“For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 78:5 Mean?
"For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children." God's law carries a generational transmission requirement: He didn't just give the testimony and law to the fathers. He commanded the fathers to MAKE THEM KNOWN to their children. The knowledge of God is designed to be transmitted, not hoarded. The faith is inherited through intentional teaching.
The phrase "established a testimony" (heqim edut — raised up a witness) and "appointed a law" (torah sam — set/placed instruction) uses strong, permanent language: God didn't suggest the testimony. He ESTABLISHED it. He didn't recommend the law. He APPOINTED it. The instruction is formal, authoritative, and permanent.
The "commanded our fathers, that they should make them known" turns parental teaching into divine mandate: the teaching isn't optional. It's commanded. The fathers don't get to choose whether to transmit the faith. God requires it. The failure to teach the next generation is disobedience, not just negligence.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What are you making known to the next generation — and is it commanded or optional in your mind?
- 2.How does 'established' and 'appointed' elevate the law from suggestion to permanent installation?
- 3.What happens when a generation fails to 'make known' — and have you seen the consequences?
- 4.What relay of faith are you running — and who is the next person you're passing the baton to?
Devotional
He commanded the fathers to make it known to the children. The transmission of faith isn't optional. It's a divine command. God didn't just give the law and hope someone would pass it on. He COMMANDED the passing. The teaching is as required as the believing.
The 'established' and 'appointed' are permanent installations: God raised up a testimony — He constructed it, erected it, made it permanent. He placed a law — He set it in position, fixed it in place. The testimony and law aren't temporary documents. They're permanent installations that require permanent transmission. The content is eternal. The teaching must be continuous.
The 'make them known to their children' is the generational mandate: the faith dies in one generation without intentional teaching. It doesn't transfer by osmosis. It doesn't pass through genetic inheritance. It requires making known — active, deliberate, purposeful communication from parents to children. The knowing has to be MADE — constructed, built, created through effort.
The next verse (6) gives the purpose: 'that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children.' The transmission chain goes: fathers to children to grandchildren to great-grandchildren — indefinitely. Each generation receives AND transmits. The faith is a relay, not a solo run.
What are you making known to the next generation — and are you treating the teaching as commanded or optional?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For he established a testimony in Jacob,.... So the law is called, being a testification of the divine will, Exo 25:16…
For he established a testimony in Jacob - He ordained or appointed that which would be for a “witness” for him; that…
These verses, which contain the preface to this history, show that the psalm answers the title; it is indeed Maschil - a…
a testimony … a law Not the Mosaic legislation generally, but the express precept which enjoined upon Israelite parents…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture