Psalms106

This psalm recounts Israel's history of rebellion and God's enduring mercy. It begins with a call to praise the LORD, then details the nation's repeated provocations, from the Red Sea to the wilderness and Canaan, where they forgot God's wonders and turned to idolatry. Despite their persistent sin, God, in His great mercy, frequently delivered them and remembered His covenant. The psalm concludes with a plea for present salvation and a doxology.
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Introduction: A Call to Praise and Prayer

1
Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever. ​
2
Who can describe the mighty acts of the LORD or fully proclaim His praise?
3
Blessed are those who uphold justice, who practice righteousness at all times. ​
4
Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor to Your people; visit me with Your salvation, ​
5
that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, and rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, and give glory with Your inheritance.

The Sins of the Fathers: The Red Sea

6
We have sinned like our fathers; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. ​
7
Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders or remember Your abundant kindness; but they rebelled by the sea, there at the Red Sea. ​
8
Yet He saved them for the sake 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 that hated them; He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11
The waters covered their foes; not one of them remained.
12
Then they believed His promises and sang His praise.

Rebellion and Idolatry in the Wilderness

13
Yet they soon forgot His works and failed to wait for His counsel. ​
14
They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert.
15
So He granted their request, but sent a wasting disease upon them. ​
16
In the camp they envied Moses, as well as Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.
17
The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram.
18
Then fire blazed through their company; flames consumed the wicked.
19
At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped a molten image.
20
They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox. ​
21
They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,
22
wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23
So He said He would destroy them— had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach to divert His wrath from destroying them. ​
24
They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise.
25
They grumbled in their tents and did not listen to the voice of the LORD.
26
So He raised His hand and swore to cast them down in the wilderness,
27
to disperse their offspring among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
28
They yoked themselves to Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods. ​
29
So they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
30
But Phinehas stood and intervened, and the plague was restrained. ​
31
It was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.
32
At the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them.
33
For they rebelled against His Spirit, and Moses spoke rashly with his lips. ​

Compromise and Sin in Canaan

34
They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them, ​
35
but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
36
They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
37
They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. ​
38
They shed innocent blood— the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.
39
They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.
40
So the anger of the LORD burned against His people, and He abhorred His own inheritance.
41
He delivered them into the hand of the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them.
42
Their enemies oppressed them, and subdued them under their hand.
43
Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.
44
Nevertheless He heard their cry; He took note of their distress.
45
And He remembered His covenant with them, and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion. ​
46
He made them objects of compassion to all who held them captive.

Prayer for Deliverance and Doxology

47
Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise. ​
48
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Hallelujah! ​

Study Notes for Psalms 106

Verse 1

This psalm is the final installment of Book IV of the Psalter. It begins with the characteristic Hallelujah ('Praise ye the LORD') and establishes the foundational theological truth that God’s goodness and covenant loyalty endure forever.

Verse 3

The psalmist connects true blessedness not just with worship, but with ethical living, emphasizing that covenant faithfulness requires both keeping judgment and doing righteousness constantly.

Verse 4

The author shifts from corporate praise to personal prayer, asking to share in the promised blessings and salvation reserved for God’s chosen people.

Verse 6

This verse marks a transition to a historical confession. The psalmist identifies the current generation with the persistent sin and guilt of their ancestors, establishing the theme of historical apostasy.

Verse 7

Despite witnessing the miraculous plagues in Egypt, the Israelites immediately doubted God's power and provision at the Red Sea (Exod 14), demonstrating a fundamental failure to trust His mercy.

Verse 8

God’s deliverance was not based on Israel’s obedience or faith, but solely 'for his name’s sake,' meaning He acted to uphold His own reputation and demonstrate His power to the world.

Verse 13

The transition from V. 12 to V. 13 is stark, highlighting the fleeting nature of Israel’s faith. They forgot God's previous works and refused to wait for His reliable guidance and timing.

Verse 15

This refers to the quail incident (Num 11). God gave them the meat they craved, but the resulting provision brought judgment and spiritual emptiness ('leanness into their soul'), illustrating the danger of demanding selfish desires.

Verse 20

This describes the Golden Calf incident (Exod 32). They exchanged the invisible, glorious God for an image of a grazing ox, a profound act of theological degradation and forgetfulness.

Verse 23

Moses is portrayed as the covenant mediator who 'stood in the breach,' acting as an intercessor and buffer between God’s righteous wrath and the rebellious people (Exod 32:11-14).

Verse 28

The sin at Baalpeor (Num 25) involved joining themselves to a Moabite fertility cult, including sexual immorality and eating sacrifices made to lifeless idols ('sacrifices of the dead').

Verse 30

Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, acted decisively to execute judgment on the offenders, stopping the plague that had broken out. This zeal demonstrated a commitment to God's holiness.

Verse 33

This references the Waters of Meribah (Num 20), where Moses struck the rock out of frustration. His failure to sanctify God properly resulted in him being barred from entering the promised land.

Verse 34

After entering the land, Israel failed in their primary mission: to completely destroy the corrupt Canaanite nations, leading directly to cultural and religious compromise.

Verse 37

The ultimate result of mingling with the heathen was the adoption of horrific pagan practices, including the sacrifice of their own children to demonic entities (often Molech or Baal).

Verse 45

Despite Israel's repeated sin and subsequent judgment, God's deliverance always stems from His sovereign decision to 'remember his covenant' and act based on His abundant mercy (hesed), not Israel's repentance.

Verse 47

The psalm concludes with a final plea for the current generation (likely in exile or distress) to be saved and gathered back to the land, allowing them to fulfill the purpose of covenant life: praising God.

Verse 48

This doxology formally closes Book IV of the Psalter (Psalms 90–106). The command for 'all the people' to respond with 'Amen' signifies communal affirmation of God's eternal sovereignty and faithfulness.

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