But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
But they turned away and were unfaithful just like their ancestors: they went off course like a bow that shoots arrows in the wrong direction.
The writer is saying that God's people repeated the same pattern of unfaithfulness as previous generations, becoming unreliable like a broken bow that can't hit its target.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of Psalm 78, a historical psalm that recounts Israel's repeated cycles of rebellion against God despite His faithfulness. The psalmist is reflecting on how each generation of Israelites seemed to forget God's miracles and fall into the same sins as their parents, particularly during their wilderness wanderings and settlement in the Promised Land.
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