Psalms 78:36 Meaning and Explanation
“Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Religious words can sound humble while concealing resistance within. Psalm 78:36 matters because it refuses to measure repentance by urgency, emotion, or eloquence alone. Israel had remembered God's power to save, and they sought him after severe judgment. The psalm now shows why that moment did not become lasting faithfulness: their speech was shaped to placate God rather than to speak truth before him.
Although Israel sought God in distress and spoke as though they had returned to him, their words were flattering and false. Their outward confession did not truthfully express the condition of their hearts.
The Context of Psalms 78:36
The psalmist is retelling Israel's wilderness history so that God's works and the people's responses will be remembered by later generations. After recounting provision of water, manna, and quail, the psalm describes continued unbelief and the judgment that followed. Verses 34 and 35 say that when God slew them, they sought and remembered him as their rock and redeemer. Verse 36 qualifies that return with the word "Nevertheless." Their mouths offered flattering speech and their tongues spoke lies. Verse 37 explains the cause: their hearts were not right with God, and they were unsteady in his covenant. God's compassion in verses 38 and 39 stands beside this searching exposure.
What Does Psalms 78:36 Mean?
"Nevertheless" marks a sharp moral assessment of the response just described. Israel's seeking and remembering contained words that sounded suitable, yet the psalmist says they "did flatter him with their mouth." Flattery aims to gain favor through speech that is shaped for an effect rather than spoken in truth. The parallel phrase, "they lied unto him with their tongues," makes the charge plain. God was not deceived by their language. Their mouths spoke toward him while their actual disposition remained elsewhere. The verse speaks of a people who knew enough of God's greatness to address him, yet used that knowledge without the truthful loyalty his covenant called forth.
This verse belongs to Psalm 78's concern for faithful memory. Israel remembered God's saving works when suffering pressed upon them, then their speech failed to become obedience. The pattern recalls the warning in the psalm's opening section about ancestors whose hearts were not set aright and whose spirits were unsteady with God. The poet does not portray God's judgment as random; it comes within a history of divine gifts, human distrust, and repeated invitations to remember. Nor does he leave the people beneath condemnation alone. The next verse says God was full of compassion and repeatedly turned away anger. His mercy sees the truth of the heart without treating false words as sufficient.
The prophets often address the same divide between speech and covenant faithfulness. Jesus also draws on Isaiah when he speaks of people who honor God with their lips while their heart is far from him. That later saying makes Psalm 78:36 especially searching, because it shows that the issue is not merely careless wording. God desires truthful worship from the inner person, expressed through faithfulness in life. Christ's own prayer and obedience display such undivided devotion to the Father. In him, reverent speech is joined to trust, love, and obedience even amid suffering. The verse calls us to seek that truthfulness before God, whose knowledge reaches deeper than public words.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 78:36
“For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.”
- Psalm 78:37
“They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.”
- Psalm 62:4
“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:”
- Isaiah 29:13
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”
- Matthew 15:8
Where Psalms 78:36 Echoes in Scripture
Matthew 15:8 is a strong later echo because Jesus cites Isaiah's description of people who draw near to God with their mouth while their heart remains far from him. His setting concerns worship offered in a way that elevates human tradition over God's commandment. Psalm 78:36 gives the same warning within Israel's remembered wilderness story: words toward God need the integrity of a heart that truly turns to him.
How to Apply Psalms 78:36 Today
This verse gives us a gentle reason to make our prayers plain and truthful. We can bring God our fear, reluctance, mixed motives, gratitude, and desire for help without trying to impress him. Confession becomes more honest when it names particular actions and seeks mercy for them. In worship, promises and songs can become occasions for renewed attention to the life those words describe. We can also receive correction without defensiveness when trusted fellow believers point out a gap between our confession and our conduct. God already knows that gap, and his compassion makes truthful return possible.
Reflection & Prayer
Are there words we have repeated before God that our choices have not yet embraced? Sit quietly with one promise, prayer, or confession that has become familiar, and ask for a more faithful heart. Suggested prayer: "God of truth, guard our mouths from empty speech. Search our hearts, receive our honest confession, and teach us to walk faithfully with you."