Psalms 106:23

Brenton's Septuagint

So he said that he would have destroyed them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn him away from the fierceness of his anger, so that he should not destroy them.

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
So he declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people. He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.

English Revised Version
Therefore 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.

Update Bible Version
Therefore 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].

New Century Version
So God said he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stood before him and stopped God's anger from destroying them.

New English Translation
He threatened to destroy them, but Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him and turned back his destructive anger.

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore 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].

World English Bible
Therefore he said that he would destroy them, Had Moses, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach, To turn away his wrath, so that he wouldn't destroy them.

Amplified Bible
Therefore He said He would destroy them, [And He would have done so] had not Moses, His chosen one, stepped into the gap before Him, To turn away His wrath from destroying them.

English Standard Version
Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And God seide, that he wolde leese hem; if Moises, his chosun man, hadde not stonde in the brekyng of his siyt. That he schulde turne awei his ire; lest he loste hem.

Berean Standard Bible
So He said He would destroy them-had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach to divert His wrath from destroying them.

Contemporary English Version
You were angry and started to destroy them, but Moses, your chosen leader, begged you not to do it.

American Standard Version
Therefore 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.

Bible in Basic English
And he was purposing to put an end to them if Moses, his special servant, had not gone up before him, between him and his people, turning back his wrath, to keep them from destruction.

Complete Jewish Bible
Therefore he said that he would destroy them, [and he would have,] had not Moshe his chosen one stood before him in the breach to turn back his destroying fury.

Darby Translation
And he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses, his chosen, stood before him in the breach, to turn away his fury, lest he should destroy [them].

Easy-to-Read Version
God wanted to destroy those people, but Moses, the leader he chose, stood in the way. God was very angry, but Moses begged him to stop, so God did not destroy the people.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Therefore He said that He would destroy them, {N}to turn back His wrath, lest He should destroy them.

King James Version (1611)
Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach: to turne away his wrath, lest hee should destroy them.

New Life Bible
So He said that He would destroy them. But Moses, His chosen one, stood in the way to keep His anger from destroying them.

New Revised Standard
Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore he minded to destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stand in the breach before him to turne away his wrath, least he shoulde destroy them.

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore 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.

Good News Translation
When God said that he would destroy his people, his chosen servant, Moses, stood up against God and kept his anger from destroying them.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then would he have bidden to destroy them, - had not Moses his chosen, stood in the breach before him, To turn back his wrath from destroying.

Douay-Rheims Bible
(105-23) And 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.

Revised Standard Version
Therefore he said he would destroy them--had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wherfore he appointed to destroy them, had not Moyses his chosen stand in the breache before hym: to turne away his wrathful indignation, lest he should destroy them.

Christian Standard Bible®
So he said he would have destroyed them—if Moses his chosen onehad not stood before him in the breachto turn his wrath away from destroying them.

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore he said that he would destroy them, Had Moshe, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach, To turn away his wrath, so that he wouldn't destroy them.

King James Version
Therefore 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.

Lexham English Bible
So he said he would exterminate them, had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to reverse his wrath from destroying them.

Literal Translation
And He said to destroy them; except Moses His elect had stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath from destroying them .

Young's Literal Translation
And He saith to destroy them, Unless Moses, His chosen one, Had stood in the breach before Him, To turn back His wrath from destroying.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So he sayde he wolde haue destroyed them, had not Moses his chosen stonde before him in yt gappe: to turne awaie his wrothfull indignacion, lest he shulde destroye the.

THE MESSAGE
Fed up, God decided to get rid of them— and except for Moses, his chosen, he would have. But Moses stood in the gap and deflected God's anger, prevented it from destroying them utterly. They went on to reject the Blessed Land, didn't believe a word of what God promised. They found fault with the life they had and turned a deaf ear to God 's voice. Exasperated, God swore that he'd lay them low in the desert, Scattering their children hither and yon, strewing them all over the earth.

New American Standard Bible
Therefore He said that He would destroy them, If Moses, His chosen one, had not stood in the gap before Him, To turn away His wrath from destroying them.

New King James Version
Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, To turn away His wrath from destroying them.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore He said that He would destroy them,Had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him,To turn away His wrath from eradicating them.

Contextual Overview

¹³ They made haste, they forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel. ¹⁴ And they lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the dry land. ¹⁵ And he gave them their request, and sent fullness into their souls. ¹⁶ They provoked Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the holy one of the Lord. ¹⁷ The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and closed upon the congregation of Abiron. ¹⁸ And a fire was kindled in their congregation, and a flame burnt up the sinners. ¹⁹ And they made a calf in Choreb, and worshipped the graven image, ²⁰ and they changed their glory into the similitude of a calf that feeds on grass. ²¹ They forgot God that saved them, who had wrought great deeds in Egypt; ²² wondrous works in the land of Cham, and terrible things at the Red Sea.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he said: Exodus 32:10, Exodus 32:11, Exodus 32:32, Deuteronomy 9:13, Deuteronomy 9:14, Deuteronomy 9:19, Deuteronomy 9:25, Deuteronomy 10:10, Ezekiel 20:13, Ezekiel 20:14

