Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 106:7
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked [him] at the sea, [even] at the Red sea.
7. Our fathers in Egypt considered not thy marvellous works: They remembered not the abundance of thy lovingkindnesses,
And were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
Lack of insight (cp. Deu 32:28-29) had characterised Israel from the first. The ‘marvellous works’ of Jehovah (Psa 105:2; Psa 105:5) by which He had effected their deliverance from Egypt (Psa 78:43 ff.; Psa 105:27 ff.) had failed to make them understand His character and will. So short were their memories, that at the first sign of danger, they rebelled against God’s purpose to deliver them (Exo 14:11-12). Again and again forgetfulness of past mercies is stigmatized as the source of sin. Cp. Psa 106:13 ; Psa 106:21; Psa 78:11; Deu 32:18; and often; and Israel’s sin is described as ‘rebellion’; obstinate resistance to the revealed Will of God. Cp. Psa 106:33 ; Psa 106:43, and Psa 78:17, note.
The construction of the last line is suspicious, and it has been plausibly conjectured that we should read, and rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea, as in Psa 78:17; Psa 78:56.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7 12. The first instance of Israel’s sin; their unbelief and murmuring at the Red Sea.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Our fathers understood not – They did not fully comprehend the design of the divine dealings. They did not perceive the greatness of the favor shown to them, or the obligation to obey and serve God under which they were placed by these remarkable manifestations.
Thy wonders in Egypt – The miracles performed there in behalf of the Hebrew people.
They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies – The great number of the divine interpositions in their behalf. They did not allow them to influence their conduct as they should have done. The aggravation of their offence in the case here referred to was particularly in the multitude of the mercies. It would have been sinful to have forgotten even one act of the divine favor; it was a great aggravation of their guilt that so many acts were forgotten, or that they failed to make an impression on them. So now. It is a great sin to be unmindful of a single favor conferred by God; it is a great aggravation of guilt that men live continually amidst so many proofs of the divine goodness; that they are fed, and clothed, and protected; that they breathe the pure air, and look upon the light of the sun; that they enjoy the comforts of domestic life, the blessings of liberty, and the offers of salvation; that they lie down and rise up; that their toils are crowned with success, and that the blessings of every land are made to come around them – and yet they forget or disregard all these proofs of the divine mercy.
But provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea – Exo 14:10-12. They rebelled against him. Even amidst the wonders there occurring, and after all the blessings which they had received at his hands, when they were in danger they doubted his power, and called in question his faithfulness.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 106:7
Our fathers understood not Thy wonders in Egypt.
Sin: its spring-head, stream, and sea
Great things, whether good or evil, begin with littles. The river that rolls its mighty volume to the sea was once a tiny brook; nay, it started as a spring-head, where the child stooped down to drink, and, with a single draught, seemed as if he would exhaust the supply. The rivulet ripples itself into a river. Sin is a stream of this sort. It starts with a thought; it increases to a resolve, a word, an act; it gathers force, and becomes habit, and daring rebellion.
I. Want of understanding of Gods wonders is the source of sin. Many professing Christians of whom we have a good hope that they will prove to be sincere, never had any deep conviction of sin, nor any overwhelming sense of their need of Jesus: hence they have seen little of our Lord in His glorious offices, and all-sufficient sacrifice, and have gained no thorough understanding of His truth. They are like slovenly farmers, who have ploughed their fields after a fashion, but they have not gone deep, and the land will never yield more than half a crop. We have all around us too much surface work.
II. Failure of memory follows upon want of understanding.
1. Mercies should be remembered. It is a great wrong to God when we bury His mercies in the grave of unthankfulness. Especially is this the case with distinguishing mercies, wherein the Lord makes us to differ from others. Light, when the rest of the land is in darkness! Life, when others are smitten with the sword of death! Liberty from an iron bondage! O Christians, these are not things to be forgotten!
2. Mercies multiplied should never be forgotten. If they are new every morning, our memory of them should be always fresh. Read the story of the ten plagues, and see how the Lord heaped up His mercies upon Israel with both His hands. Even if they had forgotten one wonder they ought to have remembered others. Forget not all His benefits.
