1 O give thanks H3034 unto the LORD; H3068 call H7121 upon his name: H8034 make known H3045 his deeds H5949 among the people. H5971
2 Sing H7891 unto him, sing psalms H2167 unto him: talk H7878 ye of all his wondrous works. H6381
3 Glory H1984 ye in his holy H6944 name: H8034 let the heart H3820 of them rejoice H8055 that seek H1245 the LORD. H3068
4 Seek H1875 the LORD, H3068 and his strength: H5797 seek H1245 his face H6440 evermore. H8548
5 Remember H2142 his marvellous works H6381 that he hath done; H6213 his wonders, H4159 and the judgments H4941 of his mouth; H6310
6 O ye seed H2233 of Abraham H85 his servant, H5650 ye children H1121 of Jacob H3290 his chosen. H972
7 He is the LORD H3068 our God: H430 his judgments H4941 are in all the earth. H776
8 He hath remembered H2142 his covenant H1285 for ever, H5769 the word H1697 which he commanded H6680 to a thousand H505 generations. H1755
9 Which covenant he made H3772 with Abraham, H85 and his oath H7621 unto Isaac; H3446
10 And confirmed H5975 the same unto Jacob H3290 for a law, H2706 and to Israel H3478 for an everlasting H5769 covenant: H1285
11 Saying, H559 Unto thee will I give H5414 the land H776 of Canaan, H3667 the lot H2256 of your inheritance: H5159
12 When they were but a few men H4962 in number; H4557 yea, very few, H4592 and strangers H1481 in it.
13 When they went H1980 from one nation H1471 to another, from one kingdom H4467 to another H312 people; H5971
14 He suffered H3240 no man H120 to do them wrong: H6231 yea, he reproved H3198 kings H4428 for their sakes;
15 Saying, Touch H5060 not mine anointed, H4899 and do my prophets H5030 no harm. H7489
16 Moreover he called H7121 for a famine H7458 upon the land: H776 he brake H7665 the whole staff H4294 of bread. H3899
17 He sent H7971 a man H376 before H6440 them, even Joseph, H3130 who was sold H4376 for a servant: H5650
18 Whose feet H7272 they hurt H6031 with fetters: H3525 he H5315 was laid H935 in iron: H1270
19 Until the time H6256 that his word H1697 came: H935 the word H565 of the LORD H3068 tried H6884 him.
20 The king H4428 sent H7971 and loosed H5425 him; even the ruler H4910 of the people, H5971 and let him go free. H6605
21 He made H7760 him lord H113 of his house, H1004 and ruler H4910 of all his substance: H7075
22 To bind H631 his princes H8269 at his pleasure; H5315 and teach his senators H2205 wisdom. H2449
23 Israel H3478 also came H935 into Egypt; H4714 and Jacob H3290 sojourned H1481 in the land H776 of Ham. H2526
24 And he increased H6509 his people H5971 greatly; H3966 and made them stronger H6105 than their enemies. H6862
25 He turned H2015 their heart H3820 to hate H8130 his people, H5971 to deal subtilly H5230 with his servants. H5650
26 He sent H7971 Moses H4872 his servant; H5650 and Aaron H175 whom he had chosen. H977
27 They shewed H7760 his signs H226 H1697 among them, and wonders H4159 in the land H776 of Ham. H2526
28 He sent H7971 darkness, H2822 and made it dark; H2821 and they rebelled H4784 not against his word. H1697
29 He turned H2015 their waters H4325 into blood, H1818 and slew H4191 their fish. H1710
30 Their land H776 brought forth H8317 frogs H6854 in abundance, H8317 in the chambers H2315 of their kings. H4428
31 He spake, H559 and there came H935 divers sorts of flies, H6157 and lice H3654 in all their coasts. H1366
32 He gave H5414 them hail H1259 for rain, H1653 and flaming H3852 fire H784 in their land. H776
33 He smote H5221 their vines H1612 also and their fig trees; H8384 and brake H7665 the trees H6086 of their coasts. H1366
34 He spake, H559 and the locusts H697 came, H935 and caterpillers, H3218 and that without number, H4557
35 And did eat up H398 all the herbs H6212 in their land, H776 and devoured H398 the fruit H6529 of their ground. H127
36 He smote H5221 also all the firstborn H1060 in their land, H776 the chief H7225 of all their strength. H202
37 He brought them forth H3318 also with silver H3701 and gold: H2091 and there was not one feeble H3782 person among their tribes. H7626
