Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 105:16
Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he broke the whole staff of bread.
16. And he called ] So 2Ki 8:1; Amo 5:8; Amo 7:4; Amo 9:6; Hag 1:11. Observe the emphasis upon direct Divine agency in Psa 105:16,
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Moreover, he called for a famine upon the land – It was not by chance; not by the mere operation of physical laws, but it was because God ordered it. The famine here referred to, as the connection shows, was that which occurred in the time of Jacob, and which was the occasion of the migration into Egypt. There was also a famine in the time of Abraham Gen 12:10; but the design of the psalmist here is to refer to that period of the Jewish history which pertained to their residence in Egypt, and to the dealings of God with the nation when there, as furnishing an occasion for gratitude. Gen. 41; 42.
He brake the whole staff of bread – That which supports life, as a staff does a feeble man. See the notes at Isa 3:1.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
He called for, i.e. he effectually procured, as this word is used, 2Ki 8:1; Isa 47:1,5; 56:7; Rom 4:17.
The whole staff of bread, i.e. bread, which is the staff or support of our animal lives. See Lev 26:26; Psa 104:15; Eze 4:16.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. God ordered the famine. God
called for a famineasif it were a servant, ready to come at God’s bidding. Comparethe centurion’s words, as to disease being God’s servant (Mat 8:8;Mat 8:9).
upon the landnamely,Canaan (Ge 41:54).
staff of breadwhatsupports life (Lev 26:26; Psa 104:15;Isa 3:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Moreover, he called for a famine upon the land,…. On the land of Egypt; or rather on the land of Canaan, where Jacob and his sons sojourned; and which reached to all lands, Ge 41:56 and calling for it, it came, being a servant at the command of the Lord; see 2Ki 8:1.
He brake the whole staff of bread; so called, because it is the support of man’s life, the principal of his sustenance: as a staff is a support to a feeble person, and which, when broke, ceases to be so. The staff of bread is broken, when either the virtue and efficacy of it for nourishment is taken away or denied; or when there is a scarcity of bread corn; which latter seems to be intended here; see Isa 3:1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“To call up a famine” is also a prose expression in 2Ki 8:1. To break the staff of bread (i.e., the staff which bread is to man) is a very old metaphor, Lev 26:26. That the selling of Joseph was, providentially regarded, a “sending before,” he himself says in Gen 45:5. Psa 102:24 throws light upon the meaning of . The Ker is just as much without any occasion to justify it as in Ecc 4:8 (for ). The statement that iron came upon his soul is intended to say that he had to endure in iron fetters sufferings that threatened his life. Most expositors take as equivalent to , but Hitzig rightly takes as an object, following the Targum; for as a name of an iron fetter
(Note: Also in ancient Arabic firzil (after the Aramaic ) directly signifies an iron fetter (and the large smith’s shears for cutting the iron), whence the verb. denom. Arab. farzala , c. acc. pers., to put any one into iron chains. Iron is called from , to pierce, like the Arabic hdd , as being the material of which pointed tools are made.)
can change its gender, as do, e.g., as a name of the north wind, and as a name of the soul. The imprisonment (so harsh at the commencement) lasted over ten years, until at last Joseph’s word cam to pass, viz., the word concerning this exaltation which had been revealed to him in dreams (Gen 42:9). According to Psa 107:20, appears to be the word of Jahve, but then one would expect from Psa 105:19 a more parallel turn of expression. What is meant is Joseph’s open-hearted word concerning his visions, and is the revelation of God conveying His promises, which came to him in the same form, which had to try, to prove, and to purify him ( as in Psa 17:3, and frequently), inasmuch as he was not to be raised to honour without having in a state of deep abasement proved a faithfulness that wavered not, and a confidence that knew no despair. The divine “word” is conceived of as a living effectual power, as in Psa 119:50. The representation of the exaltation begins, according to Gen 41:14, with
(Note: Here is united by Makkeph with the following word, to which it hurries on, whereas in Psa 105:28 it has its own accent, a circumstance to which the Masora has directed attention in the apophthegm: (the emissaries of the king are in haste, those of darkness are tardy); vid., Baer, Thorath Emeth, p. 22.)
