Psalms 78:71

"He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;"

Key Reflection

The psalmist here recounts how God chose David to be king, highlighting that He took David from his role as a shepherd of sheep. To the original Israelite audience, this would have been a powerful reminder that even someone from humble beginnings could be selected by God for great responsibility. The imagery of shepherding likely evoked familiar practices and values, emphasizing God’s wisdom in appointing David to lead His people despite his lowly status as a simple shepherd.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

From following the ewes great with younq -Margin, as in Hebrew, From after. The meaning is, that he followed after them; that is, he attended them, or watched over them as a shepherd. The single word rendered “the ewes great with young” -עול‛ûl- is a participle fromעלוה‛âlâhô, to ascend, to go up; and then, to bring up, to nourish. The exact idea here is doubtless that of bringing up, or of sucking them, and the word should have been so translated here. It is so rendered by Luther. The idea in our translation has been derived from the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate.

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