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