Psalms 105
105
PSALM 105
Common Meter: 8,6,8,6
1Give thanks to God, call on his name;
to men his deeds make known.
2Sing ye to him, sing psalms; proclaim
his wondrous works each one.
3See that ye in his holy name
to glory do accord;
And let the heart of ev'ry one
rejoice that seeks the Lord.
4The Lord Almighty, and his strength,
with stedfast hearts seek ye:
His blessed and his gracious face
seek ye continually.
5Think on the works that he hath done,
which admiration breed;
His wonders, and the judgments all
which from his mouth proceed;
6O ye that are of Abr'ham's race,
his servant well approv'n;
And ye that Jacob's children are,
whom he chose for his own.
7Because he, and he only, is
the mighty Lord our God;
And his most righteous judgments are
in all the earth abroad.
8His cov'nant he remember'd hath,
that it may ever stand:
To thousand generations
the word he did command.
9Which covenant he firmly made
with faithful Abraham,
And unto Isaac, by his oath,
he did renew the same:
10And unto Jacob, for a law,
he made it firm and sure,
A covenant to Israel,
which ever should endure.
11He said, I'll give Canaan's land
for heritage to you;
12While they were strangers there,
and few, in number very few:
13While yet they went from land to land
without a sure abode;
And while through sundry kingdoms they
did wander far abroad;
14Yet, notwithstanding suffer'd he
no man to do them wrong:
Yea, for their sakes, he did reprove
kings, who were great and strong.
15Thus did he say, Touch ye not those
that mine anointed be,
Nor do the prophets any harm
that do pertain to me.
16He call'd for famine on the land,
he brake the staff of bread:
17But yet he sent a man before,
by whom they should be fed;
Ev'n Joseph, whom unnat'rally
sell for a slave did they;
18Whose feet with fetters they did hurt,
and he in irons lay;
19Until the time that his word came
to give him liberty;
The word and purpose of the Lord
did him in prison try.
20Then sent the king, and did command
that he enlarg'd should be:
He that the people's ruler was
did send to set him free.
21A lord to rule his family
he rais'd him, as most fit;
To him of all that he possess'd
he did the charge commit:
22That he might at his pleasure bind
the princes of the land;
And he might teach his senators
wisdom to understand.
23The people then of Israel
down into Egypt came;
And Jacob also sojourned
within the land of Ham.
24And he did greatly by his pow'r
increase his people there;
And stronger than their enemies
they by his blessing were.
25Their heart he turned to envy
his folk maliciously,
With those that his own servants were
to deal in subtilty.
26His servant Moses he did send,
Aaron his chosen one.
27By these his signs and wonders great
in Ham's land were made known.
28Darkness he sent, and made it dark;
his word they did obey.
29He turn'd their waters into blood,
and he their fish did slay.
30The land in plenty brought forth frogs
in chambers of their kings.
31His word all sorts of flies and lice
in all their borders brings.
32He hail for rain, and flaming fire
into their land he sent:
33And he their vines and fig-trees smote:
trees of their coasts he rent.
34He spake, and caterpillars came,
locusts did much abound;
35Which in their land all herbs consum'd,
and all fruits of their ground.
36He smote all first-born in their land,
chief of their strength each one.
37With gold and silver brought them forth,
weak in their tribes were none.
38Egypt was glad when forth they went,
their fear on them did light.
39He spread a cloud for covering,
and fire to shine by night.
40They ask'd, and he brought quails:
with bread of heav'n he filled them.
41He open'd rocks, floods gush'd,
and ran in deserts like a stream.
42For on his holy promise he,
and servant Abr'ham, thought.
43With joy his people, his elect
with gladness, forth he brought.
44And unto them the pleasant lands
he of the heathen gave;
That of the people's labour they
inheritance might have.
45That they his statutes might observe
according to his word;
And that they might his laws obey.
Give praise unto the Lord.
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Psalms 105: MP1650
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Psalms 105
105
Psalm 105#sn Psalm 105. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God because he delivered his people from Egypt in fulfillment of his covenantal promises to Abraham. A parallel version of vv. 1-15 appears in 1 Chr 16:8-22.
1 Give thanks to the Lord!
Call on his name!
Make known his accomplishments among the nations!
2 Sing to him!
Make music to him!
Tell about all his miraculous deeds!
3 Boast about his holy name!
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!
Seek his presence continually!
5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,
his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed,#tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”
6 O children#tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.” of Abraham,#tc Some mss have “Israel,” which appears in the parallel version of this psalm in 1 Chr 16:13. God’s#tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity. servant,
you descendants#tn Heb “sons.” of Jacob, God’s#tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity. chosen ones!
