." |
| Matt 7:24 | "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man..." | Wisdom through hearing and doing Christ's words. |
| Lk 11:28 | "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." | Blessing in hearing and obeying God's Word. |
| Rom 2:13 | "For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law..." | Emphasizes doing, not just hearing. |
| Jas 1:22 | "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." | Active obedience beyond just hearing. |
| Zech 7:11-12 | "But they refused to pay attention... making their hearts as hard as flint..." | Consequences of refusing to hear. |
| Num 23:19 | "God is not a human being, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said...?" | Emphasizes authority of words from God's mouth. |
| Isa 55:11 | "So is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty..." | Efficacy and power of God's spoken word. |
| 2 Tim 3:16-17 | "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." | The divine origin and purpose of Scripture (Torah). |
Psalm 78 verses
Psalm 78 1 Meaning
Psalm 78:1 is an urgent summons from God, through Asaph the psalmist, for His people to pay diligent and active attention to His divine instruction. It is a foundational call to hear and internalize God's "Torah" or teaching, presented as words directly from His mouth, emphasizing the supreme authority and life-giving nature of His revelation. This verse serves as an imperative to listen carefully to the historical narrative that follows, which will recount God's faithful acts and Israel's repeated failures.
Psalm 78 1 Context
Psalm 78, identified as a Maschil of Asaph, is a didactic or instructional psalm, designed to teach profound spiritual truths through historical narrative. Asaph, a prominent Levitical choirmaster and seer during David's reign (1 Chr 25:1-2), delivers this divine message. Verse 1 serves as the crucial opening, a formal, urgent, and covenantal call to attention before embarking on a detailed recount of Israel's history from the Exodus through the establishment of David's kingship. This introduction highlights that the coming narrative is not mere history but a profound divine teaching intended for understanding and correction, especially for future generations (Ps 78:4-6). Implicitly, it is a polemic against the natural human tendency to forget God's works and to fail to transmit faithful instruction to successive generations, contrasting true divine instruction with human folly and unfaithfulness.
Psalm 78 1 Word analysis
"Give ear," (הַאֲזִינוּ, ha'azinu): This is a strong imperative verb, emphasizing a direct command for active and focused listening. It implies an attentive readiness to receive instruction, distinct from passive hearing. Rooted in the word for "ear" (ozen), it stresses profound heedfulness.
"O my people," (עַמִּי, ʿammī): This is a term of intimacy and covenantal relationship. God, speaking through the psalmist, addresses Israel not as a distant ruler but as a loving parent or owner, reminding them of their special status and election as His cherished possession (Ex 19:5-6).
"to my law;" (לְתוֹרָתִי, lĕtōrātī): The Hebrew word Torah (from the root yarah, "to shoot, to teach, to guide") refers not exclusively to legal statutes but broadly to divine instruction, guidance, and teaching. It signifies God's comprehensive revealed will for His people, leading them in the right path. The possessive "my" emphasizes its divine origin and authority.
"incline your ears" (הַטּוּ אָזְנְכֶם, hattū ʾozněḵem): This phrase functions as synonymous parallelism, powerfully reiterating and intensifying the command "give ear." "Incline" (from natah, "to stretch out, to spread out, to turn") denotes a deliberate and physical action of leaning in, indicating eagerness and readiness to fully absorb what is being communicated, demanding intentional reception.
"to the words of my mouth." (לְאִמְרֵי-פִי, lĕʾimrê-fî): This signifies that the instruction originates directly from God Himself. It underscores the divine authority, infallibility, and living power of the message. These are not human opinions or traditions, but divinely inspired truths, spoken directly from the Creator.
Words-group analysis
"Give ear, O my people, to my law;" This first half establishes the covenantal basis for the summons. The intimate address ("O my people") frames the "law" (Torah) not as a burdensome decree, but as life-giving instruction from a caring God to His chosen. The command to "give ear" sets the imperative tone for the entire psalm.
"incline your ears to the words of my mouth." This second half uses strong synonymous parallelism to re-emphasize the urgency and the absolute necessity of attentive listening. The dual phrase "incline your ears" and "words of my mouth" stresses active reception of directly revealed divine utterance, underscoring its ultimate authority and critical importance for the people. This highlights that what follows is divine truth demanding not just casual hearing but profound engagement and submission.
Psalm 78 1 Bonus section
The nature of Psalm 78 as a Maschil means it's explicitly for instruction and imparting wisdom. This initial verse, therefore, sets the pedagogical intent of the entire psalm. It highlights that the historical narratives of Israel are not merely recounts of events, but potent theological lessons revealing God's character and humanity's response. The repeated emphasis on "ear" indicates that spiritual understanding and obedience begin with humble and intentional reception of God's revealed Word. For generations later, this command still applies, urging us to approach the entirety of Scripture as "words of God's mouth," demanding our diligent and receptive attention.
Psalm 78 1 Commentary
Psalm 78:1 serves as a majestic and authoritative overture to one of the longest and most historically significant psalms. Asaph's inspired call to "my people" establishes a foundational principle: that God's people are defined by their attentive submission to His "Torah," which is His divine instruction originating directly from "His mouth." This is far more than a request; it's a binding covenantal command to seriously heed God's truth. The doubled imperative ("Give ear," "incline your ears") underscores the crucial nature of active and intentional listening. This is not passive reception but an urgent call for hearts and minds to lean in, understand, and internalize God's life-shaping words. The subsequent narrative in Psalm 78 illustrates the tragic consequences of Israel's historical failure to do exactly what this verse commands, repeatedly ignoring God's instruction and forgetting His works, yet also demonstrating God's persistent faithfulness. This verse therefore calls the hearer to break this pattern of forgetfulness by deeply engaging with divine truth.