3. The Lords mercies ought to be remembered progressively. We should think more and more of His exceeding kindness.
III. Grievous provocation followed their forgetfulness of God. It is a high crime and misdemeanour to sin in the presence of a great mercy. Abhor the sin which dogs your heel, and follows you even to your knees, and hinders you in drawing near to God in prayer. Oh, the accursed sin which even on Tabors top makes us fall asleep or talk foolishly! Lord, have mercy upon us, and forgive the sins of our holy places, and let it not stand against us in Thy book that They provoked Thee at the sea, even at the Red Sea. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Israelites ingratitude to God
I. Their unworthy and ungrateful deportment towards God upon a most signal mercy and deliverance. To provoke, is an expression setting forth a peculiar and more than ordinary degree of misbehaviour; and seems to import an insolent daring resolution to offend. A resolution not contented with one single stroke of disobedience, but such a one as multiplies and repeats the action, till the offence greatens, and rises into an affront: and as it relates to God, so I conceive it strikes at Him in a threefold respect:
1. Of His power;
2. Of His goodness;
3. Of His patience.
II. The aggravation of their unworthy deportment towards their Almighty Deliverer. The baseness and ingratitude of which He casts in their teeth, by confronting it with the eminent obligation laid upon them, by the glorious deliverance He vouchsafed them: a deliverance heightened and ennobled with these four qualifications:
1. Its greatness;
2. Its unexpectedness;
3. Its seasonableness:
4. Its undeservedness.
III. The cause of this unworthy behaviour, which was their not understanding the designs of mercy in the several instances of it: They understood not Thy wonders in Egypt. Now, in every wonderful passage of providence, two things are to be considered:
1. The author, by whom;
2. The end, for which it is done: neither of which were understood by the Israelites as they ought to have been (R. South, D.D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 7. Our fathers understood not] They did not regard the operation of God’s hands; and therefore they understood neither his designs nor their own interest.
At the sea, even at the Red Sea.] Some of the rabbins suppose that the repetition of the words point out two faults of the Israelites at the Red Sea. 1. They murmured against Moses for bringing them out of Egypt, when they saw the sea before them, and Pharaoh behind them. 2. When the waters were divided, they were afraid to enter in, lest they should stick in the mud which appeared at the bottom. The word seems to be added by way of explanation, and perhaps may refer to the above: they provoked al yam, “AT the sea;” beyam suph, “IN the sea Suph,” or Red Sea. They provoked him at it and in it.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Understood not; or, considered not, to wit, so as to be rightly affected with them, to give thee that love, and praise, and trust, and obedience which they deserved and required.
Even at the Red Sea; when those wonders of thy power and goodness in Egypt were but newly done, and fresh in memory.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7-12. Special confession. Theirrebellion at the sea (Ex 14:11)was because they had not remembered nor understood God’s miracles ontheir behalf. That God saved them in their unbelief was of His meremercy, and for His own glory.
the sea . . . the Red Seathevery words in which Moses’ song celebrated the scene of Israel’sdeliverance (Ex 15:4). Israelbegan to rebel against God at the very moment and scene of itsdeliverance by God!
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt,…. Or, “our fathers in Egypt” l; while they were there, they did not understand, or wisely consider and attend unto, the miracles there wrought, the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians. These were done in their sight, they saw them with their eyes; yet had not hearts to perceive them, and understand the true use and design of them: not only that these were for the destruction of their enemies, and for their deliverance from them; but that they were proofs of the power of God, and of his being the one only and true God, in opposition to the idols of the Egyptians; and that he only ought to be adhered unto, worshipped, and trusted in. Had they adverted to these things, they would not so easily have given in to a murmuring and repining spirit, to a distrust of the power and providence of God, and to idolatry, as they did; see De 29:2, something of this kind may be observed in the disciples of Christ, Mr 6:52.
