What Does Psalms 78:65 Mean?

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. This startling anthropomorphism depicts God's sudden intervention after apparent inactivity. Then (az, אָז) marks the dramatic turn from judgment to deliverance. Awaked as one out of sleep (vayikatz kiyashen, וַיִּקַץ כְּיָשֵׁן) doesn't suggest God literally slept but uses human analogy—His seeming inaction suddenly erupts into vigorous activity.

The simile like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine (kegibbor mitronan miyyayin, כְּגִבּוֹר מִתְרוֹנֵן מִיָּיִן) is deliberately shocking. It doesn't depict drunkenness but the battle cry of a warrior roused to fierce action, perhaps with wine's courage-inducing effects. God arises with overwhelming force, shouting the war cry against Israel's enemies.

This verse anticipates Jesus' resurrection—death seemed victorious, but God 'awoke' with power, shouting triumph over the grave. When human hope dies, divine intervention becomes most dramatic. God's delays aren't defeats; His timing serves redemptive purposes beyond human understanding.