Psalm 106
Expanded Bible
Israel’s Failure to Trust God
106 Praise the Lord!
Thank the Lord because he is good.
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
2 ·No one [L Who…?] can tell all the mighty things the Lord has done;
·no one [L who…?] can ·speak [declare] all his praise.
3 ·Happy [Blessed] are those who ·do [keep; observe; guard] ·right [justice],
who do what is ·fair [righteous] at all times.
4 Lord, remember me when you ·are kind [show favor] to your people;
·help [come to] me when you ·save them [give them victory].
5 Let me see the ·good things you do for [prosperity of] your chosen people.
Let me ·be happy [rejoice] along with your ·happy [rejoicing] nation;
let me join your ·own people [inheritance] in praising you.
6 We have sinned just as our ·ancestors [fathers] did.
We have done wrong; we have done evil.
7 Our ·ancestors [fathers] in Egypt
did not ·learn [grow in wisdom] from your ·miracles [wonderful acts].
They did not remember all your ·kindnesses [loyalty],
so they ·turned [rebelled] against you at the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [78:13; Ex. 14–15].
8 But the Lord ·saved them [gave them victory] ·for his own sake [L because of his name],
to ·show [reveal] his great power.
9 He ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [v. 7], and it dried up.
He led them through the deep sea as if it were a ·desert [wilderness].
10 He ·saved them [gave them victory over] from those who hated them.
He ·saved [redeemed] them from the ·power [hand] of their enemies,
11 and the water covered their foes.
Not one of them ·escaped [L was left].
12 Then the people ·believed what the Lord said [L had faith in his word],
and they sang praises to him.
13 But they quickly forgot what he had done;
they did not wait for his ·advice [counsel].
14 They ·became greedy for food [developed deep cravings] in the ·desert [wilderness; Num. 11],
and they tested God ·there [L in desolate places; Ex. 17:7].
15 So he gave them what they ·wanted [asked for],
but he also sent ·a terrible disease [a wasting sickness; emaciation] among them [Num. 11:33–35].
16 The people in the camp were jealous of Moses
and of Aaron, the holy ·priest [one] of the Lord.
17 Then the ground opened up and swallowed Dathan
and closed over Abiram’s ·group [assembly].
18 A fire burned among their ·followers [congregation],
and flames burned up the wicked [Num. 16].
19 The people made a gold calf at ·Mount Sinai [L Horeb; C another name for Sinai]
and ·worshiped [bowed down to] a metal statue [Ex. 32; Deut. 9:7–17].
20 They exchanged their ·glorious God [L glory; C God’s manifest presence]
for ·a statue [the image] of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who ·saved them [had given them victory],
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 who had done miracles in the land of Ham [C Egypt]
and amazing things by the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [v. 7].
23 So God said he would destroy them.
But Moses, his chosen one, stood ·before him [L in the breech before him]
and ·stopped God’s anger from destroying them [calmed his destructive wrath; Ex. 32:30—33:23; Deut. 9:18–21].
24 Then they refused to go into the ·beautiful land of Canaan [desired/coveted land];
they did not ·believe what God promised [L trust his word; Num. 14:1–12].
25 They ·grumbled [complained] in their tents [Deut. 1:27; 1 Cor. 10:10]
and did not ·obey [L listen to] the Lord.
26 So he ·swore [L lifted his hand; C an oath-taking gesture] to them
that ·they would die [L he would make them fall] in the ·desert [wilderness].
27 He ·said their children would be killed by [L would make their seed fall to] other nations
and that they would be scattered among other countries [C as happened in the exile; Num. 14:27–35].
28 They ·joined in worshiping [L yoked themselves to] Baal at Peor
and ate ·meat that had been sacrificed to lifeless statues [L sacrifices to the dead; Num. 25].
29 They ·made the Lord angry [L provoked him] by what they did,
so ·many people became sick with a terrible disease [plague broke out among them].
30 But Phinehas ·prayed to the Lord [L stood and prayed],
and the ·disease [plague] ·stopped [was restrained; Num. 25:6–9].
31 ·Phinehas did what was right [L It was counted/credited to him as righteousness],
·and it will be remembered from now on [L throughout the generations, forever; Num. 25:10–13; Mal. 2:4–6].
32 The people also made the Lord angry at Meribah [81:7; 95:8],
and Moses was in trouble because of them.
33 The people ·turned [rebelled] against ·the Spirit of God [L his Spirit/spirit],
so Moses ·spoke without stopping to think [L chattered with his lips; Num. 20:10–11].
34 The people did not destroy the other nations
as the Lord had told them to do [Deut. 7:16; 20:17–18].
35 Instead, they mixed with the other nations
and learned their ·customs [deeds; Judg. 3:5–6].
36 They ·worshiped [L served] other nations’ idols [Judg. 2:19]
and were ·trapped by them [L a snare to them].
37 They even killed their sons and daughters
as sacrifices to demons [Lev. 18:21; Deut. 12:31; 2 Kin. 16:1; 21:6; 23:10; Jer. 7:31; Ezek. 16:20–21; 20:31; 1 Cor. 10:20].
38 They ·killed [L spilled the blood of] innocent people,
their own sons and daughters,
as sacrifices to the idols of Canaan [Jer. 19:4].
So the land was ·made unholy [polluted] by their blood.
39 The people became ·unholy [unclean; C ritually] by their ·sins [L acts];
they ·were unfaithful to God in [prostituted themselves by] what they did.
40 So the Lord became angry with his people
and ·hated [was disgusted with] his own ·children [L inheritance].
41 He ·handed them over to [L gave them over to the hand/power of] other nations
and let ·their enemies [L those who hated them] ·rule over [dominate] them.
