Bible Commentaries
Psalms 106

Verses 1-5

Psa 106:1-5

THE REBELLIOUSNESS OF ISRAEL AND GOD’S MERCIES

This, the last psalm of Book IV, is the third of the psalms which McCaw classified as "historica" It is also the first of the ten psalms which Rawlinson classified as, "The Hallelujah Psalms.” The others are: Psalms 111; Psalms 112; Psalms 113; Psalms 115; Psalms 116; Psalms 117; Psalms 118; Psalms 119; and Psalms 150, making ten in all. All of these, except Psalms 111 and Psalms 112, both begin and end with "Hallelujah," or "Praise the Lord," as it is rendered in our version. Psalms 111 and Psalms 112 begin with "Hallelujah," but do not end with it. This information is received from Rawlinson, but the American Standard Version (which we are following) differs somewhat from it. As we have mentioned earlier, such classifications are of limited value.

Psalms 106 begins with an introduction (Psalms 106:1-5), and follows with a recital of Israel’s long history of sin and rebellion against God, stressing God’s constant mercies and deliverances (Psalms 106:6-46) and concluding with an expression of prayer and praise similar to the introduction.

Regarding the date and the occasion, there is no dependable information whatever. Even the opinion of several scholars that the time of the exile in Babylon was the occasion is uncertain; because, as McCaw noted, "Psalms 106:47 does not require the Babylonian captivity as its setting. There could have been no occasion from Israel’s entering Canaan onward when some Israelites were not held in alien slavery and when the nation as a whole was not acutely conscious of surrounding paganism.”

In this connection, Rhodes reminds us that, "There was a dispersion of Israel as early as the eighth century, following the fall of the Northern Israel.”

There is also the question of which is earlier, 1Chronicles, which has some of these same lines, or this psalm. We do not believe that this question has been satisfactorily resolved.

This psalm resembles Psalms 105 in that both cover an extensive period of Israel’s history; but there is a totally different emphasis. In Psalms 105, Israel’s victories are in focus; but in this psalm, it is their sins and the constant mercies and deliverance of the Lord that are stressed.

Before viewing the text itself, there are the following lines from Maclaren which extol the unique marvel of the psalm.

"The history of God’s past is a record of continuous mercies; and mankind’s record is one of continuous sin ... Surely never but in Israel has patriotism chosen a nation’s sins for the theme of song, or in celebrating its victories has written but one name on all of its trophies, the name of Jehovah.”

Miller also observed that, "It is of singular interest that Israel’s sins are enumerated in a praise hymn.” God’s repeated "passing over" of the sins of Israel (Romans 3:25) appears to have left an impression upon racial Israel that "no matter what they did," they would forever enjoy their status as God’s chosen people.

It is also somewhat distressing to read the comments of a number of writers who seem to believe that despite the consummate wickedness of Israel leading eventually to their rejecting God Himself in the person of His Only Begotten Son, and their official renunciation of God Himself as their king, in the official cry of the nation’s leaders that, "We have no king but Caesar" - that in spite of all this, racial Israel is still "the People of God." Have such writers never heard of the "Israel of God," which is now the fellowship "in Christ?" See Galatians 6:16.

Psalms 106:1-5

INTRODUCTION

"Praise ye Jehovah.

Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;

For his lovingkindness endureth forever.

Who can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah,

Or show forth all his praise?

Blessed are they that keep justice,

And he that doeth righteousness at all times.

Remember me, O Jehovah, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people;

O visit me with thy salvation,

That I may see the prosperity of thy chosen,

That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,

That I may glory with thine inheritance."

"Praise ye Jehovah" (Psalms 106:1). For these words, the Hebrew text (the Masoretic) has "Hallelujah," according to the marginal reading; and from this it takes its place in the classification of "Hallelujah Psalms."

"Who can utter all the mighty acts of Jehovah ... or all his praise" (Psalms 106:2)? The infinity of God’s mighty deeds and also that of the praises due to God are beyond all the abilities of men, either to declare them or to voice sufficient praises of them.

"Blessed are they that keep justice ... and do righteousness at all times" (Psalms 106:3). These words would appear to identify the psalmist as one of the "true sons of Abraham," an Israelite indeed, as distinguished from the majority of the wicked nation (Luke 19:9; John 1:47). See also John 8:39-44.

