Text: Psalm 78:58-59
OT Text Referred to: Deuteronomy 5:9
Subject: Divine jealousy provoked by idolatry
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Deuteronomy 5:9 warns that God is "a jealous God" (אֵל קַנָּא, 'El qanna') who will not tolerate rivals, and Psalm 78:58-59 narrates the historical consequence: Israel "provoked Him to anger with their high places and aroused His jealousy (יַקְנִיאוּהוּ, yaqni'uhu) with their graven images." The psalm uses the same root קנא (qn') from the second commandment to describe God's response to Israel's idolatry in the land. God's jealousy, warned about in the Decalogue, became historical reality when "He heard and was very angry, and He utterly rejected Israel," abandoning the tabernacle at Shiloh and allowing the ark to be captured. The psalmist traces a direct causal line from the Deuteronomic warning to the loss of the sanctuary.