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Psalms 105

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Call to Worship and Remembrance 1–6

1
O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. ​
2
Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
3
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
4
Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. ​
5
Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
6
O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. ​

God Remembers His Covenant 7–15

7
He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth. ​
8
He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. ​
9
Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;
10
And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:
11
Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: ​
12
When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.
13
When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;
14
He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;
15
Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. ​

The Lord Prepares the Way through Joseph 16–25

16
Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread. ​
17
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: ​
18
Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
19
Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. ​
20
The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
21
He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:
22
To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.
23
Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24
And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.
25
He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants. ​

Signs and Wonders in Egypt 26–36

26
He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen. ​
27
They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
28
He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word. ​
29
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.
30
Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.
31
He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.
32
He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.
33
He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.
34
He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,
35
And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
36
He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength. ​

Provision and Inheritance in the Land 37–45

37
He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes. ​
38
Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.
39
He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night. ​
40
The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41
He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
42
For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
43
And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
44
And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people; ​
45
That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalms 105

Verse 1

give thanks unto the LORD — Yadah, from the word for the hand: to confess, give thanks, with the hand held out. 'Deeds' is alilah, what God has done, to be made known 'among the people', as in Isa 12:4. Ps 106:1 repeats the same words after its 'Praise ye the LORD': 'O give thanks unto the LORD'.

Verse 4

Seek the LORD, and his strength — Two verbs: darash, to resort to and enquire of, then baqash, to search out, for the 'face'. 'Strength' (oz) recalls 'the ark of thy strength' (Ps 132:8). 'Evermore' is tamid, continually; compare 'Seek ye my face' (Ps 27:8).

Verse 6

seed of Abraham his servant — The summons turns to Israel as heirs of the story that follows. 'Chosen' is bachir, the one selected; Isa 41:8 joins the same titles: 'Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.'

Verse 7

his judgments are in all the earth — Mishpat, a verdict or ruling, the word of v.5, 'the judgments of his mouth'. The God who is 'our God' (the covenant claim) is not local: his rulings reach 'all the earth', as in Isa 26:9, 'when thy judgments are in the earth'.

Verse 8

a thousand generations — Dor, a generation or age. The same pledge stands in 1 Chr 16:15 and in Deut 7:9, where the LORD keeps covenant and mercy with those who love him. 'Remembered' (zakar) returns in v.42: 'he remembered his holy promise'.

Verse 11

the lot of your inheritance — Chebel is a measuring cord, so the land is a portion measured out; nachalah is an inherited estate. Ps 78:55 shows the cord used: God 'divided them an inheritance by line'. The promise is first given in Gen 12:7 and 15:18.

Verse 15

Touch not mine anointed — Mashiach, one set apart by anointing, here the patriarchs themselves, who are also called 'prophets' (nabi). Abraham is so named when God warns Abimelech: 'he is a prophet' (Gen 20:7); the warning to the king is the 'reproof' of v.14.

Verse 16

he called for a famine — Qara, to summon; the verb of 'call upon his name' in v.1. The famine answers to Joseph's word: 'the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said' (Gen 41:54). 'Staff of bread' is the support of life, broken as in Lev 26:26 and Ezek 4:16.

Verse 17

a man before them, even Joseph — The sending is the LORD's, though the sale was the brothers' (makar, to sell; Gen 37:36). Joseph names both: 'ye sold me hither' and 'God did send me before you to preserve life' (Gen 45:5); see also Gen 50:20.

Verse 19

the word of the LORD tried him — Tsaraph is the refiner's verb, to smelt and purify metal. Joseph's confinement lasted 'until the time that his word came'; Acts 7:10 records the outcome, that God 'delivered him out of all his afflictions' and gave him favour before Pharaoh.

Verse 25

He turned their heart — Haphak, to turn over, the verb of v.29, 'He turned their waters into blood'. The Egyptian hatred follows Israel's increase (v.24; Exod 1:9, 'more and mightier than we'). 'Deal subtilly' is nakal, to act craftily (Acts 7:19).

Verse 26

Aaron whom he had chosen — Bachar, to choose, from the root of 'chosen' (bachir) in vv.6 and 43. Moses is sent as in Exod 3:10, 'I will send thee unto Pharaoh'; Aaron is joined to him as spokesman, 'thy prophet' (Exod 7:1).

Verse 28

they rebelled not against his word — Marah, to be bitter, hence to defy. The darkness is the ninth plague in Exodus; the psalm places it first. In it 'all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings' (Exod 10:23), while Egypt saw not for three days.

Verse 36

the chief of all their strength — Reshith, the first or beginning, with on, vigour. The firstborn are the first fruit of a household's strength, the terms Jacob uses of Reuben (Gen 49:3). The stroke fell 'at midnight' (Exod 12:29); Ps 78:51 has 'the chief of their strength'.

Verse 37

silver and gold… not one feeble person — The wealth was asked of the Egyptians, who 'lent unto them such things as they required' (Exod 12:36), as promised to Abraham, 'afterward shall they come out with great substance' (Gen 15:14). Kashal, to stumble: none among the tribes stumbled.

Verse 39

a cloud for a covering — Masak, a covering or screen. The pillar went 'by day… to lead them the way; and by night… to give them light' (Exod 13:21); the same two functions recur in Neh 9:12. Isa 4:5 promises a cloud by day and flaming fire by night over Zion.

Verse 44

the labour of the people — Amal, toil, the fruit of others' work. Moses foretold 'houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not' (Deut 6:11); Joshua repeats it: 'cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them' (Josh 24:13). The land promised in v.11 is here given.

Verse 45

observe his statutes, and keep his laws — The purpose clause: chok, a decree, and torah, instruction; 'keep' is natsar, to guard. Moses likewise joins the gift of the land to obedience (Deut 4:1). 'Praise ye the LORD' is Hallelu-Yah, which also opens Ps 106.