Psalm 78:23
New International Version
Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;

New Living Translation
But he commanded the skies to open; he opened the doors of heaven.

English Standard Version
Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,

Berean Standard Bible
Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.

King James Bible
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

New King James Version
Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven,

New American Standard Bible
Yet He commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven;

NASB 1995
Yet He commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven;

NASB 1977
Yet He commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven;

Legacy Standard Bible
Yet He commanded the skies above And opened the doors of heaven;

Amplified Bible
Yet He commanded the clouds from above And opened the doors of heaven;

Christian Standard Bible
He gave a command to the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He gave a command to the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven.

American Standard Version
Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven;

Contemporary English Version
But God gave a command to the clouds, and he opened the doors in the skies.

English Revised Version
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In spite of that, he commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven.

Good News Translation
But he spoke to the sky above and commanded its doors to open;

International Standard Version
Yet he commanded the skies above and the doors of the heavens to open,

Majority Standard Bible
Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.

NET Bible
He gave a command to the clouds above, and opened the doors in the sky.

New Heart English Bible
Yet he commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven.

Webster's Bible Translation
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

World English Bible
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And He commands clouds from above, "" Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.

Young's Literal Translation
And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he commanded the clouds from above, and he opened the doors of the heavens.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of heaven.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he commanded the clouds from above, and he opened the doors of heaven.

New American Bible
So he commanded the clouds above; and opened the doors of heaven.

New Revised Standard Version
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Though he had commanded the clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he commanded the clouds from above and the doors of Heaven were open.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And He commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
22because they did not believe God or rely on His salvation. 23Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens. 24He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.…

Cross References
Exodus 16:4
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions.

Nehemiah 9:15
In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land that You had sworn to give them.

John 6:31-33
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” / Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. / For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Exodus 16:14-15
When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground. / When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

Numbers 11:7-9
Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin. / The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil. / When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

John 6:49-51
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. / This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. / I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

Psalm 105:40
They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

1 Corinthians 10:3
They all ate the same spiritual food

Exodus 16:35
The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land where they could settle; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.

Deuteronomy 8:3
He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

John 6:58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

Revelation 2:17
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

Exodus 16:31
Now the house of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.

John 6:26-27
Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. / Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”


Treasury of Scripture

Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

though

Psalm 33:9
For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

Isaiah 5:6
And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

opened

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

2 Kings 7:2,19
Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof…

Malachi 3:10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Jump to Previous
Clouds Command Commanded Commandeth Doors Heaven Heavens High Open Opened Orders Skies
Jump to Next
Clouds Command Commanded Commandeth Doors Heaven Heavens High Open Opened Orders Skies
Psalm 78
1. An exhortation both to learn and to preach, the law of God
9. The story of God's wrath against the incredulous and disobedient
67. The Israelites being rejected, God chose Judah, Zion, and David.














Yet He commanded the skies above
This phrase begins with the assertion of God's sovereign authority. The Hebrew word for "commanded" is "tsavah," which implies a direct order or decree. This reflects God's ultimate power over creation, emphasizing His ability to control the natural world. The "skies above" refers to the heavens, a realm often associated with divine activity and intervention. In the ancient Near Eastern context, the heavens were seen as the domain of the gods, but here, it is the LORD who commands them, underscoring His supremacy over all spiritual and physical realms.

and opened the doors of the heavens
The imagery of "opened the doors" suggests an act of divine generosity and provision. In Hebrew, "opened" is "pathach," which conveys the idea of making accessible or available. The "doors of the heavens" symbolize the barriers between the divine and human realms being removed, allowing for the outpouring of God's blessings. This phrase evokes the miraculous provision of manna from heaven, as recounted in the Exodus narrative, where God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness. It serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness and His ability to meet the needs of His people in miraculous ways.

Verse 23. - Though he had commanded the clouds from above; rather, and he commanded (Hengstenberg, Cheyne, Revised Version). The command was subsequent, not previous, to the want of faith (see Numbers 11:4-31). And opened the doors of heaven (comp. Genesis 7:11, "The windows of heaven were opened"). The expressions are, of course, poetical (see also 2 Kings 7:2).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Yet He commanded
וַיְצַ֣ו (way·ṣaw)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

the clouds
שְׁחָקִ֣ים (šə·ḥā·qîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7834: A powder, a thin vapor, the firmament

above
מִמָּ֑עַל (mim·mā·‘al)
Preposition-m | Adverb
Strong's 4605: The upper part, with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top

and opened
פָּתָֽח׃ (pā·ṯāḥ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6605: To open wide, to loosen, begin, plough, carve

the doors
וְדַלְתֵ֖י (wə·ḏal·ṯê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - fdc
Strong's 1817: Something swinging, the valve of a, door

of the heavens.
שָׁמַ֣יִם (šā·ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky


Links
Psalm 78:23 NIV
Psalm 78:23 NLT
Psalm 78:23 ESV
Psalm 78:23 NASB
Psalm 78:23 KJV

Psalm 78:23 BibleApps.com
Psalm 78:23 Biblia Paralela
Psalm 78:23 Chinese Bible
Psalm 78:23 French Bible
Psalm 78:23 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Psalm 78:23 Yet he commanded the skies above (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 78:22
Top of Page
Top of Page