Psalms 105
Old Testament · King James Version
Psalm 105 is a historical hymn of praise. It moves from a summons to remember God's works to the covenant with Abraham, the preservation of the patriarchs, Joseph's suffering and exaltation, Israel in Egypt, Moses and Aaron, the plagues, the Exodus, wilderness provision, and the gift of the land so that God's people might keep his statutes.
O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;
And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:
Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:
When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.
When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;
He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;
Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.
The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:
To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.
Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.
He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.
They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.
He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.
Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.
He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.
He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.
He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.
He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,
And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.
He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.
He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the Lord.
Context
A communal historical psalm that interprets Israel's story as testimony to God's covenant faithfulness and calls the worshiping community to remember, seek, praise, and obey.
Themes & application
- Praise
- Memory
- Covenant
- Providence
- Joseph
- Moses
- Exodus
- Obedience
Remember God's works without turning biblical election into ethnic superiority, suffering into a formula, judgment into permission for religious violence, or material provision into a prosperity guarantee.
Key verses
Praise begins by giving thanks and making God's deeds known.
The psalm centers God's remembrance of his covenant.
Joseph's painful story becomes part of preservation.
The Exodus is linked to God's remembered promise.
The story ends with the purpose of obedient life and praise.
Common misreadings of Psalms 105
Misreading: The covenant language authorizes modern ethnic supremacy.
In context: The psalm celebrates God's faithfulness in Israel's biblical history; it does not authorize racial or ethnic domination.
Misreading: The plagues authorize believers to inflict religious violence.
In context: The plagues are narrated as divine acts in the Exodus story, not as a mandate for private or political violence.
Misreading: Israel leaving with silver and gold guarantees financial prosperity to believers.
In context: Psalm 105 recounts a specific historical deliverance, not a universal wealth promise.
Misreading: The land promise can be transferred mechanically into an unconditional modern geopolitical claim.
In context: The psalm belongs to Israel's covenant story and does not itself settle modern political claims.
Cross-references
- Genesis 12:1–3 — The Abrahamic promise remembered in the psalm.
- Genesis 37–50 — Joseph's suffering, testing, and exaltation.
- Exodus 1–17 — Egypt, the plagues, Exodus, and wilderness provision.
Frequently asked questions about Psalms 105
What is the main message of Psalm 105?
Does Psalm 105 promise prosperity or political entitlement today?
Sources & editorial notes
- Translation
- Commentary anchored in the public-domain Psalm 105 text used by the site (en).
- Authorship
- Psalm 105 does not name an individual author in its heading.
- Editorial process
- Synthesis checked against the psalm's historical sequence and safeguards around covenant, ethnicity, judgment, wealth, land, and obedience.
References
- Psalm 105 — Primary text and structure.
- Genesis 12; 37–50 — Patriarchal and Joseph traditions recalled by the psalm.
- Exodus 1–17 — Egypt, plagues, Exodus, and wilderness material.
Author: The Lord Will Editorial Team · Reviewed by: Ugo Candido · Updated: 2026-08-21