Text -- Psalms 105:21-45 (NET)

105:21 He put him in charge of his palace, and made him manager of all his property, 105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials and to teach his advisers. 105:23 Israel moved to Egypt; Jacob lived for a time in the land of Ham. 105:24 The Lord made his people very fruitful, and made them more numerous than their enemies. 105:25 He caused them to hate his people, and to mistreat his servants. 105:26 He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham. 105:28 He made it dark; they did not disobey his orders. 105:29 He turned their water into blood, and killed their fish. 105:30 Their land was overrun by frogs, which even got into the rooms of their kings. 105:31 He ordered flies to come; gnats invaded their whole territory. 105:32 He sent hail along with the rain; there was lightning in their land. 105:33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees, and broke the trees throughout their territory. 105:34 He ordered locusts to come, innumerable grasshoppers. 105:35 They ate all the vegetation in their land, and devoured the crops of their fields. 105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of their reproductive power. 105:37 He brought his people out enriched with silver and gold; none of his tribes stumbled. 105:38 Egypt was happy when they left, for they were afraid of them. 105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, and provided a fire to light up the night. 105:40 They asked for food, and he sent quails; he satisfied them with food from the sky. 105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out; a river ran through dry regions. 105:42 Yes, he remembered the sacred promise he made to Abraham his servant. 105:43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced; his chosen ones shouted with joy. 105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them, and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 105:45 so that they might keep his commands and obey his laws. Praise the Lord!

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Psa 105:21

¹ tn Heb “he made him master of his house.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:22

¹ tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”

² tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:23

¹ tn Heb “entered.”

² tn Heb “lived as a resident alien.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:24

¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “him,” referring to “his people.”

³ tn Heb “his,” referring to “his people.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:25

¹ tn Heb “their heart.”

² 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.

NET Notes: Psa 105:27

¹ tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).

NET Notes: Psa 105:28

¹ 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).

² tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.

NET Notes: Psa 105:31

¹ tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:32

¹ tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”

² tn Heb “fire of flames [was] in their land.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:34

¹ tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:35

¹ tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:36

¹ 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.

NET Notes: Psa 105:37

¹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Lord’s people) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

² tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: Psa 105:38

¹ tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:39

¹ tn Or “curtain.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:40

¹ 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).

² tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).

NET Notes: Psa 105:42

¹ tn Or “for.”

² tn Heb “his holy word.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:43

¹ tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:44

¹ tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”

NET Notes: Psa 105:45

¹ tn Heb “guard.”