"Remember me with thy favor ... with thy salvation" (Psalms 106:4). The psalmist here injects his own prayer for God’s favor and salvation, when is accomplished the deliverance which he envisions as coming to the people as a whole (Psalms 106:5).

CONFESSION OF ISRAEL’S SINS

Israel, at this time was suffering the penalty of God’s anger for their wickedness, whether in the distress following the fall of Samaria (722 B.C.), or that of the Babylonian captivity centuries later, or whether from some other disaster cannot now be certainly determined. However, the psalmist here undertakes a confession of the sins of the whole nation. In this, the psalm is one of the Penitentials.

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:1. There is nothing new in this verse in addition to the oft-repeated call for praise to God. However, we can never be reminded too many times that the Lord is worthy to be praised. Let us note also that David’s call for praise was not a mere expression of sentiment without some practical motive for it. In this verse the reason given is the mercy of the Lord that endureth for ever.

Psalms 106:2. We are sure David means that no one can fully utter or describe the mighty acts of the Lord. It is practically the same idea in the second clause.

Psalms 106:3. This means that they are blessed who show their good judgment by always doing that which is according to the Lord’s law of righteousness.

Psalms 106:4. The Psalmist did not ask for any "favoritism" from the Lord. He wished only the same favors that the people of the nation received.

Psalms 106:5. See the good of thy chosen meant he asked to see the good things being bestowed upon God’s chosen people. It is virtually the same thought that was expressed in the preceding verse and the comments offered at that place.

Verses 6-12

Psa 106:6-12

Psalms 106:6-12

SIN NO. 1

"We have sinned with our fathers,

We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.

Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;

They remembered not the multitude of thy lovingkindnesses,

But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

Nevertheless, he saved them for his name’s sake,

That he might make his mighty power to be known.

He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up:

So he led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.

And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them,

And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

And the waters covered their adversaries;

There was not one of them left.

Then believed they his words;

They sang his praise."

"We have sinned with our fathers" (Psalms 106:6). The long and sinful record of Israel was invariable. After the sins of their forefathers, the people still walked in rebellion against God. The several synonyms for "evil" in this verse are to emphasis its abhorrence in God’s sight.

"Rebellious even at the Red Sea" (Psalms 106:7). Delitzsch thought "Red Sea" here to be a reference, "To the sea of reed or sedge.” This was a popular error during the first half of the 20th century; and James Moffatt, contrary to all reason, translated "Red Sea" in the Exodus Crossing as "Reed Sea." However, when he found the same words over in the passage where it is related that "Solomon launched his navy," he went back to an honest rendition of what the word has always meant, namely, an arm of the Indian Ocean.

The words here, "[~Yam] [~Cuwp]" mean "The Sea of the End," the designation of the Indian Ocean in the era around the middle of the Second Millennium B.C., indicating at once the antiquity of Exodus, and the authenticity of "Red Sea" as an acceptable rendition of the term.

The rebelliousness of Israel at the Red Sea consisted of their, "Murmuring, having forgotten all that God did in Egypt, complaining that God had brought them out of Egypt to destroy them.”

"He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness" (Psalms 106:9). The last phrase here, from the marginal reference, reads, "as through pastureland." The RSV renders it, "as through a desert." "Through the depths," therefore, means "where the deep waters had been.”

"Then believed they his words; They sang his praise" (Psalms 106:12). Israel’s fleeting faith mentioned here, was no permanent thing at all; the first little inconvenience they suffered stirred up again their murmuring unbelief.

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:6. The Psalmist was consistent in classing himself with the people in general. He had asked only for the kind of favors that the people received. Now he places himself on a level with them regarding the mistakes of life.

Psalms 106:7. A glance at the history in the book of Exodus will tell us why David wrote this verse. Understood not means the fathers did not consider all the wonderful works of God. They seemed to "take them for granted," and thus they underestimated their importance. This lack of appreciation led them to act foolishly and provoke the Lord who was being so good to them in spite of their indifference.

Psalms 106:8. Their disobedience did not cause God to desert them. His own name was at stake and he took care of them, thus showing to the nations near them that He was more powerful than all their gods to which they gave such frantic devotion.

Psalms 106:9. When an inanimate object like a sea is rebuked it means that it was taken charge of by One who was able to control it. This rebuke was in the form of a "strong east wind," and the original account of it is given in Exodus 14:21.

Psalms 106:10. This verse is a brief reference to the thing accomplished by the act in opening the Red Sea for the Israelites, then closing it upon the Egyptians.