and follows Gen 41:39-41, Gen 41:44, very closely as to the rest, according to which is a collateral definition to (with an orthophonic Dag.) in the sense of : by his soul, i.e., by virtue of his will (vid., Psychology, S. 202; tr. p. 239). In consequence of this exaltation of Joseph, Jacob-Israel came then into Egypt, and sojourned there as in a protecting house of shelter (concerning , vid., supra, p. 414). Egypt is called (Psa 105:23, Psa 105:27) the land of Chaam, as in Psa 78:51; according to Plutarch, in the vernacular the black land, from the dark ashy grey colouring which the deposited mud of the Nile gives to the ground. There Israel became a powerful, numerous people (Exo 1:7; Deu 26:5), greater than their oppressors.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
16. And he called a famine upon the land Here the inspired writer recounts a most illustrious proof of divine providence towards the chosen people, at the time when the covenant might seem to be void and disannulled. The inheritance of the land of Canaan (as has been stated above) was added, as an earnest or pledge for confirmation. The descent of Jacob into Egypt, which deprived his house of the sight of the land, could not make the covenant to perish. In this the constancy of God shone forth the brighter; yea, by this trial he manifested more plainly how provident a father he was in preserving the seed of Abraham. But it is better to consider each particular in the verse. In the first place, it is taught, that the famine which drove Jacob into Egypt did not happen by chance. Although only one particular famine is here treated of, it is to be held as a general principle, that there is no other cause of any scarcity of sustenance except this, that God, in withdrawing his hand, takes away the means of support. The curse of God is expressed more emphatically, when it is said, that the famine was called; as if it were ready at his command, as a minister of his wrath. By this we are instructed, that famine, pestilence, and other scourges of God, do not visit men by chance, but are directed by his hand whither it pleases him, and are obedient to his will. (211) The manner in which the famine was called is next stated, namely, when he brake the staff of bread The metaphor of staff is very appropriate; for God has put into bread the power and property of strengthening man, by a secret virtue which fits it to sustain us. So long as it pleases him to nourish us by such means, a staff as it were lies hidden within it. This staff is broken in two ways; either, first, when he takes away the supply of grain necessary for our nourishment, the sense in which it seems to be used in Ezekiel
“
Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment;” Eze 4:16
or, secondly, when he breathes in anger upon the bread itself, so that those who would satisfy themselves by devouring it, instead of having their hunger thereby removed, remain famished still. And certainly to the barrenness of the earth this second is commonly added, namely, that he takes away the sustaining power which is in bread; for, as it is declared in Deu 8:3, bread does not give life of itself, but borrows its secret virtue from the mouth of God.
(211) “Famine is here finely represented as a servant, ready to come and go at the ‘call’ and command of God; for calamities, whether public or private, are the messengers of divine justice.” — Horne.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) Called for a famine.Comp. 2Ki. 8:1; and in Ezekiel 14 we see how famine, with war and pestilence and noisome beasts, were regarded as Divine emissaries to be summoned and sent on His missions.
Staff of bread.Lev. 26:26. (See, too, Note on Psa. 104:15.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Famine Recorded Gen 41:54-57.
Staff of bread That is, support of bread, their reliance for sustentation. This famine extended over Arabia, Palestine, Syria, and the surrounding nations.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Reader will hardly need information as to what part of the Church’s history this refers. Everyone who is in the daily habit of reading his Bible, will recollect it. When the Lord determined to carry down the patriarchs into Egypt, by his providence, he induced a necessity for their going thither by making a famine of bread. And that his people might find every needful supply for them, Joseph was sent before. The exercises of the patriarchs, before the great events of blessings to be accomplished by their going down into Egypt were wrought, were trying: Jacob’s distress, and Joseph’s prison, must previously take place. But at length the ways of God’s love and care over them became unfolded; and the patriarchs are, blessed with plenty, and Joseph is made Governor over the whole land. And who doth not see in all this Jesus and his Church most beautifully and amply set forth? When a famine is induced in the soul of God’s chosen; not a famine of bread only, but of the word of the Lord, and the bread of God, which cometh down from heaven; necessity constrains the church to seek relief. Without Christ the soul perisheth forever. And how is Christ given? God our Father sends a man before us, even Jesus, our spiritual Joseph; and He, like the son of Jacob, is sold as a servant: the iron entered into his soul. But when, from the prison, and from the cross, Jesus hath wrought out deliverance for his people, and God hath highly exalted him at the right hand of his power, then is the Church made glad; bread and life are dispensed, and in her glorious Head salvation is sung by the Church forever. Oh! what unnumbered mercies were folded up in this part of the Church’s history, when Israel at length came into Egypt, and God formed his Church there into a people! Amo 8:11 ; Gen 46:1-4Gen 46:1-4 . Reader! at every pause in this interesting subject, ask your heart, what part you bear in it? Have you known what a famine of soul means? Hath it constrained you to seek for a supply? Have you heard that there is corn in Egypt; and, like the patriarchs, have you sent to inquire of the Man, the Lord or the country, for relief? Do you indeed know this Joseph, this Lord Jesus Christ? And do you know him, that he is indeed your brother? Hath Jesus made himself known unto you, and hath he filled your heart with his love, as Joseph filled his brethren’s sacks with corn? Oh! for grace to know these things, and to take part in all that concerns Christ and his people!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 105:16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.
Ver. 16. Moreover he called for a famine ] How easy is it with God soon to starve us all by denying us a harvest or two! If he do but call for a famine it is done.
