Psalm 106
106
The Rebelliousness of Israel
1 #
1 Chr 16.34; 2 Chr 5.13; 7.3; Ezra 3.11; Ps 100.5; 107.1; 118.1; 136.1; Jer 33.11. Praise ye the Lord.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
2Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can show forth all his praise?
3Blessed are they that keep judgment,
and he that doeth righteousness at all times.
4Remember me, O Lord,
with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people:
O visit me with thy salvation;
5that I may see the good of thy chosen,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,
that I may glory with thine inheritance.
6We have sinned with our fathers,
we have committed iniquity,
we have done wickedly.
7 #
Exod 14.10-12. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;
they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies;
but provoked him at the sea,
even at the Red sea.
8Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake,
that he might make his mighty power to be known.
9 #
Exod 14.21-31. He rebuked the Red sea also,
and it was dried up:
so he led them through the depths,
as through the wilderness.
10And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them,
and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11And the waters covered their enemies:
there was not one of them left.
12 #
Exod 15.1-21. Then believed they his words;
they sang his praise.
13They soon forgat his works;
they waited not for his counsel:
14 #
Num 11.4-34. but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
and tempted God in the desert.
15And he gave them their request;
but sent leanness into their soul.
16 #
Num 16.1-35. They envied Moses also in the camp,
and Aaron the saint of the Lord.
17The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and covered the company of Abi´ram.
18And a fire was kindled in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
19 #
Exod 32.1-14. They made a calf in Horeb,
and worshipped the molten image.
20Thus they changed their glory
into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.
21They forgat God their saviour,
which had done great things in Egypt;
22wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and terrible things by the Red sea.
23Therefore he said that he would destroy them,
had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach,
to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
24 #
Num 14.1-35. Yea, they despised the pleasant land,
they believed not his word:
25but murmured in their tents,
and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord.
26Therefore he lifted up his hand against them,
to overthrow them in the wilderness:
27 #
Lev 26.33. to overthrow their seed also among the nations,
and to scatter them in the lands.
28 #
Num 25.1-13. They joined themselves also unto Ba´al–pe´or,
and ate the sacrifices of the dead.
29Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions:
and the plague brake in upon them.
30Then stood up Phin´ehas, and executed judgment:
and so the plague was stayed.
31And that was counted unto him for righteousness
unto all generations for evermore.
32 #
Num 20.2-13. They angered him also at the waters of strife,
so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:
33because they provoked his spirit,
so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
34 #
Judg 2.1-3; 3.5,6. They did not destroy the nations,
concerning whom the Lord commanded them:
35but were mingled among the heathen,
and learned their works.
36And they served their idols:
which were a snare unto them.
37 #
2 Kgs 17.17. Yea, they sacrificed their sons
and their daughters unto devils,
38 #
Num 35.33. and shed innocent blood,
even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,
whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan:
and the land was polluted with blood.
39Thus were they defiled with their own works,
and went a whoring with their own inventions.
40 #
Judg 2.14-18. Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people,
insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.
41And he gave them into the hand of the heathen;
and they that hated them ruled over them.
42Their enemies also oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their hand.
43Many times did he deliver them;
but they provoked him with their counsel,
and were brought low for their iniquity.
44Nevertheless he regarded their affliction,
when he heard their cry:
45and he remembered for them his covenant,
and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.
46He made them also to be pitied
of all those that carried them captives.
47 #
1 Chr 16.35,36. Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the heathen,
to give thanks unto thy holy name,
and to triumph in thy praise.
48Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
from everlasting to everlasting:
and let all the people say, Amen.
Praise ye the Lord.
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Psalm 106: KJVAAE
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
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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