Discovery BoxPsalms 105:20-45
Context105:20 The king authorized his release; 1
the ruler of nations set him free.
105:21 He put him in charge of his palace, 2
and made him manager of all his property,
105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials 3
and to teach his advisers. 4
105:23 Israel moved to 5 Egypt;
Jacob lived for a time 6 in the land of Ham.
105:24 The Lord 7 made his people very fruitful,
and made them 8 more numerous than their 9 enemies.
105:25 He caused them 10 to hate his people,
and to mistreat 11 his servants.
105:26 He sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, 12
and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.
they did not disobey his orders. 14
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; 15
gnats invaded their whole territory.
105:32 He sent hail along with the rain; 16
there was lightning in their land. 17
105:33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees,
and broke the trees throughout their territory.
105:34 He ordered locusts to come, 18
innumerable grasshoppers.
105:35 They ate all the vegetation in their land,
and devoured the crops of their fields. 19
105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power. 20
105:37 He brought his people 21 out enriched 22 with silver and gold;
none of his tribes stumbled.
105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,
for they were afraid of them. 23
105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, 24
and provided a fire to light up the night.
105:40 They asked for food, 25 and he sent quails;
he satisfied them with food from the sky. 26
105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;
a river ran through dry regions.
105:42 Yes, 27 he remembered the sacred promise 28
he made to Abraham his servant.
105:43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;
his chosen ones shouted with joy. 29
105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,
and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 30
105:45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey 31 his laws.
Praise the Lord!
[105:20] 1 tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”
[105:21] 2 tn Heb “he made him master of his house.”
[105:22] 3 tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”
[105:22] 4 tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”
[105:23] 6 tn Heb “lived as a resident alien.”
[105:24] 7 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[105:24] 8 tn Heb “him,” referring to “his people.”
[105:24] 9 tn Heb “his,” referring to “his people.”
[105:25] 10 tn Heb “their heart.”
[105:25] 11 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.
[105:27] 12 tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).
[105:28] 13 tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”
[105:28] 14 tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.
[105:31] 15 tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”
[105:32] 16 tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”
[105:32] 17 tn Heb “fire of flames [was] in their land.”
[105:34] 18 tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”
[105:35] 19 tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”
[105:36] 20 tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).
[105:37] 21 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the
[105:37] 22 tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[105:38] 23 tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”
[105:40] 25 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).
[105:40] 26 tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).
[105:42] 28 tn Heb “his holy word.”
[105:43] 29 tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”
[105:44] 30 tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”
