Psalms 106:20

KJV

Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.

KJV (with Strong's)

Thus they changed {H4171} their glory {H3519} into the similitude {H8403} of an ox {H7794} that eateth {H398} grass {H6212}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Thus they exchanged their Glory for the image of an ox that eats grass!

Berean Standard Bible

They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.

American Standard Version

Thus they changed their glory For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Psalms 106:20 serves as a poignant indictment of Israel's profound spiritual failure during their wilderness wanderings, specifically referencing the incident of the golden calf. The verse reveals a pivotal moment of national apostasy where the chosen people exchanged their unique relationship with the one true God—their ultimate source of honor, identity, and divine presence—for a worthless and mundane idol, epitomized by the image of an ox dependent on earthly sustenance. This act represents the ultimate degradation of their spiritual standing, trading infinite glory for finite insignificance.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Psalm 106 is a historical psalm, part of Book IV of the Psalter (Psalms 90-106). It functions as a national confession of sin, recounting Israel's tumultuous history of rebellion and God's enduring faithfulness from the Exodus through the wilderness wanderings, the conquest of Canaan, and the period of the judges. This psalm parallels Psalm 78 and Nehemiah 9 in its review of covenant infidelity. Verse 20 specifically hones in on the infamous incident at Mount Horeb (Sinai), detailed in [Exodus 32](/exodus/32 "Exodus 32 - The Golden Calf"), where the people, impatient for Moses' return, compelled Aaron to fashion an idol, thereby violating the very first commandments God had just given them. The psalm's structure moves chronologically through Israel's transgressions, with this verse highlighting an early and foundational act of rebellion that set a pattern for future unfaithfulness.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The historical setting for Psalms 106:20 is immediately after the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. The Israelites had just witnessed God's awe-inspiring power in the Exodus and His visible presence on the mountain. Yet, within a short period, they demanded a visible god to lead them, demonstrating a profound lack of trust and spiritual discernment. Culturally, the surrounding nations, particularly Egypt, practiced animal worship, including the veneration of bull deities like Apis. This cultural influence likely contributed to Israel's choice of an "ox" image, despite God's explicit prohibition against making graven images ([Exodus 20:4](/exodus/20-4 "Exodus 20:4 - Prohibition of Idolatry")). The act was not merely a lapse in judgment but a direct affront to the covenant God who had just delivered them from a land steeped in such idolatry.
* **Key Themes:** The central theme underscored by this verse is **Idolatry and Apostasy**, illustrating Israel's repeated tendency to abandon the living God for man-made substitutes. The "ox that eateth grass" serves as a powerful symbol of the mundane, earthly, and utterly powerless nature of idols when contrasted with the transcendent Creator. This act also highlights the theme of **Exchanging True Glory**, emphasizing that Israel's unique glory was their covenant relationship with the one true God, who had chosen, delivered, and established His presence among them. To trade this divine relationship for a mere animal image was the ultimate spiritual degradation, foreshadowing the lament in [Romans 1:23](/romans/1-23 "Romans 1:23 - Exchanging God's Glory for Images") where humanity "changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." Furthermore, the verse implicitly points to **Spiritual Blindness and Ingratitude**, as despite overwhelming evidence of God's power and faithfulness, the people demonstrated a profound inability to discern His true nature, choosing a visible, tangible, but lifeless object over the invisible, living God who had performed mighty deeds on their behalf.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Glory (Hebrew, _kavod_):** This multifaceted Hebrew term signifies weight, honor, splendor, and the manifest presence of God. In this context, "their glory" refers to Israel's unique and privileged relationship with the one true God, Yahweh. God Himself was their glory, their honor, their distinguishing mark among the nations, and the source of their true worth and identity. To "change their glory" means to exchange this inestimable divine relationship for something else, a profound act of spiritual betrayal and degradation.
* **Changed (Hebrew, _mur_):** The verb "changed" implies a deliberate act of exchange or substitution. It is not an accidental deviation but an intentional turning away from one thing to another. This highlights the active choice Israel made to reject their divine benefactor and embrace a false god, indicating a profound shift in their allegiance and worship.
* **Similitude (Hebrew, _tavnit_):** This word denotes a pattern, form, or likeness. It emphasizes that the idol was not merely an abstract concept but a tangible, crafted image. The use of "similitude" underscores the human attempt to contain or represent the divine in a physical form, which is precisely what God forbade in the second commandment.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Thus they changed their glory":** The pronoun "they" refers to the Israelites, specifically at Mount Horeb. This clause emphasizes their active participation and responsibility in the act of apostasy. "Their glory" refers to God Himself, who was their unique possession and the source of their honor and distinction among the nations. By changing their glory, they actively rejected their covenant relationship with Yahweh and sought an alternative source of worship and identity.
* **"into the similitude of an ox":** This specifies the object of their idolatry—an image resembling a bull or calf. This directly alludes to the golden calf incident in [Exodus 32](/exodus/32 "Exodus 32 - The Golden Calf"). The choice of an ox, a powerful but still a mere animal, highlights the profound spiritual downgrade from the transcendent, living God to a created, earthly image. It also suggests the influence of surrounding pagan cultures where bull cults were common.
* **"that eateth grass":** This phrase is a powerful and derogatory descriptor. It emphasizes the mundane, dependent, and utterly powerless nature of the idol. An ox is a creature of the earth, sustained by grass, subject to decay and death. It contrasts sharply with the self-existent, eternal, and all-powerful Creator God. This detail underscores the absurdity and spiritual degradation of exchanging the divine, life-giving God for a mere animal, a creature that consumes rather than creates, that is dependent rather than sovereign.

#### Literary Devices
The verse powerfully employs **Contrast** to highlight the profound spiritual error of Israel. A stark dichotomy is drawn between God's **Glory**—representing His transcendent majesty, power, and unique relationship with His people—and the "similitude of an ox that eateth grass," which symbolizes the base, earthly, and utterly powerless nature of the idol. This contrast is further amplified by **Irony**: the people who had just witnessed the awesome, unapproachable glory of God at Sinai ([Exodus 19:16-19](/exodus/19-16 "Exodus 19:16-19 - God's Presence at Sinai")) immediately turned to worship a mundane animal image. The phrase "that eateth grass" functions as a **Metonymy** or **Synecdoche**, representing the entire class of created, dependent, and ultimately worthless idols. It also serves as a **Derogatory Epithet**, diminishing the perceived power of the idol and underscoring the foolishness of those who worship it.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 106:20 profoundly illustrates the universal and timeless nature of idolatry, extending far beyond the literal worship of physical statues. It reveals the core theological problem of humanity's tendency to displace God from His rightful place of ultimate devotion, trust, and affection. True idolatry is not merely bowing before an image, but placing anything—be it wealth, career, relationships, self-image, comfort, or even religious rituals—in the position that only God should occupy. This verse underscores the spiritual degradation inherent in exchanging the Creator for the created, trading the infinite, eternal, and all-sufficient God for finite, temporal, and ultimately unsatisfying substitutes. It is a warning that when we seek our "glory" or ultimate fulfillment in anything "that eateth grass"—anything of this transient, earthly realm—we diminish our true identity and relationship with the divine.

* [Romans 1:23](/romans/1-23 "Romans 1:23 - Exchanging God's Glory for Images")
* [Exodus 32:7-8](/exodus/32-7 "Exodus 32:7-8 - The Lord's Anger at the Golden Calf")
* [Isaiah 40:18-20](/isaiah/40-18 "Isaiah 40:18-20 - Incomparability of God and Worthlessness of Idols")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 106:20 serves as a timeless mirror for self-examination, challenging us to identify what we truly consider our "glory" in the modern world. While we may not fashion golden calves, the human heart remains prone to idolatry, subtly elevating created things to the status of ultimate worth and security. Do we derive our sense of identity, worth, and purpose from our achievements, possessions, social status, or the approval of others? Are we exchanging the glory of God—our unique relationship with Him, His presence, and His purposes for our lives—for things that are ultimately "of the earth" and "eateth grass," meaning they are transient, dependent, and unable to truly satisfy or sustain us? This verse calls us to a radical reorientation of our affections and allegiances, to recognize that our true glory lies solely in knowing, loving, and serving the living God. It urges us to dismantle the idols of our hearts, whether they be ambition, comfort, control, or self-reliance, and to reaffirm God as our supreme delight and ultimate source of all good.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **What do I truly consider my "glory" or ultimate source of worth and security in my life today?**
* **In what ways might I be exchanging the glory of God for something "that eateth grass" in my daily thoughts, desires, or pursuits?**
* **How can I cultivate a deeper appreciation for God's true glory and resist the temptation to seek fulfillment in created things rather than the Creator?**

### FAQ
**What does "changed their glory" mean in this context?**

Answer: In Psalms 106:20, "changed their glory" refers to Israel's profound spiritual betrayal and a radical reorientation of their worship. Their true "glory" was God Himself—His manifest presence, His unique covenant relationship with them, His power, and His splendor. He was their honor, their distinguishing mark among the nations, and the source of their identity and worth. By "changing their glory," they abandoned this inestimable, divine relationship and instead attributed ultimate worth, devotion, and trust to a man-made idol, the golden calf. It signifies a deliberate act of exchanging the infinite, transcendent God for a finite, created object, thereby debasing their own spiritual standing and rejecting the very source of their true honor.

**Why is the "ox that eateth grass" used as a descriptor for the idol?**

Answer: This phrase is a powerful and derogatory descriptor used to highlight the utter insignificance, mundane nature, and powerlessness of the idol when compared to the living God. An ox is a common, dependent, mortal creature that consumes earthly sustenance ("eateth grass"). It is a creature, not the Creator. This contrasts sharply with the self-sufficient, eternal, and all-powerful God who provides sustenance for all creation. By describing the idol this way, the psalmist emphasizes the absurdity and spiritual degradation of exchanging the divine, life-giving God for a mere animal image. It underscores that the idol is a product of the earth, dependent on it, and ultimately lifeless and incapable of delivering or sustaining. It also directly alludes to the golden calf, which was likely a representation of a bull deity, common in surrounding pagan cultures, further highlighting Israel's descent into the very practices God had forbidden.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 106:20, with its stark depiction of Israel exchanging their divine glory for a mundane idol, finds its ultimate fulfillment and reversal in Jesus Christ. While Israel debased their relationship with God by turning to an image "that eateth grass," Christ is revealed as the very "radiance of God's glory and the exact imprint of His nature" ([Hebrews 1:3](/hebrews/1-3 "Hebrews 1:3 - The Son, Radiance of God's Glory")). He is the true and living image of the invisible God ([Colossians 1:15](/colossians/1-15 "Colossians 1:15 - Christ, the Image of the Invisible God")), unlike the lifeless ox. Rather than clinging to His divine glory, Christ "emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" ([Philippians 2:6-8](/philippians/2-6 "Philippians 2:6-8 - Christ's Humiliation and Exaltation")), descending to our level to restore humanity's access to true glory. Through His sacrifice, He redeems us from the idolatry of seeking our worth in created things and invites us into a restored relationship with God, where our true glory is found in Him. Believers, beholding the glory of the Lord in the face of Christ, are progressively "being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another" ([2 Corinthians 3:18](/2_corinthians/3-18 "2 Corinthians 3:18 - Transformed from Glory to Glory")), no longer exchanging divine glory for earthly substitutes, but reflecting the very glory of God through the Spirit.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Jeremiah 2:11

Hath a nation changed [their] gods, which [are] yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for [that which] doth not profit.

Exodus 20:4

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:

Exodus 20:5

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;

Romans 1:22

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Romans 1:23

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Psalms 89:17

For thou [art] the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

Isaiah 40:18

¶ To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?