Psalms 106:8

8 Yet He saved them because of His name, to make His power known.[a]

Psalms 106:8 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 106:8

Nevertheless, he saved them for his name's sake
Not for any worth or worthiness in them; not for their righteousness sake, for they were a rebellious and disobedient people; but for his name's sake, because his name was called upon them, and he was called the God of the Hebrews, as Aben Ezra observes; and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their ancestors; to whom he had promised the land of Canaan, and was their covenant God; and because of his covenant, and of his divine perfections, and the glory of them, which were engaged to make it good; therefore he saved them, see ( Ezekiel 20:9 Ezekiel 20:14 ) . And so the spiritual Israel of God are saved, not for any superior excellencies in them, for they are in no wise better than others; nor for their righteousness sake; but to display the wisdom and faithfulness of God, his grace and mercy, his justice and holiness, power, goodness, and truth. And so here it follows;

that he might make his mighty power to be known;
not only among the Israelites, but among the nations of the world; who, had he not saved them, might have thought, and said, that it was for want of power, and that he could not do it; see ( Deuteronomy 9:28 ) .

Psalms 106:8 In-Context

6 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have gone astray and have acted wickedly.
7 Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp [the significance of] Your wonderful works or remember Your many acts of faithful love; instead, they rebelled by the sea-the Red Sea.
8 Yet He saved them because of His name, to make His power known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.
10 He saved them from the hand of the adversary; He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

Footnotes 1

Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.