Psalms 78:45 Commentary: Flies and Frogs

Psalm 78 is a historical psalm, written to teach coming generations about God’s mighty works and Israel’s repeated rebellion. Verses 43-51 retell the plagues as signs and wonders God performed in “the field of Zoan” (a region of Egypt). The psalmist selects specific plagues to underline God’s power over creation: rivers turned to blood (v.44), flies and frogs (v.45), caterpillars and locusts (v.46), hail and frost (v.47-48), and finally the death of the firstborn (v.51).

In Egypt, the Nile was worshipped as a god, and frogs were associated with Heqet, a goddess of fertility and birth. Frogs were sacred creatures. When God sent frogs to cover the land, it was a direct assault on a revered symbol. The fly plague struck suddenly and everywhere, infesting homes and the ground itself (Exodus 8:21-24). The Egyptians practiced elaborate purification rituals, but these insects penetrated every space, humiliating priests and people alike. Not a single magical attempt could stop them.

The psalmist’s goal is not just to list events but to demonstrate that Israel’s God controls all elements, water, land, insects, and livestock. The order of plagues in the psalm is not chronological (Barnes points out that the second plague, frogs, is mentioned after the fourth). This reordering serves the poem’s purpose of painting a vivid picture of total devastation, reminding the audience that God’s judgment is thorough and that his deliverance of Israel was no accident.

The supplied sources note no significant manuscript variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across the Masoretic tradition. One minor point: the KJV renders “divers sorts of flies” where other translations say “swarms of flies,” but this is a translational choice, not a textual variant.

Throughout church history, this verse has been read as part of the great “historical psalms” (78, 105, 106) used in both Jewish and Christian liturgy to teach God’s mighty acts. Early church fathers saw the plagues as foreshadows of final judgment, with flies and frogs representing persistent evil that only God can purge (cf. Revelation 16:13). In medieval Christian iconography, the plagues were often depicted in psalters as a visual reminder of God’s power over pagan gods. More recently, liberation theologians have highlighted how God’s use of small, despised creatures resonates with the story of a poor, enslaved people being delivered by a God who works through the weak. Across traditions, the verse remains a warning against idolatry and a call to trust the God who controls nature.

Three-point outline

1. God sends the small to confront the strong. Flies and frogs are weak individually, but multiplied and sent by God they bring an empire to its knees. God does not need armies or earthquakes; he uses what he made to display his power.
2. God humbles what Egypt worshipped. Frogs were sacred to Heqet, and frogs overran temples and palaces. The flies defiled every space. God proves that nothing in creation is beyond his command, and no idol can protect its worshippers.
3. God’s judgment is precise and personal. The verbs “devoured” and “destroyed” (אָכַל and שָׁחַת) indicate total consumption and ruin. The plague was not a minor irritation; it was a dismantling of Egyptian livelihood and pride.

Five-point outline

1. The historical context, the plagues as remembered in the psalm
2. The specific words for flies and frogs, what they reveal about the nature of the judgment
3. God’s sovereignty over creation, insects as instruments of divine will
4. Human forgetfulness, why the psalmist retells these judgments
5. Hope for God’s people, deliverance through judgment

Illustration hooks

• Think of a time a small inconvenience, a mosquito in a bedroom, a fruit fly in a kitchen, became a major frustration. Now imagine millions, covering your food, water, and home, with no escape. That was Egypt.
• A wealthy homeowner hires an exterminator for an ant problem; the ants keep coming. Pharaoh faced a problem that no amount of human effort could fix, the Creator himself had turned creation against him.
• Parents recount a story from their childhood to their kids to teach a lesson. That is exactly what the psalmist does: retelling the plagues so the next generation would remember God’s power and not repeat Israel’s rebellion.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Why does God still use suffering to get people’s attention? (Exploring judgment as warning)
• Are the plagues “fair” to the Egyptians? (Understanding God’s justice in the Exodus)
• If God controls everything, why does he allow evil to continue? (Connecting judgment with God’s timing)

This verse is part of a longer song that traces Israel’s history. The singers wanted the next generation to know that God saved them, judged their enemies, and stayed faithful even when Israel was not. As you discuss, notice how the psalmist describes the plagues as God’s personal actions: “He sent.” These were not random events; they were deliberate demonstrations of who God is.

Discussion questions

1. Read verses 43-45 aloud. What do you notice about how God is described in these plagues?
2. The word for “flies” (עָרֹב) may mean a mixture or a swarm. Why do you think the psalmist chooses this imagery rather than naming a single insect?
3. How would the Egyptians have felt when their sacred frogs became a curse? What does that tell you about God’s power over false religion?
4. Verse 42 says Israel “did not remember his hand.” Why is remembering so important in Scripture? How do we help each other remember God’s works today?
5. If God used flies and frogs to judge Egypt, what does that say about his ability to use small, ordinary things in your life to accomplish his purposes?
6. The plagues were physical, but they also revealed spiritual realities. What spiritual “plagues” in the world today might be God’s way of calling people to turn to him?
7. How does this verse encourage you to trust God’s sovereignty, especially when you feel powerless or overwhelmed by the world?