Psalm 106

Psalm 106 is the last psalm of Book IV (Psalms 90–106) of the Psalms. The preceding Psalm 105 celebrated God's faithfulness to Israel throughout its history. This psalm revisits the same history from the standpoint of Israel's disobedience. It both opens and closes with "Hallelujah" ("Praise ye the LORD").

Structure

• Verses 1–5 The psalmist calls on the people to give thanks to the LORD. He then asks to be remembered with the favor the LORD shows to His people.
• Verses 6–12 The people confess, "We have sinned with our fathers." The forefathers rebelled at the Red Sea, yet for His name's sake the LORD dried up the sea and saved them.
• Verses 13–15 In the wilderness they gave in to their cravings and tempted God. God gave them their request but "sent leanness into their soul."
• Verses 16–18 They envied Moses and Aaron. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan and covered the company of Abiram, and fire burned up their company.
• Verses 19–23 At Horeb they made a calf idol. Moses stood in the breach and turned away the LORD's wrath.
• Verses 24–27 They despised the pleasant land and murmured in their tents. The LORD swore that they would fall in the wilderness.
• Verses 28–31 They joined themselves to Baal-peor, and a plague broke out. When Phinehas stood up and executed judgment, the plague was stayed, and this was counted unto him for righteousness.
• Verses 32–33 At the waters of Meribah the people angered the LORD, and on that account Moses "spake unadvisedly with his lips."
• Verses 34–39 After entering Canaan they did not destroy the nations but mingled with them and served their idols. They even sacrificed their children to false gods (the KJV's "devils").
• Verses 40–46 The LORD gave them into the hands of the nations. Yet He delivered them many times, and remembering His covenant, He caused them to be pitied by those who carried them captive.
• Verses 47–48 The psalm pleads for God to gather His people from among the nations and ends with a doxology (a hymn ascribing glory to God) that closes Book IV.

Key Verses

• Psalm 106:1 "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." This confession opens the entire psalm. It invites the reader to interpret a history of failure within the framework of God's mercy (Hebrew hesed, steadfast love).
• Psalm 106:23 "Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach." This verse is often cited as an example of one person's intercession (pleading with God on behalf of others) saving an entire community.
• Psalm 106:47 "Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen." This is a prayer for the restoration of a scattered people.

People and Places

• Moses and Aaron: leaders of Israel during the wilderness period.
• Dathan and Abiram: members of the tribe of Reuben who opposed Moses' authority and were swallowed by the earth (Numbers 16).
• Phinehas: grandson of Aaron and the priest who punished the offenders during the Baal-peor incident.
• Egypt and the land of Ham: "the land of Ham" is a poetic expression for Egypt.
• Horeb: another name for Mount Sinai, the site of the golden calf incident.
• Baal-peor: the Baal worshiped at Peor in the land of Moab.
• Meribah: the place in the wilderness where the people quarreled over water.
• Canaan: the Promised Land, which Israel entered and settled.

Points for Reflection

• Overlap with 1 Chronicles 16: Verse 1 and verses 47–48 appear in nearly identical form in 1 Chronicles 16, in the song David offered after the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem. Many interpreters understand the phrase "gather us from among the heathen" in verse 47 as reflecting the situation after the Babylonian exile. Others, however, connect the psalm with the Chronicles passage, so opinions on its date of composition differ.
• The omission of Korah: Although Korah also appears in the rebellion of Numbers 16, this psalm names only Dathan and Abiram.
• "Counted unto him for righteousness" in verse 31: This is the same expression used of Abraham in Genesis 15:6. Because Paul connects this expression with faith in Romans 4, interpreters have discussed the relationship between the two texts.
• Connections with the New Testament: In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul cites the idolatry, tempting of God, and murmuring of the wilderness generation as "examples" to warn believers. The sacrifices to false gods in verse 37 are also sometimes read alongside 1 Corinthians 10:20, which states that sacrifices offered to idols are offered to devils.