Psalms 105

1 Give ye thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name; make known his acts among the peoples.

2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him; meditate upon all his wondrous works.

3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek Jehovah.

4 Seek Jehovah and his strength, seek his face continually;

5 Remember his wondrous works which he hath done, his miracles and the judgments of his mouth:

6 Ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7 He, Jehovah, is our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

8 He is ever mindful of his covenant, -- the word which he commanded to a thousand generations, --

9 Which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;

10 And he confirmed it unto Jacob for a statute, unto Israel for an everlasting covenant,

11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;

12 When they were a few men in number, of small account, and strangers in it.

13 And they went from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people.

14 He suffered no man to oppress them, and reproved kings for their sakes,

15 [Saying,] Touch not mine anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm.

16 And he called for a famine upon the land; he broke the whole staff of bread.

17 He sent a man before them: Joseph was sold for a bondman.

18 They afflicted his feet with fetters; his soul came into irons;

19 Until the time when what he said came about: the word of Jehovah tried him.

20 The king sent and loosed him -- the ruler of peoples -- and let him go free.

21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler over all his possessions:

22 To bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.

23 And Israel came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

24 And he made his people exceeding fruitful, and made them mightier than their oppressors.

25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.

26 He sent Moses his servant, [and] Aaron whom he had chosen:

27 They set his signs among them, and miracles 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 blood, and caused their fish to die.

30 Their land swarmed with frogs, -- in the chambers of their kings.

31 He spoke, and there came dog-flies, [and] gnats in all their borders.

32 He gave them hail for rain, [and] flaming fire in their land;

33 And he smote their vines and their fig-trees, and broke the trees of their borders.

34 He spoke, and the locust came, and the cankerworm, even without number;

35 And they devoured every herb in their land, and ate up the fruit of their ground.

36 And he smote every firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their vigour.

37 And he brought them forth with silver and gold; and there was not one feeble among their tribes.

38 Egypt rejoiced at their departure; for the fear of them had fallen upon them.

39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night.

40 They asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

41 He opened the rock, and waters gushed forth; they ran in the dry places [like] a river.

42 For he remembered his holy word, [and] Abraham his servant;

43 And he brought forth his people with gladness, his chosen with rejoicing;

44 And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the labour of the peoples:

45 That they might keep his statutes, and observe his laws. Hallelujah!

Psalms 105 Commentary

Chapter 105

A solemn call to praise and serve the Lord. (1-7) His gracious dealings with Israel. (8-23) Their deliverance from Egypt, and their settlement in Canaan. (24-45)

Verses 1-7 Our devotion is here stirred up, that we may stir up ourselves to praise God. Seek his strength; that is, his grace; the strength of his Spirit to work in us that which is good, which we cannot do but by strength derived from him, for which he will be sought. Seek to have his favour to eternity, therefore continue seeking it while living in this world; for he will not only be found, but he will reward those that diligently seek him.

Verses 8-23 Let us remember the Redeemer's marvellous works, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth. Though true Christians are few number, strangers and pilgrims upon earth, yet a far better inheritance than Canaan is made sure to them by the covenant of God; and if we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, none can do us any harm. Afflictions are among our mercies. They prove our faith and love, they humble our pride, they wean us from the world, and quicken our prayers. Bread is the staff which supports life; when that staff is broken, the body fails and sinks to the earth. The word of God is the staff of spiritual life, the food and support of the soul: the sorest judgment is a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Such a famine was sore in all lands when Christ appeared in the flesh; whose coming, and the blessed effect of it, are shadowed forth in the history of Joseph. At the appointed time Christ was exalted as Mediator; all the treasures of grace and salvation are at his disposal, perishing sinners come to him, and are relieved by him.

Verses 24-45 As the believer commonly thrives best in his soul when under the cross; so the church also flourishes most in true holiness, and increases in number, while under persecution. Yet instruments shall be raised up for their deliverance, and plagues may be expected by persecutors. And see the special care God took of his people in the wilderness. All the benefits bestowed on Israel as a nation, were shadows of spiritual blessings with which we are blessed in Christ Jesus. Having redeemed us with his blood, restored our souls to holiness, and set us at liberty from Satan's bondage, he guides and guards us all the way. He satisfies our souls with the bread of heaven, and the water of life from the Rock of salvation, and will bring us safely to heaven. He redeems his servants from all iniquity, and purifies them unto himself, to be a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or 'talk of.'
• [b]. Or 'ordinances.'
• [c]. As Deut. 4.27.
• [d]. 'Said' dabar; 'word' imrah: see Note, Ps. 119.11.
• [e]. Lit. 'the feeder,' a species of locust, most probably in the stage before it arrives at its perfect state, and in which it devours much herbage: see Joel 1.4.
• [f]. Or 'that stumbled.'
• [g]. As 'elect,' Ps. 89.3.
• [h]. Or 'songs of triumph.'
• [i]. Leummim: see Ps. 2.1.
• [j]. See Note, Ps. 104.35.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 105

This psalm was penned by David, and sung at the time when the ark was brought from the house of Obededom to the place which David had prepared for it; at least the first fifteen verses of it, the other part being probably added afterwards by the same inspired penman, as appears from 1Ch 16:1-7. The subject matter of the psalm is the special and distinguishing goodness of God to the children of Israel, and to his church and people, of which they were typical: the history of God's regard to and care of their principal ancestors, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and of the whole body of the people, in bringing them out of Egypt, leading them through the wilderness, and settling them in the land of Canaan, is here recited, as an argument for praise and thankfulness.