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Psalm 105
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 105
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 105[a]
God’s Faithfulness to the Covenant
1 [b]Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name;[c]
proclaim his deeds among the peoples.
2 Offer him honor with songs of praise;
recount all his marvelous deeds.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts[d] of those who seek the Lord exult.
4 Reflect on the Lord and his strength;
seek his face continually.
5 Remember the marvels he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments[e] he has set forth.
6 You are the offspring of his servant Abraham,
the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.[f]
7 He is the Lord, our God;
his judgments prevail all over the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant[g] forever,
the promise he laid down for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.[h]
10 [i]He established it as a decree for Jacob,
and as an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your heritage.”
12 [j]When they were few in number,
an insignificant group of strangers in it,
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
14 He permitted no one to oppress them,
and in their regard he warned kings:[k]
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones;
do no harm to my prophets.”[l]
16 Then he invoked a famine on the land
and destroyed their supply of bread.
17 But he had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.
18 They shackled his feet with fetters
and clamped an iron collar around his neck,
19 until what he had prophesied was fulfilled
and the word of the Lord proved him true.
20 The king ordered that he be released;
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21 He appointed him as master of his household
and as ruler of all his possessions.
22 He was to instruct[m] his princes as he deemed fit
and to impart wisdom to his elders.
23 Then Israel went down into Egypt;
Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.[n]
24 God greatly increased the number of his people
and made them too strong for their foes,
25 whose hearts he then turned[o] to hate his people
and to conspire against his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them
and worked wonders in the land of Ham.
28 [p]He sent darkness that enveloped the land,
but they rebelled against his warnings.
29 He turned their waters into blood,
and all their fish were destroyed.
30 Their land was saturated with frogs,
even in the royal chambers.
31 At his command there came hordes of flies
and gnats throughout their country.
32 He sent them hail instead of rain,
and flashes of lightning in all their land.
33 He struck down their vines and their fig trees
and demolished the trees of their country.
34 At his word the locusts came,
as well as grasshoppers beyond all count.
35 They gobbled up every green plant in the land
and devoured the produce of the soil.
36 He struck down all the firstborn of the land,
the firstfruits of their manhood.
37 Then he led out his people with silver and gold,
and there was not one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of Israel had overwhelmed them.
39 He spread a cloud over his people as a cover[q]
and a fire to give light by night.
40 At their request he supplied them with quail,
and he filled them with bread from heaven.[r]
41 He split open a rock and water gushed forth,
flowing through the wilderness like a river.[s]
42 For he remembered the sacred promise
that he had made to Abraham, his servant.
43 He led forth his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with exultation.[t]
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited the fruit of other people’s toil,
45 so that they might keep his decrees
and observe his laws.
Alleluia.
Footnotes
- Psalm 105:1 The magnificent hymn in praise of God for creation (see Ps 104) does not suffice for believers. God is he who comes among human beings; hence, they proclaim God’s greatness in history by delivering the human race from slavery and leading it to salvation. In order to voice its joy and thanks, Israel loves to recall the events that marked the beginnings of its adventure: the promise made to Abraham and renewed to the patriarchs (vv. 8-15), the adventure of Joseph (vv. 16-23; see Gen 37–50), Moses and the plagues in Egypt (vv. 24-36; see Ex 1–13), the Exodus and the miracles in the wilderness (vv. 37-43; see Ex 14–15), and lastly the entrance into Canaan, the land promised as an inheritance (v. 44).
Contrary to the following psalm (Ps 106), the author is silent about Israel’s sins; he wishes to sing of nothing but the action of God. The Lord has always kept his word; he has multiplied wonders for his people, and his providence has guided their steps. Now he has a right to expect them to be faithful to him (v. 45).
This psalm becomes the song of the Church, a people chosen by God in Christ and saved by his Passover (see Eph 1). Since our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Mk 12:26), unchanged and also faithful, we can legitimately base our confidence in him on the promises and proofs he gave to our distant spiritual ancestors. Let us not forget, however, that these promises have received eminent confirmation in the life of Christ, whom God has led—through the dreadful detour of death—from this exile to the true Promised Land. This last proof constitutes the primary foundation of our enthusiasm and confidence.
The first fifteen verses of this psalm are found again in 1 Chr 16:8-22. - Psalm 105:1 These three verses can be regarded as a prelude, and they are counterbalanced by the conclusion comprising verses 44-45.
- Psalm 105:1 Name: see note on Ps 5:12. Proclaim his deeds among the peoples: see note on Ps 9:2.
- Psalm 105:3 Hearts: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 105:5 Judgments: see note on Ps 48:11.
- Psalm 105:6 Here begin the allusions to Genesis (Gen 22:17; see Isa 51:2). Children of Jacob, his chosen ones: most manuscripts read instead: “Children of Jacob, his chosen one,” which seems to fit better with the previous line.
- Psalm 105:8 Covenant: see Gen 15:9-21. This verse (and v. 9) are alluded to in Lk 1:72f.
- Psalm 105:9 The oath he swore to Isaac: another possible translation is “the oath concerning Isaac.”
- Psalm 105:10 These verses recall the promise (see Gen 15:18) on which rest the hopes of Israel (see Pss 47:5; 72:8; Deut 4:31, 40).
