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Book IVPsalm 105, 16 of 17
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BackgroundAn anonymous historical hymn rehearsing God's faithfulness from Abraham to the conquest; verses 1-15 are paralleled in 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 as the song David appointed when the ark arrived in Jerusalem.

Psalm 105: He Remembers His Covenant Forever

By Bea Zalel

Psalm 105

  1. Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the nations.
  2. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wonders.
  3. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
  4. Seek out the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.
  5. Remember the wonders He has done, His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
  6. O offspring of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.
  7. He is the LORD our God; His judgments carry throughout the earth.
  8. He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations—
  9. the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac.
  10. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
  11. “I will give you the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.”
  12. When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land,
  13. they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
  14. He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:
  15. “Do not touch My anointed ones! Do no harm to My prophets!”
  16. He called down famine on the land and cut off all their supplies of food.
  17. He sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave.
  18. They bruised his feet with shackles and placed his neck in irons,
  19. until his prediction came true and the word of the LORD proved him right.
  20. The king sent and released him; the ruler of peoples set him free.
  21. He made him master of his household, ruler over all his substance,
  22. to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.
  23. Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
  24. And the LORD made His people very fruitful, more numerous than their foes,
  25. whose hearts He turned to hate His people, to conspire against His servants.
  26. He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron, whom He had chosen.
  27. They performed His miraculous signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
  28. He sent darkness, and it became dark— yet they defied His words.
  29. He turned their waters to blood and caused their fish to die.
  30. Their land teemed with frogs, even in their royal chambers.
  31. He spoke, and insects swarmed— gnats throughout their country.
  32. He gave them hail for rain, with lightning throughout their land.
  33. He struck their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.
  34. He spoke, and the locusts came— young locusts without number.
  35. They devoured every plant in their land and consumed the produce of their soil.
  36. Then He struck all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their vigor.
  37. He brought Israel out with silver and gold, and none among His tribes stumbled.
  38. Egypt was glad when they departed, for the dread of Israel had fallen on them.
  39. He spread a cloud as a covering and a fire to light up the night.
  40. They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
  41. He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.
  42. For He remembered His holy promise to Abraham His servant.
  43. He brought forth His people with rejoicing, His chosen with shouts of joy.
  44. He gave them the lands of the nations, that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor,
  45. that they might keep His statutes and obey His laws. Hallelujah!
Inline text: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.Read in: NIV, ESV, NLT, MSG

Theme

Psalm 105 is a sung history. It begins with a call to remember and then walks the congregation through the major scenes of Israel's national story: the covenant with Abraham (verses 8-11), the wandering of the patriarchs (verses 12-15), the descent into Egypt through Joseph (verses 16-22), the multiplication in Goshen (verses 23-25), the plagues against Pharaoh (verses 26-36), the Exodus (verses 37-38), the wilderness provision (verses 39-41) and the gift of the land (verses 42-45). For Israel, history was not background. History was the proof of God's character. To remember was an act of worship.

The first fifteen verses of this psalm appear nearly verbatim in 1 Chronicles 16:8-22, where the Chronicler reports that David assigned this song to Asaph and his brothers on the day the ark of the covenant came to rest in Jerusalem. The relationship between the psalm and the Chronicler's record is debated. Some scholars hold that the psalm preserves an ancient liturgy that the Chronicler later anthologized. Others hold that the Chronicler shaped the language and the psalmist inherited it. Either way, the overlap shows that this material was foundational liturgical memory, sung at the most significant gathering of Israel's worshiping life.

The refrain at the heart of the psalm is the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: "the word that he commanded for a thousand generations." The Hebrew verb for "remember" is "zakar". It is used here not for human nostalgia but for divine fidelity. When the LORD remembers his covenant, he acts on it. To pray this psalm was to remind oneself (and the congregation) that no generation drops out of the covenant's reach. The psalm closes with the gift of the land and the charge "that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws." Remembering is not the goal. Faithful obedience, fed by remembering, is the goal.

Discussion questions

  1. The psalm calls Israel to "make known his deeds among the peoples" (verse 1). How does Israel's history function as missional witness rather than private memory?
  2. Verses 1-15 are paralleled in 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 as the song David appointed when the ark arrived in Jerusalem. How does that liturgical setting shape the way the psalm should be heard?
  3. The Hebrew verb "zakar" (to remember) frames the whole psalm. What is the difference between human remembering and the divine remembering described here?
  4. The psalm spends more verses on Joseph (verses 16-22) than on most other figures. Why might his story have carried so much weight for Israel in any era of suffering?
  5. Verses 26-36 list the plagues, though not in the same order as Exodus 7-12. What does the poetic reordering tell you about how Israel re-told its own history in worship?
  6. Verse 8 says God "remembers his covenant forever". How does covenant memory differ from contractual obligation?
  7. Where in your own life do you tend to forget what God has done? What practice would help you sing your history rather than just recall it?
  8. Verse 15 quotes the LORD: "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm." How does that protection of vulnerable patriarchs shape Israel's understanding of God's character?
  9. Compare Psalm 105 with Stephen's speech in Acts 7:1-50. What does it look like to retell the same history with a new climax?
  10. The psalm closes with "Praise the LORD" (verse 45). How does telling history rightly lead naturally to praise?

Read this psalm in another translation

The inline text above is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB). Open in a new tab to compare with a modern licensed translation:

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