Psalms 106:11. This language is very definite. Sometimes a statement may be made about the fate of a group. If the thing said to be done affected the group as a whole, the language will be worded in a general way even if some individual exceptions existed. But in this case we are to understand there were no exceptions. Not one of them was permitted to escape. Exodus 14:6 states that Pharaoh took his people "with him." So we know that the king of Egypt perished in the Red Sea together with his people.

Psalms 106:12. The pronouns they stand for the Israelites. They believed his words then; which means just as they got across the Red Sea. Sang his praise refers to the "song of deliverance" which is recorded in Exodus 15.

Verses 13-15

Psa 106:13-15

Psalms 106:13-15

SIN NO. 2

This was the first of the sins of Israel on the eastward side of the Red Sea. "It was their ungrateful, unthankful, impatient, unbelieving murmuring about their food and drink.”

"They soon forgat his works;

They waited not for his counsel.

But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,

And tempted God in the desert.

And he gave them their request;

But sent leanness into their soul."

There is a reference here to the murmuring and complaining of Israel regarding food and drink.

"He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul" (Psalms 106:15). As Barnes noted, a similar thing can happen today in individuals and churches who, "In the gratification of their desires for temporal success, may forget their dependence upon God.” When the prayers of God’s saints are answered, and material prosperity comes to them, they should also pray that God will enable them properly to use such blessings, "That they may not be a curse but a blessing.”

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:13. Scarcely had they reached the east shore of the sea when they forgot the wonderful works of God. They murmured because of the unsavory taste of the water. Waited not for his counsel means they "jumped to the conclusion" that they were to suffer for want of drinking water, without waiting to seek counsel or instruction from God.

Psalms 106:14. Even after this emergency was met, the people continued to complain and call for further things of life that they claimed they needed to preserve themselves.

Psalms 106:15. God gave the Israelites the quail for flesh because of their murmuring. Sent leanness refers to the sickness that came upon them even while they were eating the food. See the account of this in Numbers 11:31-33.

Verses 16-18

Psa 106:16-18

Psalms 106:16-18

SIN NO. 3

This sin was the insurrection against Moses and Aaron by Korah and others, recorded in Numbers 16.

"They envied Moses also in the camp,

And Aaron the saint of Jehovah.

The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,

And covered the company of Abiram.

And a fire was kindled in their company;

The flame burned up the wicked."

There were three leaders of this insurrection, namely, Korah, Dathan and Abiram. The omission of Korah’s name is not significant. "This was probably due to the fact of Korah’s name being omitted in Deuteronomy 11:6, or because his sons were not destroyed (Numbers 26:11).”

"Earth opened ... covered the company of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their company" (Psalms 106:17-18). Abiram’s company was in two divisions, those that were swallowed up into the earth, and the two hundred fifty men who unlawfully usurped the office of the Levites and offered censors of incense contrary to God’s law. Those 250 men were destroyed by fire. Of course, critics, ever searching for what they might be able to label a contradiction, did not overlook the ambiguity here. Addis declared that, "There was no need of the fire if the rebels had already been swallowed up by the earthquake"!

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:16. This verse takes us down to the time when Korah and his confederates rebelled against Moses and Aaron on account of their authority. (Numbers 16:1.)

Psalms 106:17. This fact is recorded in Numbers 16:30-34.

Psalms 106:18. Following up the history as it was in the making, this verse will refer to Numbers 16:35 which records the miraculous fire that destroyed these princes.

Verses 19-23

Psa 106:19-23

Psalms 106:19-23

SIN NO. 4

This was the worship of the golden calf:

"They made a calf in Horeb,

And worshipped a molten image.

Thus they changed their glory

For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.

They forgat their Saviour,

Who had done great things in Egypt,

Wondrous works in the land of Ham

And terrible things by the Red Sea.

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."

The Exodus account of this is in Exodus 32. See my comments in that chapter for a full discussion of this.

"They made a calf in Horeb" (Psalms 106:19). This is an alternative name for Mount Sinai. The shame of this episode is that it took place even in the vicinity of Sinai, where the sacred Law was given.

"Thus they changed their glory for the likeness of an ox" (Psalms 106:20). It is surprising indeed that any allegedly Christian commentator should question this; but Addis, declared that, "They had no intention of doing what is here stated. That it was an image of Yahweh that they made appears plainly from Exodus 32:5)." No bull calf was ever "an image of Yahweh"! That is the age-old delusion about image worship.