38 Egypt H4714 was glad H8055 when they departed: H3318 for the fear H6343 of them fell H5307 upon them.
39 He spread H6566 a cloud H6051 for a covering; H4539 and fire H784 to give light H215 in the night. H3915
40 The people asked, H7592 and he brought H935 quails, H7958 and satisfied H7646 them with the bread H3899 of heaven. H8064
41 He opened H6605 the rock, H6697 and the waters H4325 gushed out; H2100 they ran H1980 in the dry places H6723 like a river. H5104
42 For he remembered H2142 his holy H6944 promise, H1697 and Abraham H85 his servant. H5650
43 And he brought forth H3318 his people H5971 with joy, H8342 and his chosen H972 with gladness: H7440
44 And gave H5414 them the lands H776 of the heathen: H1471 and they inherited H3423 the labour H5999 of the people; H3816
45 That they might observe H8104 his statutes, H2706 and keep H5341 his laws. H8451 Praise H1984 ye the LORD. H3050
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 105
Commentary on Psalms 105 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 105
Ps 105:1-45. After an exhortation to praise God, addressed especially to the chosen people, the writer presents the special reason for praise, in a summary of their history from the calling of Abraham to their settlement in Canaan, and reminds them that their obedience was the end of all God's gracious dealings.
1. call … name—(Ps 79:6; Ro 10:13). Call on Him, according to His historically manifested glory. After the example of Abraham, who, as often as God acquired for Himself a name in guiding him, called in solemn worship upon the name of the Lord (Ge 12:8; 13:4).
among the people—or, "peoples" (Ps 18:49).
deeds—or, "wonders" (Ps 103:7).
3, 4. Seeking God's favor is the only true mode of getting true happiness, and His strength [Ps 105:4] is the only true source of protection (compare Ps 32:11; 40:16).
Glory … name—boast in His perfections. The world glories in its horses and chariots against the Church of God lying in the dust; but our hope is in the name, that is, the power and love of God to His people, manifested in past deliverances.
5, 6. judgments … mouth—His judicial decisions for the good and against the wicked.
6. chosen—rather qualifies "children" than "Jacob," as a plural.
7. Rather, "He, Jehovah, is our God." His title, "Jehovah," implies that He, the unchangeable, self-existing Being, makes things to be, that is, fulfils His promises, and therefore will not forsake His people. Though specially of His people, He is God over all.
8-11. The covenant was often ratified.
word—answering to "covenant" [Ps 105:9] in the parallel clause, namely, the word of promise, which, according to Ps 105:10, He set forth for an inviolable law.
commanded—or, "ordained" (Ps 68:28).
to a thousand generations—perpetually. A verbal allusion to De 7:9 (compare Ex 20:6).
9. Which covenant—or, "Word" (Ps 105:8).
10, 11. Alluding to God's promise to Jacob (Ge 28:13). Out of the whole storehouse of the promises of God, only one is prominently brought forward, namely, that concerning the possession of Canaan [Ps 105:11]. Everything revolves around this. The wonders and judgments have all for their ultimate design the fulfilment of this promise.
12-15. few … in number—alluding to Jacob's words (Ge 34:30), "I being few in number."
yea, very few—literally, "as a few," that is, like fewness itself (compare Isa 1:9).
strangers—sojourners in the land of their future inheritance, as in a strange country (Heb 11:9).
13. from one nation to another—and so from danger to danger; now in Egypt, now in the wilderness, and lastly in Canaan. Though a few strangers, wandering among various nations, God protected them.
14. reproved kings—Pharaoh of Egypt and Abimelech of Gerar (Ge 12:17; 20:3).
15. Touch not—referring to Ge 26:11, where Abimelech says of Isaac, "He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
mine anointed—as specially consecrated to Me (Ps 2:2). The patriarch was the prophet, priest, and king of his family.
my prophets—in a similar sense, compare Ge 20:7. The "anointed" are those vessels of God, consecrated to His service, "in whom (as Pharaoh said of Joseph, Ge 41:38) the Spirit of God is" [Hengstenberg].
16. God ordered the famine. God
called for a famine—as if it were a servant, ready to come at God's bidding. Compare the centurion's words, as to disease being God's servant (Mt 8:8, 9).
upon the land—namely, Canaan (Ge 41:54).
staff of bread—what supports life (Le 26:26; Ps 104:15; Isa 3:1).
17-21. Joseph was sent of God (Ge 45:5).
18. hurt with fetters—(Ge 40:3).
was laid in iron—literally, "his soul" (see on Ps 16:10), or, "he came into iron," or, he was bound to his grief (compare Ps 3:2; 11:1). The "soul" is put for the whole person, because the soul of the captive suffers still more than the body. Joseph is referred to as being an appropriate type of those "bound in affliction and iron" (Ps 107:10).