7 He is the Lord our God;
he carries out judgment throughout the earth.#tn Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”
8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,
the promise he made#tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 10-12 make clear. to a thousand generations –
9 the promise#tn Heb “which.” he made to Abraham,
the promise he made by oath to Isaac!
10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as a lasting promise,#tn Or “eternal covenant.”
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
12 When they were few in number,
just a very few, and resident aliens within it,
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
and from one kingdom to another.#tn Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”
14 He let no one oppress them;
he disciplined kings for their sake,
15 saying,#tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.“Don’t touch my chosen#tn Heb “anointed.” ones!
Don’t harm my prophets!”
16 He called down a famine upon the earth;
he cut off all the food supply.#tn Heb “and every staff of food he broke.” The psalmist refers to the famine that occurred in Joseph’s time (see v. 17 and Gen 41:53-57).
17 He sent a man ahead of them#tn After the reference to the famine in v. 16, v. 17 flashes back to events that preceded the famine (see Gen 37). –
Joseph was sold as a servant.
18 The shackles hurt his feet;#tn Heb “they afflicted his feet with shackles.”
his neck was placed in an iron collar,#tn Heb “his neck came [into] iron.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with the suffix could mean simply “he” or “his life.” But the nuance “neck” makes good sense here (note the reference to his “feet” in the preceding line). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 38.
19 until the time when his prediction#tn Heb “word,” probably referring to Joseph’s prediction about the fate of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (see Gen 41:9-14). came true.
The Lord’s word#tn This line may refer to Joseph’s prediction of the famine in response to Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph emphasized to Pharaoh that the interpretation of the dream came from God (see Gen 41:16, 25, 28, 32, 39). proved him right.#tn Heb “refined him.”
20 The king authorized his release;#tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”
the ruler of nations set him free.
21 He put him in charge of his palace,#tn Heb “he made him master of his house.”
and made him manager of all his property,
22 giving him authority to imprison his officials#tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”
and to teach his advisers.#tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”
23 Israel moved to#tn Heb “entered.” Egypt;
Jacob lived for a time#tn Heb “lived as a resident alien.” in the land of Ham.
24 The Lord#tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity. made his people very fruitful,
and made them#tn Heb “him,” referring to “his people.” more numerous than their#tn Heb “his,” referring to “his people.” enemies.
25 He caused them#tn Heb “their heart.” to hate his people,
and to mistreat#tn Or “to deal deceptively.” The Hitpael of נָכַל (nakhal) occurs only here and in Gen 37:18, where it is used of Joseph’s brothers “plotting” to kill him. his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They executed his miraculous signs among them,#tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).
and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.
28 He made it dark;#tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”sn He made it dark. The psalmist begins with the ninth plague (see Exod 10:21-29).
they did not disobey his orders.#tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.
29 He turned their water into blood,
and killed their fish.
30 Their land was overrun by frogs,
which even got into the rooms of their kings.
31 He ordered flies to come;#tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”
gnats invaded their whole territory.
32 He sent hail along with the rain;#tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”
there was lightning in their land.#tn Heb “fire of flames [was] in their land.”
33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees,
and broke the trees throughout their territory.
34 He ordered locusts to come,#tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”
innumerable grasshoppers.
35 They ate all the vegetation in their land,
and devoured the crops of their fields.#tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power.#tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).sn Verses 28-36 recall the plagues in a different order than the one presented in Exodus: v. 28 (plague 9), v. 29 (plague 1), v. 30 (plague 2), v. 31a (plague 4), v. 31b (plague 3), vv. 32-33 (plague 7), vv. 34-35 (plague 8), v. 36 (plague 10). No reference is made in Ps 105 to plagues 5 and 6.
37 He brought his people#tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Lord’s people) has been supplied in the translation for clarity. out enriched#tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. with silver and gold;
none of his tribes stumbled.
38 Egypt was happy when they left,
for they were afraid of them.#tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”
39 He spread out a cloud for a cover,#tn Or “curtain.”
and provided a fire to light up the night.
40 They asked for food,#tn Heb “he [i.e., his people] asked.” The singular form should probably be emended to a plural שָׁאֲלוּ (sha’alu, “they asked”), the vav (ו) having fallen off by haplography (note the vav at the beginning of the following form). and he sent quails;
he satisfied them with food from the sky.#tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).
41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;
a river ran through dry regions.
42 Yes,#tn Or “for.” he remembered the sacred promise#tn Heb “his holy word.”
he made to Abraham his servant.
43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;
his chosen ones shouted with joy.#tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”
44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,
and they took possession of what other peoples had produced,#tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”
45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey#tn Heb “guard.” his laws.
Praise the Lord!
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