Psalms 105

Praise to Yahweh for His Work on Behalf of Israel

1 Give thanks to Yahweh; proclaim his name; make known his deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to him; sing praises concerning him; tell of all his wonderful works.

3 Boast about his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

4 Make supplication to Yahweh and his might; seek his face continually.

5 Remember his wonders that he has done, his signs and the judgments of his mouth,

6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, [you] descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7 He [is] Yahweh our God; his judgments [are] in all the earth.

8 He remembers his covenant forever, [the] word [that] he commanded for a thousand generations,

9 that he made with Abraham, and by his oath [swore] to Isaac.

10 He then confirmed it to Jacob as a statute, to Israel [as] an everlasting covenant,

11 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan [as] the allotment [that is] your inheritance."

12 When they were {few in number}-- a trifle--and [were] sojourners in it,

13 and they wandered about {among the nations}, from [one] kingdom to another people,

14 he allowed no one to oppress them, and he rebuked kings on account of them,

15 "Do not touch my anointed ones, nor harm my prophets."

16 Then he called for a famine upon the land; he broke every {supply} of bread.

17 He sent a man on ahead of them; Joseph was sold as a slave.

18 They clamped his feet in fetters. His neck went into irons.

19 Until [the] time his word came about, the word of Yahweh tested him.

20 [The] king sent and he freed him; [the] ruler of [the] peoples [sent] and let him loose.

21 He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions,

22 to obligate his officials {as he saw fit} and teach his elders wisdom.

23 Then Israel came [to] Egypt, and Jacob was a sojourner in the land of Ham.

24 And he made his people very fruitful. He also made them stronger than their enemies.

25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal deceitfully against his servants.

26 He sent his servant Moses, together with Aaron whom he had chosen.

27 They set before them the words concerning his signs and portents in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness and made [it] dark, and they did not rebel against his words.

29 He turned their waters into blood and it killed their fish.

30 Their land swarmed with frogs, [even] in the chambers of their kings.

31 He spoke, and there came flies [and] gnats throughout all their territory.

32 He gave hail for their rains [and the] fire of lightning in their land.

33 And he struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their territory.

34 He spoke and there came locusts and young locusts without number.

35 And they ate up all [the] vegetation in their land, and they ate up the fruit of their ground.

36 And he struck down all [the] firstborn in their land, [the] first of all their virility.

37 Then he brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.

38 Egypt was glad when they departed, because the fear of them had fallen upon them.

39 He spread out a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light at night.

40 They asked, and he brought quail, and satisfied them with [the] bread of heaven.

41 He opened [the] rock and waters flowed; they coursed through the dry places [like] a river.

42 For he remembered his holy {promise}; [he remembered] Abraham his servant.

43 And [so] he brought out his people with joy, his chosen ones with rejoicing.

44 And he gave to them [the] lands of [the] nations, and they inherited [the] labor of [the] peoples,

45 so that they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise Yah.

Psalms 105 Commentary

Chapter 105

A solemn call to praise and serve the Lord. (1-7) His gracious dealings with Israel. (8-23) Their deliverance from Egypt, and their settlement in Canaan. (24-45)

Verses 1-7 Our devotion is here stirred up, that we may stir up ourselves to praise God. Seek his strength; that is, his grace; the strength of his Spirit to work in us that which is good, which we cannot do but by strength derived from him, for which he will be sought. Seek to have his favour to eternity, therefore continue seeking it while living in this world; for he will not only be found, but he will reward those that diligently seek him.

Verses 8-23 Let us remember the Redeemer's marvellous works, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth. Though true Christians are few number, strangers and pilgrims upon earth, yet a far better inheritance than Canaan is made sure to them by the covenant of God; and if we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, none can do us any harm. Afflictions are among our mercies. They prove our faith and love, they humble our pride, they wean us from the world, and quicken our prayers. Bread is the staff which supports life; when that staff is broken, the body fails and sinks to the earth. The word of God is the staff of spiritual life, the food and support of the soul: the sorest judgment is a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Such a famine was sore in all lands when Christ appeared in the flesh; whose coming, and the blessed effect of it, are shadowed forth in the history of Joseph. At the appointed time Christ was exalted as Mediator; all the treasures of grace and salvation are at his disposal, perishing sinners come to him, and are relieved by him.

Verses 24-45 As the believer commonly thrives best in his soul when under the cross; so the church also flourishes most in true holiness, and increases in number, while under persecution. Yet instruments shall be raised up for their deliverance, and plagues may be expected by persecutors. And see the special care God took of his people in the wilderness. All the benefits bestowed on Israel as a nation, were shadows of spiritual blessings with which we are blessed in Christ Jesus. Having redeemed us with his blood, restored our souls to holiness, and set us at liberty from Satan's bondage, he guides and guards us all the way. He satisfies our souls with the bread of heaven, and the water of life from the Rock of salvation, and will bring us safely to heaven. He redeems his servants from all iniquity, and purifies them unto himself, to be a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "children," or "sons"
• [b]. Hebrew plural
• [c]. Literally "men of number," that is, so few you could count them
• [d]. Literally "from people to people"
• [e]. Literally "staff"
• [f]. Hebrew "oppressed, hurt"
• [g]. Hebrew "fetter"
• [h]. Hebrew nephesh can designate the life, soul, appetite, desire, or throat/neck.
• [i]. Hebrew "iron"
• [j]. Or "refined"
• [k]. Hebrew "to bind, imprison" The LXX's "to instruct" presupposes ysr instead of 'sr, and might be correct in light of the parallelism that is fairly tight in this psalm
• [l]. Literally "in his desire [soul]"
• [m]. That is, God
• [n]. Hebrew "him"
• [o]. Hebrew "his"
• [p]. Hebrew "borders"
• [q]. That is, Israel
• [r]. Hebrew "He"
• [s]. Or "surged"
• [t]. Literally "word"
• [u]. Hebrew hallelujah

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 105

This psalm was penned by David, and sung at the time when the ark was brought from the house of Obededom to the place which David had prepared for it; at least the first fifteen verses of it, the other part being probably added afterwards by the same inspired penman, as appears from 1Ch 16:1-7. The subject matter of the psalm is the special and distinguishing goodness of God to the children of Israel, and to his church and people, of which they were typical: the history of God's regard to and care of their principal ancestors, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and of the whole body of the people, in bringing them out of Egypt, leading them through the wilderness, and settling them in the land of Canaan, is here recited, as an argument for praise and thankfulness.