He brake the whole staff of bread
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 105:16-24
16And He called for a famine upon the land;
He broke the whole staff of bread.
17He sent a man before them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18They afflicted his feet with fetters,
He himself was laid in irons;
19Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the Lord tested him.
20The king sent and released him,
The ruler of peoples, and set him free.
21He made him lord of his house
And ruler over all his possessions,
22To imprison his princes at will,
That he might teach his elders wisdom.
23Israel also came into Egypt;
Thus Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24And He caused His people to be very fruitful,
And made them stronger than their adversaries.
Psa 105:16-24 This strophe deals with YHWH leading His covenant people from Canaan to Egypt. This was God’s plan.
1. to raise up Joseph as a leader in preparation, Psa 105:17
2. to force the move by way of a famine, Psa 105:16
3. to cause later friction between the Egyptians and Israelites so as to demonstrate His power over the Egyptian gods and reveal Himself to the Egyptians and the surrounding nations of the ANE, Psa 105:25
The few in number of Psa 105:12 is contrasted with Psa 105:24.
Psa 105:16 He called. . .He broke God uses calamity for His purposes, Isa 45:7. This seems contradictory to Psa 105:14-15, but God uses both positive and negative events. This is obvious in His covenant relationship with Israel (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-29; Psalms 1). See full note at Isa 45:7 online.
staff and bread This idiom is used several times in the OT (cf. Lev 26:26; Eze 4:16; Eze 5:16; Eze 14:13). God controls rain and food. He wants to bless but sin and rebellion cause the necessities of life to be withheld (i.e., Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-30). In Psalms 105 the famine was to accomplish a divine plan (i.e., Joseph to a place of leadership in Egypt and Israel to take up residence there).
The term staff (BDB 641) could refer to
1. stalk of grain
2. wooden rod on which the food was carried
3. wooden rod to suspend the food so that animals could not eat it
4. symbolic way of referring to the absolute necessity of bread for life in the Ancient Near East
Psa 105:17 He sent a man before them This refers to Joseph as being God’s means of saving and sustaining the chosen family of Jacob (cf. Genesis 37; Genesis 39-46). Joseph’s own sense of YHWH’s actions is expressed in Gen 45:4-8; Gen 50:20. The eyes of faith see history clearly!
Psa 105:18 He himself was laid in irons This reflects the painful experience of Joseph being sold by his own brothers, though he recognized God’s hand (cf. Genesis 37; Gen 45:4-8).
The MT is literally iron came (into his) soul.
The verb came (BDB 97, KB 112, Qal perfect) is a common verb, with several connotations.
The word soul is nephesh (BDB 659), which also has a wide semantic field, but usually denotes air-breathing life on this planet (i.e., human and animal).
Most modern English translations assume that the consonants for nephesh, in this context, reflect an Akkadian root for throat or neck (cf. NRSV, TEV, NJB, JPSOA, REB). Iron was a way of referring to imprisonment (cf. Psa 107:10).
However, the LXX translated the phrase as his soul passed through iron. Joseph’s life experiences of rejection by his brothers and the cruel treatment in the Egyptian prison were painful and lasting scars. But they also produced a strong, faithful follower (cf. Heb 5:8).
Psa 105:19 the Lord tested him God tests all His children (cf. Adam and Eve, Genesis 3; Abraham, Gen 22:1; Jesus, Mat 4:11). The test is meant to strengthen, not destroy. See SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD TESTS HIS PEOPLE .
Psa 105:20 the king There is much scholarly disagreement about the dates related to Israel’s sojourn in Egypt and the date of the Exodus. Modern scholars are not sure of
1. the date of the Exodus
2. the number of Israelites involved in the Exodus
3. the Pharaoh of the Exodus
4. the route of the Exodus
See Special Topic: The Exodus (uncertainties) .
Psa 105:22 Psa 105:20-22 relates to Pharaoh. He allowed Joseph to have authority over his own princes and elders.
The term imprison is literally to bind (BDB 63, KB 75, Qal infinitive construct). It is the legal terminology related to binding and loosing (cf. UBS Text Project, p. 380).
In context this word, which usually denotes the binding of a prisoner, is what the powerful imagery of Psa 105:18 describes, but it does not use the word. However, there is an obvious play on – the Egyptians bindimg Joseph, now he binds them!
Psa 104:24 This reflects the blessing of numerous children seen in Exo 1:7; Exo 1:9.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Psa 105:16-19
Psa 105:16-19
“And he called for a famine upon the land;
He brake the whole staff of bread.
He sent a man before them;
Joseph was sold for a servant:
His feet they hurt with fetters:
He was laid in chains of iron,
Until the time his word came to pass,
The word of Jehovah tried him.”