19. his word came—His prophecy (Ge 41:11-20) to the officers came to pass, or was fulfilled (Jud 13:12, 17; 1Sa 9:6, explain the form of speech).
the word of the Lord—or, "saying," or "decree of the Lord."
tried him—or, "proved him," by the afflictions it appointed him to endure before his elevation (compare Ge 41:40-43).
22. To bind—Not literally bind; but exercise over them absolute control, as the parallel in the second clause shows; also Ge 41:40, 44, in which not literal fettering, but commanding obedience, is spoken of. It refers to Ps 105:18. The soul that was once bound itself now binds others, even princes. The same moral binding is assigned to the saints (Ps 149:8).
teach … senators wisdom—the ground of his exaltation by Pharaoh was his wisdom (Ge 41:39); namely, in state policy, and ordering well a kingdom.
23-25. Israel … and Jacob—that is, Jacob himself is meant, as Ps 105:24 speaks of "his people." Still, he came with his whole house (Ge 46:6, 7).
sojourned—(Ge 47:4).
land of Ham—or, Egypt (Ps 78:51).
25. turned their heart—God controls men's free acts (compare 1Sa 10:9). "When Saul had turned his back to go from (God's prophet) Samuel, God turned (Margin) him another heart" (see Ex 1:8, &c.). Whatever evil the wicked man plots against God's people, God holds bound even his heart, so as not to lay a single plan except what God permits. Thus Isaiah (Isa 43:17) says it was God who brought forth the army of Pharaoh to pursue Israel to their own destruction (Ex 4:21; 7:3).
26. Moses … chosen—both what they were by divine choice (Ps 78:70).
27. signs—literally, "words of signs," or rather, as "words" in Hebrew means "things," "things of His signs," that is, His marvellous tokens of power (Ps 145:5, Margin). Compare the same Hebraism (Ps 65:3, Margin).
28-36. The ninth plague is made prominent as peculiarly wonderful.
they rebelled not—Moses and Aaron promptly obeyed God (Heb 11:27); (compare Ex 7:1-11:10 and Ps 78:44-51, with which this summary substantially agrees). Or, rather, the "darkness" here is figurative (Jer 13:16), the literal plague of darkness (Ex 10:22, 23) being only alluded to as the symbol of God's wrath which overhung Egypt as a dark cloud during all the plagues. Hence, it is placed first, out of the historical order. Thus, "They rebelled not (that is, no longer) against His word," refers to the Egyptians. Whenever God sent a plague on them, they were ready to let Israel go, though refusing when the plague ceased.
his word—His command to let Israel go [Hengstenberg]. Of the ten plagues, only eight are mentioned, the fifth, the murrain of beasts, and the sixth, the boils, being omitted.
29-31. He deprived them of their favorite "fish," and gave them instead, [Ps 105:30] out of the water, loathsome "frogs," and (Ps 105:31) upon their land tormenting "flies" (the dog-fly, according to Maurer) and "lice" (gnats, according to Hengstenberg).
32. gave them—referring to Le 26:4, "I give you rain in due season." His "gift" to Israel's foes is one of a very different kind from that bestowed on His people.
hail for rain—instead of fertilizing showers, hail destructive to trees. This forms the transition to the vegetable kingdom. The locusts in Ps 105:34 similarly are destructive to plants.
33. their coasts—all their land (Ps 78:54).
34. caterpillars—literally, "the lickers up," devouring insects; probably the hairy-winged locust.
36. the chief—literally, "the firstlings." The ascending climax passes from the food of man to man himself. The language here is quoted from Ps 78:51.
37. with silver and gold—presented them by the Egyptians, as an acknowledgment due for their labors in their bondage (compare Ex 12:35).
one feeble person—or, "stumbler," unfit for the line of march. Compare "harnessed," that is, accoutred and marshalled as an army on march (Ex 13:18; Isa 5:27).
38. (Compare Ex 12:33; De 11:25).
39. covering—in sense of protection (compare Ex 13:21; Nu 10:34). In the burning sands of the desert the cloud protected the congregation from the heat of the sun; an emblem of God's protecting favor of His people, as interpreted by Isaiah (Isa 4:5, 6; compare Nu 9:16).
42-45. The reasons for these dealings: (1) God's faithfulness to His covenant, "His holy promise" of Canaan, is the fountain whence flowed so many acts of marvellous kindness to His people (compare Ps 105:8, 11). Ex 2:24 is the fundamental passage [Hengstenberg]. (2) That they might be obedient. The observance of God's commands by Abraham was the object of the covenant with him (Ge 18:19), as it was also the object of the covenant with Israel, that they might observe God's statutes.
remembered … and Abraham—or, "remembered His holy word (that is, covenant confirmed) with Abraham."
44. inherited the labour—that is, the fruits of their labor; their corn and vineyards (Jos 21:43-45).