Tehillim 78 | The Destruction of Shilo and the Choosing of David

Psalm 78 is one of the historical psalms in Sefer Tehillim. The psalm offers an extensive and detailed review of the history of Israel, primarily throughout the wilderness period. These historical psalms are significant not only as standalone compositions, but also as part of the internal biblical commentary — they offer interpretive perspectives on events described in the Torah and Nevi’im. Below are a few notable points highlighted in our psalm:

The Transmission of Tradition: One of the foundational elements of Judaism is the passing down of tradition from generation to generation. Our psalm testifies to the poet’s historical consciousness regarding preservation and transmission. It describes the receipt of tradition from the ancestors: “What we have heard, what we know, and what our ancestors have told us” (verse 3), and also its transmission to future generations: “We will not hide from their children; to the next generation we will sing the Lord’s praises” (verse 4).

The Destruction of Shilo and the Choice of the House of David: The destruction of Shilo, which is not explicitly mentioned in the Sefer Shmuel, is clearly stated in our psalm — filling in gaps in the biblical narrative: “God heard and grew furious and utterly rejected Israel. He abandoned the Sanctuary of Shilo, the tent where he dwelled among humanity” (verses 59–60). The psalm presents the destruction of Shilo as part of a broader divine shift: the rejection of the tribe of Efrayim and the choice of Jerusalem and the House of David: “He rejected the tent of Yosef and did not choose the tribe of Efrayim; He chose the tribe of Yehuda, Mount Zion that He loves… and He chose David, His servant” (verses 67–70).

In between, the psalm reviews many events from the wilderness period. Overall, the tone is highly critical of Israel’s ingratitude toward God during that time and the period of settling the land — God performs countless miracles and redeems Israel, but they fail to heed His voice and do not trust in Him. It is worthwhile to examine the events mentioned in the psalm in greater detail and to consider how the psalm presents and interprets them in their historical context.