Psalms 78:4

My Notes

What Does Psalms 78:4 Mean?

Psalm 78:4 is a generational manifesto — a vow to pass the story forward: "We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done."

The psalmist (Asaph) has just described receiving the stories of God's faithfulness from previous generations (verse 3). Now he makes a commitment: we will not hide them. The verb "hide" — kachad — means to conceal, to withhold, to deny access. Asaph is pledging that the stories will be told. Not assumed. Not left for the children to figure out on their own. Actively, deliberately, intentionally told.

The content of the telling is specific: "the praises of the LORD" (tehillot — His praiseworthy deeds), "his strength" (ezuz — His fierce, formidable power), and "his wonderful works" (niphlaot — the things that cause wonder, the acts that defy natural explanation). These aren't abstract theological concepts. They're stories — specific instances where God showed up, showed His power, and did things that made people stand with their mouths open. The psalm goes on for 72 verses recounting those stories in detail. The length itself is the point: faithful transmission requires thorough telling. You can't pass on the praises of God in a bullet point. You have to tell the whole story.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What specific story of God's faithfulness do the younger people in your life need to hear from you?
• 2.Are you actively telling the stories — or assuming the next generation will absorb faith on their own?
• 3.What would a practice of intentional 'not hiding' look like — how do you deliberately pass on God's praises, strength, and works?
• 4.What testimony are you carrying that could become a generational inheritance if you'd just tell it?

Devotional

We will not hide them. That's a decision. A vow. A line drawn in the generational sand. The stories of what God has done will not be buried in our generation. They will be told — actively, specifically, completely — to the children who come after us.

This verse exists because the default is hiding. Not intentionally. Through omission. Through busyness. Through the assumption that the next generation will somehow absorb faith from the atmosphere without anyone deliberately handing it to them. But faith isn't atmospheric. It's transmitted. Through stories. Through specific, concrete accounts of what God did — His strength, His works, His praises. If you don't tell them, the children won't know. And if they don't know, they'll build their lives on something else.

The responsibility isn't on the next generation to seek the stories. It's on this generation to tell them. "We will not hide" is a first-person commitment. We will show. We will speak. We will recount the specific, wonderful, powerful things God has done — not in general spiritual language, but in the detailed, story-form telling that makes it real. Your testimony isn't a private possession. It's a generational inheritance. And if you keep it to yourself, you're hiding something that was meant to be passed on. What has God done in your life that your children — biological or spiritual — need to hear? Tell them. Don't assume they'll figure it out. The hiding is the default. The telling is the decision.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture