Psalms 106
106
Psalm 106#sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.
1 Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures!#tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,
or relate all his praiseworthy deeds?#tn Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”
3 How blessed are those who promote justice,
and do what is right all the time!
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people!
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
5 so I may see the prosperity#tn Heb “good.” of your chosen ones,
rejoice along with your nation,#tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”
and boast along with the people who belong to you.#tn Heb “with your inheritance.”
6 We have sinned like#tn Heb “with.” our ancestors;#tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).
we have done wrong, we have done evil.
7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,
they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,
and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea.#tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.
8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation,#tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
that he might reveal his power.
9 He shouted at#tn Or “rebuked.” the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
10 He delivered them from the power#tn Heb “hand.” of the one who hated them,
and rescued#tn Or “redeemed.” them from the power#tn Heb “hand.” of the enemy.
11 The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived.#tn Heb “remained.”
12 They believed his promises;#tn Heb “his words.”
they sang praises to him.
13 They quickly forgot what he had done;#tn Heb “his works.”
they did not wait for his instructions.#tn Heb “his counsel.”
14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving#sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35. for meat;#tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”
they challenged God#tn Heb “they tested God.” in the desert.
15 He granted their request,
then struck them with a disease.#tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”sn Disease. See Num 11:33-34, where this plague is described.
16 In the camp they resented#tn Or “envied.” Moses,
and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.#tn Heb “the holy one of the Lord.”
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it engulfed#tn Or “covered.” the group led by Abiram.#tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
18 Fire burned their group;
the flames scorched the wicked.#sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,
and worshiped a metal idol.
20 They traded their majestic God#tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the Lord states that his people (Israel) exchanged “their glory” (a reference to the Lord) for worthless idols.
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They rejected#tn Heb “forgot.” the God who delivered them,
the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,
22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,
mighty#tn Or “awe-inspiring.” acts by the Red Sea.
23 He threatened#tn Heb “and he said.” to destroy them,
but#tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.” Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him#tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
and turned back his destructive anger.#tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”sn Verses 19-23 describe the events of Exod 32:1-35.
24 They rejected the fruitful land;#tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
they did not believe his promise.#tn Heb “his word.”
25 They grumbled in their tents;#sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
they did not obey#tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.” the Lord.
26 So he made a solemn vow#tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).
that he would make them die#tn Heb “to cause them to fall.” in the desert,
27 make their descendants#tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.” die#tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”). among the nations,
and scatter them among foreign lands.#tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
28 They worshiped#tn Heb “joined themselves to.”sn They worshiped Baal of Peor. See Num 25:3, 5. Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal located at Peor. Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.#tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).
29 They made the Lord angry#tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew mss. Perhaps it was accidentally left off, an original וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ (vayyakh’isuhu) being misread as וַיַּכְעִיסוּ (vayyakh’isu). In the translation the referent of the pronominal suffix (the Lord) has been specified for clarity to avoid confusion with Baal of Peor (mentioned in the previous verse). by their actions,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened,#sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.
and the plague subsided.
31 This brought him a reward,
an eternal gift.#tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.” The verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon”) is collocated with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God rewards Abram’s faith with a land grant.sn Brought him a reward. See Num 25:12-13.
32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered#tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.” because of them,
33 for they aroused#tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints. his temper,#tn Heb “his spirit.”
and he spoke rashly.#tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.
34 They did not destroy the nations,#tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
as the Lord had commanded them to do.
35 They mixed in with the nations
and learned their ways.#tn Heb “their deeds.”
36 They worshiped#tn Or “served.” their idols,
which became a snare to them.#sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.#tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
38 They shed innocent blood –
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted by bloodshed.#sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
39 They were defiled by their deeds,
and unfaithful in their actions.#tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the Lord (see Ps 73:27).
40 So the Lord was angry with his people#tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against his people.”
and despised the people who belong to him.#tn Heb “his inheritance.”
41 He handed them over to#tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.” the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them;
they were subject to their authority.#tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
43 Many times he delivered#tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”). them,
but they had a rebellious attitude,#tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
and degraded themselves#tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal. by their sin.
44 Yet he took notice of their distress,
when he heard their cry for help.
45 He remembered his covenant with them,
and relented#tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway. because of his great loyal love.
46 He caused all their conquerors#tn Or “captors.”
to have pity on them.
47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!
Gather us from among the nations!
Then we will give thanks#tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative. to your holy name,
and boast about your praiseworthy deeds.#tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise,#tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
in the future and forevermore.#tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
Let all the people say, “We agree!#tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.” Praise the Lord!”#sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).
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1996 - 2007 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC
Psalm 106
106
Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good
1 # [See Ps. 105:45 above] Praise the Lord!
# See Ps. 105:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, #See Ps. 100:5 for he is good,
# See 1 Chr. 16:34, 41 for his steadfast love endures forever!
2Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or declare all his praise?
3Blessed are they who observe justice,
who #[Ps. 15:2]do righteousness at all times!
4 # [Ps. 119:132] Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you save them,#106:4 Or Remember me, O Lord, with the favor you show to your people; help me with your salvation
5that I may look upon the prosperity of your #Ps. 105:6, 43chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that I may glory with your inheritance.
