Psalm 78:52

Hebrew Bible

50 He sent his anger in full force. He did not spare them from death; he handed their lives over to destruction. 51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their reproductive power in the tents of Ham. 52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep; he led them through the wilderness like a flock. 53 He guided them safely along, and they were not afraid; but the sea covered their enemies. 54 He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that his right hand acquired.

Isaiah 63:14

Hebrew Bible

12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, who divided the water before them, gaining for himself a lasting reputation, 13 who led them through the deep water? Like a horse running through the wilderness they did not stumble. 14 As an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest. In this way you guided your people, gaining for yourself an honored reputation. 15 Look down from heaven and take notice, from your holy, majestic palace! Where are your zeal and power? Do not hold back your tender compassion! 16 For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, Lord, are our father; you have been called our Protector from ancient times.

 Notes and References

"... As they travel, the flock will find pasture in every “barren hill.” In Isaiah 41:18 the Lord causes water to flow in these lonely places. A “barren place” is where one would not expect to find sufficient pasture, but the Lord will lead his flock there because he has turned the Wilderness into fertile pastures; pasture, is often a metaphor for the people of Israel as the “sheep of his pasture.” Hosea 13:6 is a pre-exilic negative use of the image. The Lord will feed the people in their pasture but they became arrogant and satisfied and turned away from their shepherd. The verbs 'to hunger' and 'to thirst' appear in several other Wilderness Tradition contexts. (Psalm 78:26, the wind was led in order to feed the people quail; Psalm 78:52, exodus context, led like a flock; Psalm 80:2, led Jacob like a flock; Isaiah 63:14, led this people like cattle) Much like Isaiah 49:8, Psalm 107:5 describes the return from exile in terms of the hungry and thirsty being led on straight paths. Later in the psalm, the Lord turns the desert into water and the hungry are brought into the land (verses 33-38) ..."

Long, Phillip J. The Origin of the Eschatological Feast as a Wedding Banquet in The Origin of the Eschatological Feast as a Wedding Banquet in the Synoptic Gospels: an Intertextual Study (p. 149) Andrews University, 2013

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