They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; the mercies of God bestowed on his people are many, both temporal and spiritual; there is a multitude of them; the sum of them is great, it cannot well be said how great it is: but though they are so many as not to be reckoned up in order, yet a grateful remembrance of them should be kept up; it is sinful to forget them, and argues great ingratitude. Past mercies should be remembered, both for the glory of God, and to encourage faith and hope in him, with respect to future ones, as well as to preserve from sinning against him. The stupidity and ingratitude of this people, here confessed, were the source of their rebellion against God, as follows:
but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea; or, “sea of Suph” m; so called, either from a city of this name, which it washed, as Hillerus n thinks; see Nu 21:14 or from the sedge and weeds in it, or reeds and rushes that grew upon the banks of it. When they were come hither, though just brought out of Egyptian bondage, and had seen the wonders the Lord had done; and though now in the utmost distress, the Egyptian army behind them, and the sea before them; yet neither past mercies nor present danger could keep them from rebelling against the Lord. They provoked him by their language to Moses;
because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Ex 14:11. The Targum is,
“but they rebelled against thy word.”
l “patres nostri in Aegypto”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, c. m “in mari Suph”, Pagninus, Vatablus, Schmidt “in mare carecti”, Montanus; “mare algosum”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius. n Onomastic. Sacr. p. 128, 940.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt, Here he relates how the people immediately, from the very commencement of their emancipation from bondage, were ungrateful to God, and conducted themselves in a rebellious manner. Nor does he confine himself to the history of one period only, but the whole drift of his narrative is to point out that the people had never ceased from doing wickedly, although God met them in return with inconceivable kindness; which is a proof of the invincible and desperate perversity of this nation. He first blames the folly of the people as the occasion of such ingratitude. In calling it folly, he does not intend to lessen the offense, (as some are often wont to do,) but to expose the vile and disgraceful stupidity of the people, in being blind in matters so plain; for God’s works were such that even the blind might behold them. Whence could such gross ignorance originate, unless that Satan had so maddened them that they did not regard the miracles of God, which might have moved the very stones? Now, when he adds, they remembered not, he expresses more forcibly the inexcusable nature of their ignorance, nay, that their blindness was the result of stupid indifference, more than the want of proper instruction. For the cause of their ignorance was their overlooking those matters which, in themselves, were abundantly manifest. He further mentions how quickly that forgetfulness came upon them, which tended to increase their guilt. For it was marvelous that not even the very sight of these things could arouse their spirits. Hence it came to pass, that while they had scarcely made their departure from Egypt, and were passing through the sea, they proudly rose up against their deliverer. Surely not one year, nor even a century, ought to have erased from their minds deeds so worthy of being remembered. What madness, then, at that very time to murmur against God, as if he had abandoned them to be slaughtered by their enemies? That arm of the sea through which the people passed is, in the Hebrew, called the Sea of Suph. Some translate it the Sea of Sedge, and will have the word סופ, suph, to signify sea-weed. (244) But whatever be its derivation, there can be no doubt about the place. It is very likely that the name was given to it because it abounded with rushes.
(244) “ At the Red Sea, i.e., at the Arabian Gulf; literally, at the Sea of Suph, which, if Suph be not here a proper name, (as it seems to be in Deu 1:1 and, with a slight variation, in Num 21:14) means the sea of weeds; and that sea is still called by a similar name in modern Egypt. This, its designation throughout the books of the Old Testament, is in the Syriac version and the Chaldee paraphrase likewise rendered the sea of weeds; which name may have been derived from the weeds growing near its shore, or from the weeds, or coralline productions, with which, according to Diodorus Siculus and Kircher, it abounded; and which were seen through its translucent waters. Finati, quoted by Laborde, speaks of the transparency of its waters, and the corals seen at its bottom ” — Cresswell. It has sometimes been asserted that this sea received the appellation of Red from its color. But it has been abundantly attested by those who have seen it, that it is no more red than any other sea. Niebuhr, in his description of Arabia, says, “The Europeans are accustomed to give the Arabian Gulf the name of Red Sea; nevertheless, I have not found it any more red than the Black Sea or the White Sea, or any other sea in the world.” Artemidorus in Strabo expressly tells us that “it looks of a green color, by reason of the abundance of sea-weed and moss that grow in it;” which Diodorus Siculus also asserts of a particular part of it. It appears to have derived its name of “Red Sea” from Edom, which signifies red. Although throughout the whole Scriptures of the Old Testament it is called Yam Suph, the weedy sea, yet among the ancient inhabitants of the countries adjoining it was called Yam Edom, the sea of Edom, (1Kg 9:26; 2Ch 8:17,) the land of Edom having extended to the Arabian Gulf; and the Edomites or Idumeans having occupied at one time a part, if not the whole, of Arabia Petraea. The Greeks, who took the name of the sea from the Phoenicians, who called it Yam Edom, instead of rendering it the sea of Edom, or, the Idumean Sea, as they ought to have done, took the word Edom, by mistake, for an appellative, instead of a proper name, and accordingly rendered it ερυθρα θαλασσα, that is, the Red Sea. Hence the LXX. translate Yam Suph, by the Red Sea; in which they have been followed by the authors of our English version. But the sea of weeds is undoubtedly the best translation of the Hebrew text. — See Prideaux ’ Connections, etc., volume 1, pages 39, 40.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) At the sea.LXX., going up to the sea. (12) An epitome of Exo. 14:31; Exo. 14:15
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Our fathers in Egypt Their sin and unfaithfulness dated back to the beginning of God’s redeeming mercy to them.