6 #
1 Kgs. 8:47; Ezra 9:6; Neh. 1:6, 7; 9:16; Jer. 3:25; 14:20; Dan. 9:5 Both we and #Ps. 79:8; Lev. 26:40our fathers have sinned;
we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wondrous works;
they #[ver. 13, 21] did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
but #Ex. 14:11, 12rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8Yet he saved them #Ezek. 20:9, 14 for his name’s sake,
#
Ex. 9:16
that he might make known his mighty power.
9He #[Ps. 18:15; 104:7] rebuked the Red Sea, and it #Ex. 14:21; [Isa. 50:2; 51:10] became dry,
and he #Isa. 63:13led them through the deep as through a desert.
10So he #Ex. 14:30 saved them from the hand of the foe
and #Ps. 107:2redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11And #Ex. 14:28; 15:5the waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.
12Then #Ex. 14:31 they believed his words;
they #See Ex. 15:1-21sang his praise.
13But they soon #Ps. 78:11; [Ex. 15:24; 16:2; 17:2] forgot his works;
they did not wait for #[Ps. 107:11]his counsel.
14But they had #Num. 11:4; 1 Cor. 10:6; [Ps. 78:18] a wanton craving in the wilderness,
and #Ex. 17:2; 1 Cor. 10:9put God to the test in the desert;
15he #Ps. 78:29 gave them what they asked,
but sent #Isa. 10:16a wasting disease among them.
16When men in the camp #See Num. 16:1-3 were jealous of Moses
and Aaron, #Deut. 33:2; Zech. 14:5; Jude 14the holy one of the Lord,
17 #
Num. 16:31, 32; Deut. 11:6 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and covered the company of Abiram.
18 #
Num. 16:35
Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
19They #Ex. 32:4; Deut. 9:8; Acts 7:41made a calf in Horeb
and worshiped a metal image.
20They #Jer. 2:11; [Rom. 1:23]exchanged the glory of God#106:20 Hebrew exchanged their glory
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21They #ver. 7, 13; Ps. 78:11; Deut. 32:18forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22wondrous works in #Ps. 105:23, 27; [Ps. 78:51]the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23Therefore #Ex. 32:10; Deut. 9:14; Ezek. 20:8 he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his #Ps. 105:6 chosen one,
#
Ezek. 22:30
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
24Then they #Num. 14:31 despised #Zech. 7:14 the pleasant land,
having #Deut. 1:32; 9:23no faith in his promise.
25They #Num. 14:2; Deut. 1:27murmured in their tents,
and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26Therefore he #Ex. 6:8; Num. 14:30; Deut. 32:40; Ezek. 20:6, 15, 23; [Ps. 95:11]raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
# See Ps. 44:11 scattering them among the lands.
28Then they #Num. 25:3; Hos. 9:10 yoked themselves to the #Num. 25:3; Hos. 9:10 Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to #Isa. 8:19the dead;
29they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30Then #Num. 25:7, 8Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stayed.
31And that was #[Gen. 15:6]; See Num. 25:10-13counted to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.
32They #See Num. 20:2-13; Deut. 1:37angered him at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,
33for they #Ps. 107:11; [Ps. 78:40; Isa. 63:10] made his spirit bitter,#106:33 Or they rebelled against God’s Spirit
and he #Num. 20:10spoke rashly with his lips.
34They did not #See Judg. 1:21, 27-36 destroy the peoples,
#
Deut. 7:2, 16; Judg. 2:2 as the Lord commanded them,
35but they #Judg. 3:5, 6; [Ezra 9:2]mixed with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
36They served their idols,
which became #Ex. 23:33; Deut. 7:16; Judg. 2:3a snare to them.
37They #2 Kgs. 16:3; Isa. 57:5; Ezek. 16:20; 20:26 sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to #Deut. 32:17; [1 Cor. 10:20]the demons;
38they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was #Isa. 24:5polluted with blood.
39Thus they #Ezek. 20:18, 30, 31 became unclean by their acts,
and #See Ps. 73:27played the whore in their deeds.
40Then #Ps. 78:59, 62; Judg. 2:14 the anger of the Lord was kindled against #See Ps. 28:9his people,
and he abhorred his #See Ps. 28:9heritage;
41he #Neh. 9:27gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42Their enemies #Judg. 4:3; 10:12oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 #
Judg. 2:16 Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their #See Ps. 81:12 purposes
and were #Lev. 26:39brought low through their iniquity.
44Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
when he #Judg. 3:9; 4:3; 6:7; 10:10heard their cry.
45For their sake he #Ps. 105:8; Lev. 26:42 remembered his covenant,
and #See Ps. 90:13 relented according to #ver. 7; Ps. 51:1; 69:16; Isa. 63:7; Lam. 3:32the abundance of his steadfast love.
46He caused them to be #1 Kgs. 8:50; 2 Chr. 30:9; Ezra 9:9; Neh. 1:11; Jer. 42:12pitied
by all those who held them captive.
47 # For ver. 47, 48, see 1 Chr. 16:35, 36 Save us, O Lord our God,
and #See Ps. 107:3gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48 # See Ps. 41:13 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
# See Ps. 41:13 And let all the people say, “Amen!”
# See Ps. 104:35 Praise the Lord!
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