CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Psalms 105
Chapter 105 of 150
Chapter Overview
What happens in Psalms 105
A historical psalm calling God's people to remember his wonderful deeds. It traces God's faithfulness from his covenant with Abraham through the plagues of Egypt and the giving of the promised land.
Scripture
Psalms 105
Give Thanks and Remember
Study note
The psalm opens with a call to give thanks, call on God's name, and make his deeds known. Remember the wonders he has done.
1 Say thank you to the Lord! Call out his name! Let everybody know the things he has done. O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
2 Sing songs for him! Make music to honor him! Talk about every one of his amazing works. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
3 Be proud of his holy name. Let the hearts of everyone who seeks the Lord be filled with happiness. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
4 Go after the Lord and his strength. Keep seeking his face and never stop. Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
5 Remember the amazing things he has done -- his miracles and the rulings he has given, Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
6 you descendants of Abraham, his servant -- you children of Jacob, the ones he chose. O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
God's Covenant with Abraham
Study note
God remembers his covenant forever. He made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about giving them the land of Canaan. Even when they were few and wandering, God protected them.
7 He is the Lord, our God. His decisions apply to the entire earth. He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He never forgets his covenant. The promise he made is meant to last for a thousand generations, He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
9 the covenant he cut with Abraham and the oath he gave to Isaac. Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;
10 He set it up for Jacob as a lasting law and for Israel as a covenant that lasts forever, And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:
11 saying, "I am giving you the land of Canaan. It will be your share of the inheritance." Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:
12 Back then, they were just a tiny group of people -- barely a handful -- and they were newcomers in that land. When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.
13 They moved from one nation to the next, from one kingdom to another. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;
14 He would not let anyone push them around. He scolded kings because of them, He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;
15 saying, "Keep your hands off the people I have chosen. Do not lay a finger on my prophets." Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
Joseph and God's Plan
Study note
God sent a famine and sent Joseph ahead to Egypt as a slave. Joseph was tested until God's word proved true, and he was put in charge of all Egypt.
16 Then he brought a famine down on the land and wiped out every bit of their food supply. Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.
17 But first he had sent someone ahead of them -- Joseph, who was sold and taken away as a slave. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
18 They clamped iron shackles on his feet and locked an iron collar around his neck, Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
19 until the things he had predicted happened. The Lord's own word proved that Joseph was telling the truth. Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
20 The king gave the order to release him. The ruler over many people set him free. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
21 He put Joseph in charge of his whole household and gave him power over everything he owned, He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:
22 He had the power to train the king's officials however he wanted. He could teach wisdom to the older advisors. To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.
Israel in Egypt and the Exodus
Study note
Israel grew strong in Egypt until the Egyptians turned against them. God sent Moses and Aaron who performed signs and plagues — darkness, blood, frogs, flies, hail, locusts, and the death of the firstborn. Egypt was glad when Israel left.
23 Then Israel traveled to Egypt. Jacob settled as a foreigner in the land of Ham. Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24 God caused his people to grow rapidly until they outnumbered their enemies. And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.
25 He turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people. They began making plans against his servants. He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
26 He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, the one he had picked for the job. He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They showed his miraculous signs among the Egyptians. They did wonders in the land of Ham. They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness and blacked out the sky, and the Egyptians did not dare disobey his word. He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.
29 He turned all their water into blood, and their fish died. He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.
30 Frogs overran their country. They even appeared in the bedrooms of the king. Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.
31 At his command, swarms of flies poured in, and gnats filled every corner of the land. He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.
32 Instead of rain, he pelted them with hail, and lightning blazed across their land. He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.
33 He hammered their grapevines and fig trees and splintered every tree across the countryside. He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.
34 He spoke, and locusts swarmed in -- young locusts in numbers too large to count. He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,
35 They chewed up every green thing in the country and ate every bit of food the ground had produced. And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
36 Then he struck down every firstborn son in the land -- the very first sign of each family's strength. He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.
37 He led Israel out loaded with silver and gold, and not a single person among their tribes tripped or fell. He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
38 Egypt was relieved to see them go, because fear of Israel had gripped them tight. Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.
God Led Them to the Promised Land
Study note
God spread a cloud for cover and fire for light at night. He brought quail and bread from heaven and water from a rock. He did all this because he remembered his holy promise to Abraham. His people entered the land with joy to keep his laws. Praise the Lord!
39 He spread out a cloud like a blanket to cover them and gave them a fire to light the darkness. He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
40 They asked, and he brought in flocks of quail. He satisfied their hunger with bread that came down from heaven. The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He cracked open a rock, and water came pouring out. It flowed through the dry desert like a river. He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
42 He did all of this because he held on to the sacred promise he had given to Abraham, his servant. For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
43 He brought his people out bursting with joy. His chosen ones came out cheering. And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
44 He handed them lands that belonged to other nations. They took over what other people had spent years building, And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
45 so that they would obey his laws and follow his instructions. Praise the Lord! That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.
Key Themes
Themes in Psalms 105
Remembering God's covenant faithfulnessThe story from Abraham to the promised landJoseph's suffering as part of God's planGod's promises never fail
Apply This Today
Living Psalms 105
This psalm retells the story of God's faithfulness from Abraham through the Exodus. It is a reminder that God keeps every promise, even when the process takes longer than expected. Joseph went from pit to prison to palace. If you are in the pit or the prison, keep trusting — God's plan is still unfolding.
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