God cannot be worshipped by bowing down to anything that men might make. Furthermore, such a device is incapable of "reminding one of God." How could that which is blind, deaf, immobile, helpless, dead and powerless "remind one" of Him who is none of those things? And that goes for "a graven image of Christ himself," no less than for that of Aaron’s bull calf!

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:19. Horeb and Sinai are the same general location. The first is the place as a whole and the second is the peak; but the two words are used interchangeably in the Bible. It was there that the children of Israel made the idol in the form of a calf. It is here called a molten image which means it was cast. Exodus 32:4 agrees with this only it gives an additional item. The calf was first molten or cast "in the rough," then it was shaped more perfectly with the engraving tool.

Psalms 106:20. Changed is from MUWR which Strong defines, "a primitive root; to alter; by implication to barter, to dispose of." The glory of God cannot actually be changed or altered. The statement means that the Israelites gave up their glorying and praise for God and gave it to the idol which they had made with their own hands.

Psalms 106:21. They forgat does not mean their memory failed them. It had been only a few months since they had seen those great works of God and the mind of a human being does not forget that soon. The word means they dismissed the subject from their minds and turned their attention elsewhere, to something immediately before their eyes.

Psalms 106:22. The Psalmist does not specify the works themselves, but does designate where they were done. The land of Ham was Egypt (see Psalms 105:23), and the other place named was the body of water that brought salvation to the children of Israel while it brought destruction to their enemies.

Psalms 106:23. After the Israelites had made the golden calf, the Lord was so provoked that he threatened to destroy the nation and start a new one by Moses. But the man Moses acted as mediator and God turned from his wrath. (Exodus 32:11-35.)

Verses 24-27

Psa 106:24-27

Psalms 106:24-27

SIN NO. 5

This sin was the rebellion of Israel following the shameful report of the ten unfaithful spies (Numbers 13-14).

"Yea, they despised the pleasant land,

They believed not his word.

But murmured in their tents,

And hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah.

Therefore he sware unto them,

That he would overthrow them in the wilderness,

And that he would overthrow their seed among the nations,

And scatter them in the lands."

"They despised the pleasant land" (Psalms 106:24). The last half of Numbers 13, reports this. The ten spies brought back an evil report of the land of Canaan, affirming in the strongest terms possible that the Israelites would never be able to take it. "And they brought up an evil report of the land" (Numbers 13:32).

"They murmured in their tents" (Psalms 106:25). The Jerusalem Bible reads this, "They stayed in their camp and muttered treason." Their actual words were:

"Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would that we had died in this wilderness! Wherefore doth Jehovah bring us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little one will be a prey; were it not better for us to return into Egypt?" (Numbers 14:2-3).

"Their seed among the nations ... scatter them in the lands" (Psalms 106:27). This threat of the scattering of Israel among the nations "is founded upon Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.”

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:24. Despise means to belittle or refuse to consider. The Israelites closed their eyes of faith against the attractions of the promised land and became impatient on account of some unpleasant conditions connected with obtaining it.

Psalms 106:25. The original word for murmur is defined in the lexicon, "to grumble, i. e. to rebel." In 1 Corinthians 10:10 Paul refers to the same subject and Thayer defines the word, "to discontentedly complain." It means a situation where the complainant is dissatisfied, but is not able to specify any valid reason for his discontent.

Psalms 106:26. This verse is a specific reference to the death of the men of war after the return of the 12 spies. (Numbers 14.)

Psalms 106:27. This verse refers to the captivity of all the nations of Israel. The history of that tragic event is in 2 Kings 24, 25.

Verses 28-31

Psa 106:28-31

Psalms 106:28-31

SIN NO. 6

This was the disastrous worship of the Moabite god, Baal, whom Delitzsch identified as the "Priapus of Greek and Roman mythology,"^” the same being essentially a worship of the male sex organ, as the name suggests.

"They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor,

And ate the sacrifices of the dead.

Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings;

And the plague brake in upon them.

Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment;

And so the plague was stayed.

And that was reckoned unto him for righteousness,

Unto all generations forevermore."

The tragic record of this wholesale rebellion against God is given in Numbers 25.

"They ate the sacrifices for the dead" (Psalms 106:28). "This statement is interpreted best as a reference to the idol itself as the dead thing."