- Psalm 105:12 The psalmist recapitulates God’s saving acts for Israel from the making of the Covenant (see Gen 15:9-21) to its fulfillment (see Jos 21:43). In this connection, see the short summary of salvation prescribed to be said by the individual Israelite reaching the Promised Land (see Deut 26:1-11).
- Psalm 105:14 He warned kings: see Gen 12:11ff; 20:7; 26:7ff.
- Psalm 105:15 My anointed ones . . . my prophets: the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were in a sense anointed, that is, consecrated to God, and the recipients of his revelations.
- Psalm 105:22 Instruct: literally, “bind.” The one whose head had been shackled was now empowered to control the princes of Pharaoh as he wished and to impart wisdom to the counselors of Pharaoh, who were also delegates of the people. These elders most likely had the same function as the elders of Israel: arbitration (see Deut 22:13-19), military commands (see Jos 8:10), and counsel (see 1 Sam 4:3).
- Psalm 105:23 Land of Ham: i.e., Egypt.
- Psalm 105:25 Whose hearts he then turned: the ancients regarded every happening as coming from God, even evil (see Ex 4:21; 7:3; Jos 11:20; 2 Sam 24:1; Isa 10:5-7; 37:26f; Jer 34:22).
- Psalm 105:28 As in Ps 78:43-51, here also the plagues of Egypt are recalled with poetic license so that their order and number are different from Ex 7:14—12:30.
- Psalm 105:39 As a cover: the psalmist indicates that the cloud symbolizing God’s presence served as a protection for the people against the sun, somewhat like his shading wings (see note on Ps 17:8). Other functions of the cloud given are: to guide the people in the wilderness (see Ps 78:14; Ex 13:21; Num 9:17; Neh 9:12), to protect the people from the Egyptians as a cover of darkness (see Ex 14:19f), and to insulate them from the glorious manifestations of God’s overwhelming presence (see Ex 16:10; Num 11:25; Deut 31:15; 1 Ki 8:11).
- Psalm 105:40 Bread from heaven: the psalmist names it thusly because it was the immediate gift of the heavenly Father in contrast to the ordinary natural bread. See also note on Ps 78:25 and Christ’s use of this phrase in Jn 6:31.
- Psalm 105:41 The psalmist concludes his account of God’s saving deeds for Israel with one of the most admired of them: creating a river of water from a rock in the wilderness (see Ps 114:8; Isa 43:19f).
- Psalm 105:43 An allusion to the song of victory of Ex 15.
Psalm 105
New International Version
Psalm 105
New International Version
Psalm 105(A)
1 Give praise to the Lord,(B) proclaim his name;(C)
make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him,(D) sing praise to him;(E)
tell of all his wonderful acts.(F)
3 Glory in his holy name;(G)
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face(H) always.
5 Remember the wonders(I) he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,(J)
6 you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,(K)
his chosen(L) ones, the children of Jacob.
7 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant(M) forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham,(N)
the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it(O) to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:(P)
11 “To you I will give the land of Canaan(Q)
as the portion you will inherit.”(R)
12 When they were but few in number,(S)
few indeed, and strangers in it,(T)
13 they wandered from nation to nation,(U)
from one kingdom to another.
14 He allowed no one to oppress(V) them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:(W)
15 “Do not touch(X) my anointed ones;
do my prophets(Y) no harm.”
16 He called down famine(Z) on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17 and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.(AA)
18 They bruised his feet with shackles,(AB)
his neck was put in irons,
19 till what he foretold(AC) came to pass,
till the word(AD) of the Lord proved him true.
20 The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.(AE)
21 He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,
22 to instruct his princes(AF) as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom.(AG)
23 Then Israel entered Egypt;(AH)
Jacob resided(AI) as a foreigner in the land of Ham.(AJ)
24 The Lord made his people very fruitful;
he made them too numerous(AK) for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned(AL) to hate his people,
to conspire(AM) against his servants.
26 He sent Moses(AN) his servant,
and Aaron,(AO) whom he had chosen.(AP)
27 They performed(AQ) his signs(AR) among them,
his wonders(AS) in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness(AT) and made the land dark—
for had they not rebelled against(AU) his words?
29 He turned their waters into blood,(AV)
causing their fish to die.(AW)
30 Their land teemed with frogs,(AX)
which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31 He spoke,(AY) and there came swarms of flies,(AZ)
and gnats(BA) throughout their country.
32 He turned their rain into hail,(BB)
with lightning throughout their land;
33 he struck down their vines(BC) and fig trees(BD)
and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke,(BE) and the locusts came,(BF)
grasshoppers(BG) without number;(BH)
35 they ate up every green thing in their land,
ate up the produce of their soil.
36 Then he struck down all the firstborn(BI) in their land,
the firstfruits of all their manhood.
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,(BJ)
and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
because dread of Israel(BK) had fallen on them.
39 He spread out a cloud(BL) as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.(BM)
40 They asked,(BN) and he brought them quail;(BO)
he fed them well with the bread of heaven.(BP)
41 He opened the rock,(BQ) and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.
42 For he remembered his holy promise(BR)
given to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought out his people with rejoicing,(BS)
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations,(BT)
and they fell heir to what others had toiled(BU) for—
45 that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.(BV)
Footnotes
- Psalm 105:45 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
New International Version (NIV) 
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