Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 78:2-3

"I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us." — Psalms 78:2-3 (ASV)

I will open. — A difficulty arises from the fact that the psalm deals with history and is neither a proverb (mâshal) nor a riddle (chîdah). But the Divine rejection of the northern tribes may be the hidden meaning that the poet sees was wrapped up in all the ancient history. The word mâshal is also sometimes used in a wide, vague sense, embracing prophetic as well as proverbial poetry .

For dark sayings, literally, knotty points, see Numbers 12:8. In Habakkuk 2:6, the word seems to mean a sarcasm.

For the use of this passage in Matthew 13:35, see Note, New Testament Commentary.