Psalms 78:46 (KJV)

What does Psalms 78:46 mean?

Psalms 78:46 describes how God allowed the Israelites’ crops and hard-earned produce to be destroyed by swarms of insects, specifically caterpillars and locusts. This verse highlights a time when God used natural disasters as a consequence for the people’s disobedience.

In this psalm, the writer Asaph is recounting Israel’s history to remind the people of God’s past actions. He is speaking to the people of Israel, describing how God responded to their unfaithfulness by sending plagues, including the destruction of their food supply by insects. The verse points to a specific moment in the story of the Exodus, when God sent plagues upon Egypt.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 78:46

• "Increase" (תְּבוּאָה, tevu'ah) refers to the produce or harvest from the land. This word emphasizes that it was not just any plants, but the valuable crops that people depended on for survival.
• "Caterpillar" (חָסִיל, chasil) is a term for a kind of destructive insect, often understood as a type of locust or crop-eating worm. The specific mention shows the thoroughness of the destruction.
• "Labour" (יְגִיעַ, yegia) means the result of hard work, especially what people had worked to grow or produce.
• "Locust" (אַרְבֶּה, arbeh) is the well-known swarming insect that can devastate fields. In the ancient world, locusts were a symbol of overwhelming loss and judgment.

Why Psalms 78:46 matters

• This verse clarifies that the disasters described were not random but were understood as acts of God with a purpose, tied to the people’s actions and choices.
• The verse connects directly to the plagues of Egypt, helping readers see the continuity between Israel’s story and God’s larger dealings with nations.
• By naming both the "increase" and "labour," the verse emphasizes how total the loss was—both the natural bounty and the results of human effort were wiped out, showing the seriousness of the consequences.