Psalms 106:16-23

106:16 In the camp they resented ¹  Moses,

and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. ² 

106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;

it engulfed ³  the group led by Abiram. ⁴ 

106:18 Fire burned their group;

the flames scorched the wicked. ⁵ 

106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,

and worshiped a metal idol.

106:20 They traded their majestic God ⁶ 

for the image of an ox that eats grass.

106:21 They rejected ⁷  the God who delivered them,

the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,

106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,

mighty ⁸  acts by the Red Sea.

106:23 He threatened ⁹  to destroy them,

but ¹⁰  Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him ¹¹ 

and turned back his destructive anger. ¹² 

[106:16]  ¹ tn Or “envied.”

[106:16]  ² tn Heb “the holy one of the Lord.”

[106:17]  ³ tn Or “covered.”

[106:17]  ⁴ tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”

[106:18]  ⁵ sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.

[106:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the Lord states that his people (Israel) exchanged “their glory” (a reference to the Lord) for worthless idols.

[106:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “forgot.”

[106:22]  ⁸ tn Or “awe-inspiring.”

[106:23]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he said.”

[106:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”

[106:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”

[106:23]  ¹² tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”