Psalms 78:35 Commentary: Remembering God as Rock and Redeemer

Psalm 78 is a “historical psalm” attributed to Asaph, written to teach future generations the dangers of forgetting God’s works (v1, 4). The surrounding narrative moves from God’s wonders in Egypt and the wilderness to Israel’s repeated rebellion. Verse 34 marks the key turning point in the immediate section: “When he killed them, then they inquired after him.” This pattern of discipline leading to inquiry recurs in the Old Testament (Judges 2:18; Hosea 5:15).

Two covenant titles converge here. Rock (tsur) echoes Deuteronomy 32, where Moses’ song describes God as “the Rock, his work is perfect” (32:4). In that song, Israel abandoned “the Rock of his salvation” (32:15). For the psalmist’s audience, “Rock” summoned images of stability, refuge, and life-giving water from the stricken rock at Horeb (Exodus 17:6). It was a name that should have evoked trust. Redeemer (goel) carries legal weight: a kinsman-redeemer was obligated to buy back family from slavery and reclaim ancestral land (Leviticus 25:25, 55). By calling God their goel, Israel claimed he had the right and power to reclaim them from bondage. The phrase “Most High God” (El Elyon) appears prominently in Genesis 14, where Melchizedek blesses Abram as “priest of God Most High.” It asserts God’s supremacy over all powers.

This verse also stands at a literary boundary. The Masoretic note chatsi hassepher (“half of the book”) marks this as the midpoint of the Psalter. Later readers saw v35 as a pivot from judgment to hope: God remains Rock and Redeemer even when his people forget him.

The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 78:35. The Masoretic Text is consistent across manuscripts, and the verse appears without variation in the major ancient versions consulted by these commentators.

Because this verse marks the middle of the Psalter in the Masoretic tradition, scribes and rabbis gave it special attention. Medieval Jewish commentators connected it to the midpoint of the Hebrew Bible. In Christian tradition, the verse has been read as a two-part confession of God's character. The Reformers (Calvin, the Geneva Bible) used it to highlight Israel's ingratitude and God's steadfast mercy. In hymnody, the pairing of “Rock” and “Redeemer” has been used to express reliance on God's protection and deliverance. Modern evangelical preaching cites this verse to explore the difference between head knowledge and heart faith, using the surrounding context as a warning against empty religiosity. Catholic tradition has incorporated the “rock” motif in references to Peter and the church, though indirectly. Across traditions, the verse serves as a sobering example of how easily correct belief can become disconnected from surrendered living.

Three-point outline

1. The context of crisis. Israel only remembered when God killed them (v34). Trouble can force our eyes upward, but crisis alone does not produce lasting faith.
2. The content of remembrance. They recalled God as Rock (protection, provision) and Redeemer (deliverer, kinsman). These titles touch every human need: security and rescue.
3. The corruption of the memory. Their mouths spoke truth but their hearts were far from God (v36, 37). Head knowledge without heart allegiance is still rebellion.

Five-point outline

1. The pattern of discipline and inquiry (v33, 34).
2. The remembered identity: God as our Rock (v35a).
3. The remembered identity: God as our Redeemer (v35b).
4. The hollow echo: flattery, not faith (v36).
5. The honest diagnosis: a heart not right with God (v37).

Illustration hooks

• The fair-weather friend. A neighbor who only calls when he needs a ride or a loan. You help him every time, but once the need passes, the relationship goes cold again. Israel was that neighbor to God.
• The emergency prayer. Most people have cried out to God during a health scare or car accident. Many of those prayers are genuine in the moment, but few lead to a changed life once the crisis passes. The verse exposes this human tendency without condemning it, it simply names the pattern.
• The soldier’s vow. During battle, a soldier promises God that if he survives, he will serve him forever. He survives, but gradually the vow fades. Israel’s remembrance in v35 was that kind of battlefield promise, honest but fragile.

Questions your congregation is asking

• “If I remember God in hard times but drift away in good times, am I a true Christian?”
• “How do I know whether my prayer for help is sincere repentance or just flattery?”
• “Why does God keep helping people who only turn to him when they are desperate?”

This passage invites us to examine the quality of our own remembrance. The people of Israel said the right words, they called God their Rock and Redeemer, but their hearts were not in it. Theirs was a crisis-driven faith that evaporated when the danger passed. As you study together, let the verse hold up a mirror: What kind of remembrance do we offer God?

Discussion questions

1. Read Psalm 78:32, 39. What patterns do you see in how Israel responded to God’s discipline?
2. Verse 35 records what they remembered. Why do you think the writer highlights “Rock” and “Redeemer” specifically? What do those titles reveal about God’s character?
3. The Hebrew word for “remember” (zakhar) can mean more than intellectual recall, it can involve acting on the memory. How does that deepen or complicate what Israel did in v36, 37?
4. How can a person say the right things about God while living as an enemy of God (v36, 37)? Have you ever seen or experienced that tension?
5. Verse 38, 39 contrasts human failure with God’s compassion. What keeps God from giving up on people who only seem to flatter him?
6. In your own life, when have you turned to God primarily because of a crisis? What helped that moment become lasting growth rather than empty words?
7. What practical steps can help a small group or church community move from crisis-driven prayers to a steady, faithful remembrance of God as Rock and Redeemer?