Old Testament Commentary - Psalms 105

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 105 Make the Lord's doings known amnong all men—Show his covenant with Abraham and his dealings with Israel—Touch not his anointed, and do his prophets no harm—Israel to observe his statutes and keep his laws.
1 O GIVE ^athanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: ^bmake known his deeds among the people. 2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: ^atalk 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.
7 He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth. 8 He hath remembered his ^acovenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
9 Which ^acovenant he made with Abraham, and his ^boath unto Isaac; 10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel^a for an ^aeverlasting covenant: 11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the ^aland of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: 12 When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.	10^a to Israel Here the translators of the King James version insert an 'and' making it a list of persons: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Israel. In this context Israel would be Ephraim, the covenant firstborn son of Jacob by adoption in the stead of Reuben. This is a significant thought as it is through Ephraim, Joseph's son that the covenant of Abraham did remain. But there are two other considerations here. Without the supplied 'and' Israel could be either a repeat of the name of Jacob or an allusion to body of the whole of the sons and tribes of Israel as a people. While either of these also work and convey correct understanding, one must ponder if the King James translators where not inspired to include the 'and' and properly point to another beyond Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, this other who could only be considered Ephraim by the his given name of Jacob as being Israel.
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 ^areproved kings for their sakes; 15 Saying, Touch not mine ^aanointed, and do my ^bprophets no harm.
16 Moreover he called for a ^afamine upon the land: he brake the whole ^bstaff of bread. 17 He ^asent a man before them, even Joseph, who was ^bsold for a servant: 18 Whose feet they hurt with ^afetters: he was laid in iron: 19 Until the time that his ^aword came: the word of the LORD tried him.
20 The ^aking sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. 21 He made him ^alord of his house, and ruler of all his substance: 22 To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his ^asenators wisdom.
23 Israel also came into ^aEgypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of ^bHam. 24 And he ^aincreased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies. 25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal ^asubtilly with his servants.
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 ^ablood, and slew their fish. 30 Their land brought forth ^afrogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings. 31 He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and ^alice in all their ^bcoasts.
32 He gave them ^ahail 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 ^alocusts 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 ^afirstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength. 37 He brought ^athem forth also with ^bsilver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes. 38 Egypt was ^aglad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.
39 He spread a ^acloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night. 40 The people asked, and he brought ^aquails, 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 ^apromise, and Abraham his servant. 43 And he brought forth his ^apeople 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.