42 Their enemies ·were cruel to [oppressed] them
and ·kept them [they were brought into subjection] under their ·power [L hand].
43 The Lord ·saved [rescued] his people many times,
but they continued to ·turn [rebel] against him.
So they ·became even more wicked [L were brought low by their iniquity].
44 But God saw their ·misery [distress]
when he heard their cry.
45 He remembered his ·agreement [treaty; covenant] with them,
and he felt ·sorry [compassion] for them because of his great ·love [loyalty].
46 He caused them to be ·pitied [shown mercy/compassion]
by those who held them captive.
47 Lord our God, ·save us [give us victory]
and ·bring us back [gather us] from other nations [C perhaps from the exile].
Then we will ·thank [praise] ·you [L your holy name]
and will ·gladly praise you [glory in your praise].
48 ·Praise [Bless] the Lord, the God of Israel.
He ·always was and always will be [is from everlasting to everlasting].
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 106
Amplified Bible
Israel’s Rebelliousness and the Lord’s Deliverances.
106 Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever!(A)
2
Who can put into words the mighty deeds of the Lord?
Or who can proclaim all His praise [that is due Him]?
3
Blessed are those who observe justice [by honoring God’s precepts],
Who practice righteousness at all times.
4
Remember me, O Lord, when You favor Your people.
Visit me with Your salvation [when You rescue them],
5
That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with Your inheritance.
6
We have sinned like our fathers;
We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.(B)
7
Our fathers in Egypt did not understand nor appreciate Your miracles;
They did not remember the abundance of Your mercies nor imprint Your lovingkindnesses on their hearts,
But they were rebellious at the sea, at the [a]Red Sea.(C)
8
Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
That He might make His [supreme] power known.
9
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
And He led them through the depths as through a pasture.(D)
10
So He saved them from the hand of the one that hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the [Egyptian] enemy.(E)
11
And the waters covered their adversaries;
Not one of them was left.(F)
12
Then Israel believed in [the validity of] His words;
They sang His praise.
13
But they quickly forgot His works;
They did not [patiently] wait for His counsel and purpose [to be revealed regarding them],
14
But lusted intensely in the wilderness
And tempted God [with their insistent desires] in the desert.(G)
15
So He gave them their request,
But sent a wasting disease among them.(H)
16
They envied Moses in the camp,
And Aaron [the high priest], the holy one of the Lord,(I)
17
Therefore the earth opened and swallowed Dathan,
And engulfed the company of Abiram.(J)
18
And a fire broke out in their company;
The flame consumed the wicked.(K)
19
They made a calf in Horeb (Sinai)
And worshiped a cast image.(L)
20
Thus they exchanged [the true God who was] their glory
For the image of an ox that eats grass.
21
They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done such great things in Egypt,
22
Wonders in the land of Ham,
Awesome things at the Red Sea.
23
Therefore He said He would destroy them,
[And He would have done so] had not Moses, His chosen one, stepped into the gap before Him,
To turn away His wrath from destroying them.(M)
24
Then they despised the pleasant land [of Canaan];
They did not believe in His word nor rely on it,
25
But they sulked and complained in their tents;
They did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
26
Therefore He lifted up His hand [swearing] to them,
That He would cause them to fall in the wilderness,
27
And that He would cast out their descendants among the nations
And scatter them in the lands [of the earth].
28
They joined themselves also to [the idol] Baal of Peor,
And ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
29
Thus they provoked Him to anger with their practices,
And a plague broke out among them.
30
Then Phinehas [the priest] stood up and [b]interceded,
And so the plague was halted.(N)
31
And that was credited to him for righteousness,
To all generations forever.
32
They provoked Him to anger at the waters of [c]Meribah,
So that it went hard with Moses on their account;(O)
33
Because they were rebellious against His Spirit,
Moses spoke recklessly with his lips.
34
They did not destroy the [pagan] peoples [in Canaan],
As the Lord commanded them,
35
But they mingled with the [idolatrous] nations
And learned their ways,
36
And served their idols,
Which became a [dreadful] snare to them.
37
They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons(P)
38
And shed innocent blood,
Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with their blood.
39
In this way they became unclean in their practices;
They played the prostitute in their own deeds [by giving their worship, which belongs to God alone, to other “gods”].
40
Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people
And He detested His own [d]inheritance.(Q)
41
He gave them into the hands of the nations,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
42
Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were subdued under the [powerful] hand of their enemies.
43
Many times He rescued them;
But they were rebellious in their counsel,
And sank down in their wickedness.
44
Nevertheless He looked [sympathetically] at their distress
When He heard their cry;
45
And He remembered His covenant for their sake,
And relented [rescinding their sentence] according to the greatness of His lovingkindness [when they cried out to Him],
46
He also made them objects of compassion
Among those who had carried them away captive.(R)
47
Save us, O Lord our God,
And gather us from among the nations,
That we may give thanks to Your holy name
And glory in praising You.
48
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)(S)
Footnotes
- Psalm 106:7 Lit Sea of Reeds; and so throughout.
- Psalm 106:30 The exact meaning of the Hebrew here has been debated since ancient times. The term interceded probably is best because it could refer to Phinehas’ intervention by executing the guilty couple (Num 25:7f), or to his interceding through prayer in behalf of Israel. No such prayer is recorded, but it is certainly possible that Phinehas prayed for relief before or after the execution. The ancient rabbis mostly understood the intercession as a prayer, but some of them took the meaning of the Hebrew to be that Phinehas interceded essentially by arguing with God as to whether it was fair to destroy so many people for the sins of two.
- Psalm 106:32 Lit strife.
- Psalm 106:40 I.e. people.
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