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:28. The preceding verse covered a wide range of time and events that reached hundreds of years beyond the ones in the wilderness. This one comes back to some details of the misconduct of the nation that led up to the events of the other verse. Baal-peor was one of the forms of heathen worship. Its chief characteristic was the mixing up with immoral conduct in the name of religion. Sacrifices of the dead means the religious feasts which the heathen held in honor of their idol gods. As they were sacrificial feasts (those in which eating was done in the name of religion), they would naturally consider their eating as an act of worship toward their gods. There is a good description of these "dead" gods in Psalms 115:4-8.

Psalms 106:29. Inventions is from a word that simply means a work or action. The verse means that God was provoked by the idolatrous actions of his people. The plague refers to the various afflictions that were imposed on the nation from time to time, but the specific one in the mind of the Psalmist was the slaying of thousands of Israelites after the affair with Balaam recorded in Numbers 25.

Psalms 106:30. The Mosaic system was a combination of religious and civil government. It therefore Included both spiritual and physical punishments. When the people fell into the sin of idolatry and its attendant immorality, Phinehas rose up in defense of the purity of the congregation and slew a notable actor and his partner on sight. That execution appeased the wrath of God and he stopped the plague.

Psalms 106:31. It is always right to oppose evil by whatever means the law provides for the purpose. The law had prescribed death as punishment for idolaters (Deuteronomy 17:2-5), and this man was carrying out the requirements of the law in killing these people. That was why the good citizens counted his act a righteous one.

Verses 32-33

Psa 106:32-33

Psalms 106:32-33

SIN NO. 7

"They angered him at the waters of Meribah,

So that it went with Moses for their sakes;

Because they were rebellious against his spirit,

And he spake unadvisedly with his lips."

The record of this in Numbers 20 received full comment in our commentary mentioned above. It was for Moses’ participation in the sins of Israel upon this occasion that resulted in God’s forbidding him to enter Canaan, Aaron also was guilty on the same occasion and suffered the same penalty.

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:32. There was more than one occasion when the people caused a disturbance in connection with water. The circumstances in the present case indicate the one reported in Numbers 20. For their sakes means on their account or because of them.

Psalms 106:33. Spake unadvisedly means he spoke unwisely or rashly. This is the only sin that the scriptures specify against Moses in this noted case. For extended comments on the subject see those at Numbers 20:9-12.

Verses 34-35

Psa 106:34-35

Psalms 106:34-35

SIN NO. 8

This was the failure of Israel to exterminate the pagan residents of Canaan as God had repeatedly and specifically commanded them to do. This was a "key sin" indeed, for a great many other sins were the direct result.

"They did not destroy the peoples,

As Jehovah commanded them,

But mingled themselves with the nations,

And learned their works."

The whole Book of Joshua records many of the details of this disobedience on Israel’s part. There were epic results indeed from this failure; because in time, Israel was totally corrupted by the same idolatrous practices which had destroyed the peoples of Canaan before them, and on account of which God removed them.

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:34-36. This paragraph is on the one subject of the mixing up with the heathen. The reader may see a detailed account of the subject in Judges 1, 2.

Verses 36-39

Psa 106:36-39

Psalms 106:36-39

SIN NO. 9

This sin was the moral ethical, and religious destruction of Israel that resulted from their adoption of the shameful practices of the heathen populations of Canaan. The full account of this terminal sin of the chosen people begins to unfold in Joshua, is accelerated in the Book of Judges, and reaches its climax in the writings of the Major prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.

Only the most meager outline of Israel’s ultimate debauchery appears here.

"And (Israel) served their idols,

Which became a snare unto them.

Yea, they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto demons,

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.

Thus were they defiled with their works,

And played the harlot in their doings."

To rehearse the full record of what is so briefly stated here would require a detailed study of a major portion of the Old Testament.

The child-sacrifice was practiced even by Israel’s kings (2 Kings 16:3; Ezekiel 16:20; Isaiah 57:5).

"They played the harlot in their doings" (Psalms 106:39). This is an accurate description of the idol worship in Canaan. Their pagan sex and fertility gods were "worshipped" with the most unbelievably vulgar and licentious ceremonies involving the patronage of the multitudes of religious prostitutes who were the principle sensual attraction of the shrines and high places of Canaan. There was certainly a great deal more involved than merely "bowing down" in front of some idol.