“He called for a famine” (Psa 105:16). God’s plan was to send all of Israel into Egyptian slavery, as he had prophesied through Abraham (Genesis 15); and the famine fitted into that purpose.
“He sent a man before them” (Psa 105:17). The sale of Joseph by his brothers, somewhat earlier than the famine, was also part of God’s plan, another instance of, “the wrath of man praising God.”
“Feet hurt with fetters” (Psa 105:18). This is a detail not found in Genesis; but the truth of it cannot be doubted.
“He was laid in chains of iron” (Psa 105:18). An alternative reading is, “The iron entered into his soul.” The RSV renders this, “His neck was put in a collar of iron.”
“The word of Jehovah tried him” (Psa 105:19). Dean Johnson believed that the implied promise to Joseph of preeminence above his brothers in those dreams which led to their hatred of him (Genesis 37) seemed utterly impossible of fulfilment during Joseph’s imprisonment; and that, “This bitter contrast with what Joseph had expected is what tried or tested Joseph.” The opinion of this writer is that it was the temptation from the wife of Potiphar which was at least one of the ways in which the word of Jehovah tried him. It might have been both and also have included other tests.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 105:16. Called for a famine shows that the famine in Egypt was a miraculous one. There could not be a natural famine in that country because the annual overflow of the Nile insured the moisture needed for the crops. That was why a mirculous famine had to be called for when the Lord had use for one in his plans.
Psa 105:17. The simple facts of the history are recorded in the book of Genesis and would not need to be repeated in all of their details. However, some observations may profitably be made. Sent a MAN is significant as a contrast with the divine agency of the famine. God wished to employ a human agency in conjunction with His own work.
Psa 105:18. The original history of this verse is in Gen 39:20; Gen 40:3. Those passages indicate that these fetters of iron were not allowed to remain on Joseph. He was given charge of the other prisoners which could scarcely be of any avail if he Were hampered with the metallic shackles.
Psa 105:19. His word came refers to the interpreting of Pharaoh’s dream. When he was wanted for that purpose he was released from prison and never went back to it. The last clause of the verse means that it was in accordance with the word of the Lord for Joseph’s faith to be tested. That test went with him through those years that had been forgotten by the butler. (Genesis 40, 41.)
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Wonders in Egypt
Psa 105:16-30
The psalmist retells the story of Joseph, as a link in the chain of providences which secured the fulfillment of the Covenant. It may be that it was also introduced to comfort Israel amid the afflictions of the Captivity. Another reading of the second clause of Psa 105:18 is, The iron entered his soul. This is what pain does for us all; it puts iron into our blood. In Psa 105:19 we learn that Gods promise, while unfulfilled and apparently contradicted by present facts, serves as a test of a mans reliance upon God. It brings into clear relief his unwavering faith. Joseph was tested and not found wanting.
In Psa 105:23-27 carry us a step farther in the unfolding of Gods purpose. The sojourn in Egypt, with its terrible hardships and the trouble that befell the tyrant, is quoted with direct reference to the action and interposition of the Almighty. The psalmist sees only one hand at work. He does not hesitate to ascribe to God even, the hatred which the Egyptians entertained toward Israel, and which, in Pharaohs case, meant the hardening of his heart. Such is the inevitable effect when mans pride conflicts with divine tenderness and love. Let us believe that God is in all the incidents of our daily life and of human history.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Moreover: Gen 41:25-32, Gen 41:54, Gen 42:5, Gen 42:6, 2Ki 8:1, Amo 3:6, Amo 7:1-4, Hag 1:10, Hag 1:11, Hag 2:17, Mat 8:8, Mat 8:9, Rev 6:8
brake: Psa 104:15, Gen 47:13, Gen 47:19, Lev 26:26, Isa 3:1, Eze 4:16, Act 7:11
Reciprocal: Gen 41:30 – consume Gen 41:57 – all countries Gen 45:5 – God Gen 50:20 – God meant Rth 1:1 – a famine Psa 105:1 – General Eze 38:21 – I will Amo 6:11 – the Lord
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 105:16-18. He called for a famine That is, he brought a famine upon the land. He brake the whole staff of bread Bread, which is the staff or support of mens lives. He sent a man before them Who was to nourish them in the famine: sent him, by the direction of his secret providence, many years before the famine began. Such are the foresight and timely care of Divine Providence. Whose feet they hurt with fetters Being unjustly charged with a most heinous crime. He was laid in iron Hebrew, , the iron entered his soul, which seems to be added emphatically, to aggravate the misery of his imprisonment, and to show how grievous it was to his very soul. Undoubtedly the false accusation, which was the cause of his imprisonment, the injury which was done him, and the foul and public scandal which lay upon him, must have pained him extremely.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
105:16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole {k} staff of bread.
(k) Either by sending scarcity or the strength and nourishment of it.