Psalms 78:66

“And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts, etc.] Not the Israelites, as Kimchi interprets it, but the Philistines, who in another battle were put to flight, and turned their backs, and so were smitten in their hinder parts; or rather this has reference to the Philistines being smitten with haemorrhoids, or piles in their posteriors, while the ark was retained a captive by them, (<090506>1 Samuel 5:6,12), and so the Targum paraphrases it, “and he smote them that troubled them with haemorrhoids in their posteriors;” the Greek version, as quoted by Suidas f1145, is, “he smote his enemies on the back parts of the seat”; signifying, he says, a disease, modestly expressed: he put them to a…”

“And he smote his enemies in the hinder part - From behind; that is, as they fled. There are two ideas here: one, that they fled at his approach, or turned their backs; the other, that as they fled, he smote and destroyed them. He put them to a perpetual reproach - As discomfited; as defeated and scattered; as unable to contend with him. The allusion is, probably, to the victories of David, occurring after the events related in the preceding verses. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Smote - Them with the piles. Reproach - He caused them to perpetuate their own reproach by sending back the ark of God with their golden emrods, the lasting monuments of their shame. Psalms 78:67”

“And he: Sa1 5:6, Sa1 6:4; Job 40:12 he put: Jer 23:40 Psalms 78:67”