his chosen: Psalms 105:6, Psalms 105:26, Numbers 16:5, Matthew 12:18, John 15:16, John 15:19

stood: Exodus 32:14, Jeremiah 5:1, Ezekiel 13:5, Ezekiel 22:30, James 5:16

Reciprocal: Genesis 18:22 - stood Numbers 11:2 - prayed Numbers 14:13 - Then the Numbers 16:41 - all the Numbers 21:7 - And Moses Numbers 25:11 - turned my Deuteronomy 5:5 - General Deuteronomy 9:18 - I fell down Deuteronomy 9:26 - prayed Job 9:33 - is there Job 35:8 - may profit Isaiah 37:4 - lift up Isaiah 59:16 - he saw Jeremiah 15:1 - stood Jeremiah 18:20 - Remember Jeremiah 30:13 - none Ezekiel 11:13 - Then Zechariah 3:1 - standing Luke 13:8 - let John 9:31 - him Galatians 3:19 - in 1 John 5:16 - he shall ask

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore he said that he would destroy them,.... He said in his word, the Targum adds; he thought within himself he would; he seemed determined in his own mind to destroy them, being provoked at their wretched forgetfulness of him, and their idolatry; he said to Moses,

let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them, Exodus 32:10. The decree indeed was not gone forth, but there was such an appearance of displeasure as if ruin was determined; and a great number was destroyed, and the whole body was threatened.

Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach; made between God and the Israelites by their sin; the allusion is either to an hedge broken down, at which a spoiler enters, unless made up, Ezekiel 22:30, or to a breach made in the wall of a besieged city, at which the besieger enters, unless stopped by the besieged, Isaiah 30:13, or to the bank or dam of a river broken down, which lets in a flood of waters, 2 Samuel 5:20. So Moses made up the hedge, and stood in the gap; he presented himself to God, rushing in like a man of war, and pouring out his wrath like an inundation of waters: this is to be understood of his fervent and importunate prayer to God on the behalf of this people, and which succeeded.

To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them;

Exodus 32:11 so the Targum,

"unless Moses his chosen had rose up and strengthened, or prevailed in his prayer before him to turn away his wrath from destroying.''

This shows the power and efficacy of prayer, and of what avail it is with God, especially the prayer of his elect; it was Moses, his chosen, that prayed, a choice servant of his; and whom he had chosen to everlasting life, as well as to be the deliverer, guide, and governor of Israel; see Luke 18:7. Herein he was an eminent type of Christ, as in other things; as Moses was a mediator between God and the people of Israel, so is Christ between God and his people. Sin is a transgression of God's law, a breaking of his statutes, which he has set as an hedge, fence, or wall, about man; and this has made a breach between God and man; which lets in the wrath of God as a flood, and justice as an armed man: and terrible it is to consider there is no standing before him, and making up the breach; but Christ has interposed as a surety, made satisfaction to law and justice, and procured peace and reconciliation; and so, by his atonement and intercession, has made up the breach, appeased the wrath of God, and turned it away, and prevented the ruin and destruction of his people.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Therefore he said that he would destroy them - See Exodus 32:10-14. He threatened to destroy them, and he would have done it, if Moses had not interposed and pleaded for them. There was nothing strange or very unusual in this. Many a descending curse upon guilty people is turned away by prayer, and by human intervention. We are constantly endeavoring to turn aside evils which would come upon others - by our intervention - by labor or by prayer. Thus, when we toil to provide food for our children, or give it in charity to the poor, we are endeavoring to avert the evil of starvation which would otherwise come upon them; when we provide for them clothing, we turn away the evils of nakedness and cold; when we give them medicine we turn away the evil of long-continued disease or of death; when we rush through the flames if a house is on fire, or venture out in a rough sea in a boat, to save others from devouring flame or from a watery grave, we seek to turn aside evils which would otherwise come upon them. So when we pray for others we may turn away evils which would otherwise descend on the guilty. No one can estimate the number or the amount of evils which are thus turned away from the guilty and the suffering by intervention and intercession; no one can tell how many of the blessings of his own life he owes to the intercessions and the toils of others. “All the blessings that come upon sinners - “all” that is done to turn away deserved wrath from people - is owing to the fact that the one great Intercessor - greater than Moses - cast himself into the “breach,” and himself met and rolled back the woes which were coming upon a guilty world. “Had not Moses his chosen.” Chosen to lead and guide his people to the promised land.

Stood before him - Presented himself before him.

In the breach - literally, “in the breaking.” The allusion is to a breach made in a wall 1 Kings 11:27; Isaiah 30:13; Amos 4:3; Job 30:14, and to the force with which an army rushes through a breach that is thus made. So God seemed to be about to come forth to destroy the nation.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 106:23. Moses his chosen — Or elect; (Vulgate, electus ejus; Septuagint, ὁ εκλεκτος αυτου;) the person that he had appointed for this work. It would be very difficult to show that this word in any part of the Old Testament refers to the eternal state of any man, much less to the doctrine of unconditional election and reprobation.