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:34-36. This paragraph is on the one subject of the mixing up with the heathen. The reader may see a detailed account of the subject in Judges 1, 2

Psalms 106:37. The Hebrew word for devils that is used here occurs only twice in the Bible; the other place being in Deuteronomy 32:17. This verse is concerned with the human sacrifices to idolatrous worship. For further comments and numerous citations on the subject see comments at 2 Kings 16:3 in the Commentary.

Psalms 106:38. Shedding of innocent blood is the slaying of innocent persons. When a man is slain who is worthy of death it is not the shedding of innocent blood. The children of these idolaters were not guilty of any wrong, therefore it was the shedding of innocent blood to slay them in sacrifice to idols.

Psalms 106:39. Went a whoring means they went lusting for the practices of false worship. Their inventions means their conduct that sprang from their own hearts.

Verse 40

Psa 106:40

Psalms 106:40-43

GOD’S ANGER WITH HIS PEOPLE

"Therefore was the wrath of Jehovah

kindled against his people,

And he abhorred his inheritance.

And he gave them into the hands of nations;

And they that hated them ruled over them.

Their enemies also oppressed them,

And they were brought into subjection under their hand.

Many times did he deliver them;

But they were rebellious in their counsel,

And were brought low in their iniquity."

The "many times" of Psalms 106:43, here, suggests that it was during the tumultuous period of the Judges that these frequent deliveries occurred.

Great heroes like Samson and Gideon were among the instruments of God’s deliverances during that period.

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:40. It requires something unusual to cause one to reject his own possessions or people. The Israelites were the personal possession of God, descended through his devoted servant Abraham, yet they were cast off when they followed after idols.

Psalms 106:41-45. It would serve no practical purpose to separate the verses of this paragraph. They all refer to the history recorded in the book of Judges. Since that epoch has been carefully commented upon in its proper place in the Commentary, I shall not take up space to repeat it here but will ask the reader to consult it in that place.

Verses 44-46

Psa 106:44-46

Psalms 106:44-46

GOD’S BLESSINGS DESPITE ISRAEL’S SINS

"Nevertheless he regarded their distress,

When he heard their cry;

And he remembered for them his covenant,

And repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindness.

He made them also to be pitied

Of all those that carried them captive."

"He remembered his covenant" (Psalms 106:44). God had promised the Messiah to be born of the descendants of the Patriarchs; and, in a sense, God was "stuck with Israel," until that promise was fulfilled in the birth of Christ. That is why God continued to bless fleshly Israel, regardless of their wickedness, even though, as Ezekiel stated it, they actually became "worse than Sodom and Gomorrah (Ezekiel 16).

"Of all those that carried them captive" (Psalms 106:46). This simply does not sound like Nebuchadnezzar, but the many captivities of Israel in earlier times. Therefore we agree with McCaw, quoted at the beginning of this chapter that Psalms 106:47, below, does not require a Babylonian explanation.

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:41-45. It would serve no practical purpose to separate the verses of this paragraph. They all refer to the history recorded in the book of Judges. Since that epoch has been carefully commented upon in its proper place in the Commentary, I shall not take up space to repeat it here but will ask the reader to consult it in that place.

Psalms 106:46. This verse is a prophecy although in the past tense. It was fulfilled when the Israelites were in the captivity. (See Ezra 1:1-4; Nehemiah 2:1-8.)

Verse 47

Psa 106:47

Psalms 106:47

"Save us, O Jehovah our God,

And gather us from among the nations,

To give thanks unto thy holy name,

And to triumph in thy praise."

The prayer here is for God to bring back the people from many nations, not just one, such as Babylon. The prayer is also for salvation.

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:47-48. This paragraph also is prophecy, and pertains to the return of the Jewish nation from Babylonian captivity. For a detailed account of that great event the reader should examine the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Verse 48

Psa 106:48

Psalms 106:48

"Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel,

From everlasting even to everlasting.

And let all the people say, Amen.

Praise ye Jehovah."

Psalms 106 actually ended in Psalms 106:47; and here we have the doxology that closes Book IV of the Psalter. Also, we have the "Praise the Lord," or "Hallelujah" featured in this group of psalms.

E.M. Zerr

Psalms 106:47-48. This paragraph also is prophecy, and pertains to the return of the Jewish nation from Babylonian captivity. For a detailed account of that great event the reader should examine the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.