“Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.”
The foundation for the teaching is established: "Things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us." The tradition being transmitted is not new speculation but accumulated wisdom from past generations, passed down through oral testimony. This verse emphasizes the continuity of faith across generations and the importance of intergenerational transmission of God's mighty works. The phrase about what "ancestors have told us" grounds authority not in individual innovation but in the received tradition of the covenant community.
Church Fathers on Psalms 78:3
1. This Psalm does contain the things which are said to have been done among the old people: but the new and latter people is being admonished, to beware that it be not ungrateful regarding the blessings of God, and provoke His anger against it, whereas it ought to receive His grace....The Title thereof does first move and engage our attention. For it is not without reason inscribed, “Understanding of Asaph:” but it is perchance because these words require a reader who does…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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