Psalms 106:8-18

8 and he saved them for his name, that he should make known his power. (but still he saved them for the sake of his name, so that he could make known his power.)
9 And he parted the Red Sea, and it was dried; and he led forth them in the depths of waters, as in desert. (And he parted the Red Sea, or the Sea of Reeds, and it dried up; and he led them forth through the depths of the waters, as though through the wilderness.)
10 And he saved them from the hand of haters; and he again-bought them from the hand of the enemy (and he redeemed them from the power of the enemy).
11 And the waters covered men troubling them; one of them abode not. (And then the waters covered the men who troubled them; yea, not one of them was left alive.)
12 And they believed to his words; and they praised the praising of him. (And they believed in his promises; and they sang his praises.)
13 They had soon done, (that) they forgat his works; and they abided not his counsel. (But soon they had forgotten all his works; and they did not wait for his counsel.)
14 And they coveted covetousness in desert (And they were utterly insatiable in the wilderness); and tempted God in a place without water.
15 And he gave to them the asking of them; and he sent fullness into the souls of them. (And so he gave them what they asked for; but he also sent leanness, that is, sickness, into their bodies.)
16 And they wrathed (against) Moses in the castles; (and against) Aaron, the holy (man) of the Lord. (And they envied Moses in their tents; and also Aaron, the holy man of the Lord.)
17 The earth was opened, and swallowed [down] Dathan; and covered on the congregation of Abiram. (And the earth opened up, and swallowed Dathan; and it covered up the company, or the family, of Abiram.)
18 And fire burnt on high in the synagogue of them; flame burnt [the] sinners. (And fire burned on high throughout their company, or their congregation; yea, the flame burned up the sinners.)

Psalms 106:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 106

This psalm is without the name of its author, as the Syriac interpreter observes. Aben Ezra, on Ps 106:47, says, that one of the wise men of Egypt (perhaps Maimonides) was of opinion that it was written in the time of the judges, when there was no king in Israel; and another, he says, thought it was written in Babylon: but he was of opinion it was wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, or by a prophetic spirit, concerning their present captivity; and so Kimchi. The petition in Ps 106:47, "gather us from among the Heathen", has led most interpreters to conclude that it was written either in the Babylonish captivity, or, as some, in the times of Antiochus: but by comparing it with 1Ch 16:7, it appears that it was written by David, at the time of the bringing up of the ark to Zion; since the first and two last verses of it are there expressly mentioned, in the psalm he gave Asaph to sing on that occasion, Ps 106:34-36, who therein might have respect to the Israelites that had been taken captive by some of their neighbours, as the Philistines, and still retained; though there is no difficulty in supposing that David, under a prophetic spirit, foresaw future captivities, and represents those that were in them. As the preceding psalm treats of the mercies and favours God bestowed upon Israel, this of their sins and provocations amidst those blessings, and of the goodness of God unto them; that notwithstanding he did not destroy them from being a people; for which they had reason to be thankful.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.