At the Red sea The allusion is to Exo 14:11-12. At their first great trial after their departure from bondage they sinned, because they had failed to comprehend the moral intent of, and to profit by, all the great miracles of Egypt.
Red sea Hebrew, sea of soph; that is, sea of sedge, or flags, or sea-weed, so called on account of the quantity of weeds which float upon the water and line the shores, and of the growth of flags and reeds upon its inlets and lowlands. Thus, “Pi-hahiroth,” where they encamped, (Exo 14:2,) is, according to Robinson, “Most probably a word of Egyptian origin, denoting a place of reeds a salt marsh,” or a gullet, or champaign section running out from the sea between the hills.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 106:7. Our fathers understood not Regarded not. LXX, Mudge, &c. Green renders the last clause, But rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea. See Psa 78:17.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 106:7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked [him] at the sea, [even] at the Red sea.
Ver. 7. Our fathers understood not ] i.e. They weighed them not, improved them not, but as the dull earth is surrounded by the heavens, yet perceiveth it not; so were these with miracles and mercies, yet understood them not.
Even at the Red Sea
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Egypt. It took forty hours to take Israel out of Egypt, but forty years to take Egypt out of Israel.
provoked Him = rebelled. Hebrew. marah. Same word as in verses: Psa 106:33, Psa 106:43; not the same as in Psa 106:29.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Our: Deu 29:4, Deu 32:28, Deu 32:29, Pro 1:22, Isa 44:18, Mar 4:12, Mar 8:17-21, 2Th 2:10-12
they: Psa 78:42, Psa 105:5, Deu 15:15, Eph 2:11
multitude: Psa 106:45, Psa 5:7, Psa 51:1, Isa 63:7, Lam 3:32
but: Exo 14:11, Exo 14:12
Reciprocal: Exo 14:21 – the Lord Exo 16:2 – General Num 14:19 – and as thou Deu 8:2 – remember Deu 26:8 – the Lord 1Ch 21:13 – great Ezr 9:7 – Since the days Neh 9:2 – confessed Neh 9:10 – showedst Neh 9:17 – mindful Neh 9:19 – in thy Psa 78:8 – as their Psa 103:2 – forget not Isa 42:20 – Seeing Isa 43:27 – first father Isa 63:9 – in his Isa 65:7 – Your iniquities Jer 3:25 – we and our Jer 7:24 – they Jer 32:30 – children Mic 6:4 – I brought Zec 1:4 – as Joh 10:6 – they understood not Act 7:25 – but Act 13:17 – and with 1Co 10:1 – and all
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
The Israelites did not learn from the plagues that God could and would take care of them. Consequently, when there appeared to be no escape at the Red Sea, they complained rather than trusting and waiting (Exo 14:11-12). Nevertheless Yahweh saved them from the pursuing Egyptian soldiers for His reputation’s sake. He led them safely across and drowned Pharaoh’s soldiers (Exo 14:26-30). This salvation moved His people to praise Him (Exodus 15).