7Our fathers didn’t understand your wonders in Egypt. They didn’t remember the multitude of your loving kindnesses, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
8Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power known.
9He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up; so he led them through the depths, as through a desert.
10He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11The waters covered their adversaries. There was not one of them left.
7 Our fathers didn’t understand your wonders in Egypt. They didn’t remember the multitude of your loving kindnesses, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up; so he led them through the depths, as through a desert.
10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their adversaries. There was not one of them left.
KJVKing James Version
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.
8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
9 He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
10 And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.
Show all 3 translations
JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
7 Our fathers in Egypt gave no heed unto Thy wonders; they remembered not the multitude of Thy mercies; but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known.
9 And He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up; and He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.
10 And He saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries; there was not one of them left.
Exodus 9:16(v8)but indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth,
Psalms 18:15(v9)Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of…
Ezekiel 20:9(v8)But I worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among which they were, in whose sight I made…
Exodus 14:11-12(v7)They said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this…
Psalms 78:13(v9)He split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
Show all 63 cross-references
Isaiah 51:10(v9)Isn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?
Isaiah 63:11-14(v9)Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying, “Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his…
Ezekiel 20:14(v8)But I worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.
Nahum 1:4(v9)He rebukes the sea, and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan languishes, and Carmel; and the flower of Lebanon languishes.
Nehemiah 9:11(vv9–10)You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on the dry land; and you cast their pursuers into the…
Exodus 14:21-22(v9)Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land,…
Exodus 14:27-29(v9)Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against…
Exodus 14:30(v10)Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
Psalms 66:6(v9)He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. There, we rejoiced in him.
Psalms 77:19-20(v9)Your way was through the sea; your paths through the great waters. Your footsteps were not known. You led your people like a flock, by the…
Psalms 107:2(v10)Let the redeemed by Yahweh say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
Psalms 136:13-16(v9)to him who divided the Red Sea apart; for his loving kindness endures forever; and made Israel to pass through the middle of it; for his…
Jeremiah 14:21(v8)Do not abhor us, for your name’s sake. Do not disgrace the throne of your glory. Remember, and don’t break your covenant with us.
Ezekiel 20:22(v8)Nevertheless I withdrew my hand, and worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight…
Ezekiel 20:44(v8)You will know that I am Yahweh, when I have dealt with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your…
Romans 9:17(v8)For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name…
Exodus 15:6(v8)Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power. Your right hand, Yahweh, dashes the enemy in pieces.
Numbers 14:13-16(v8)Moses said to Yahweh, “Then the Egyptians will hear it; for you brought up this people in your might from among them. They will tell it to…
Deuteronomy 32:26-27(v8)I said that I would scatter them afar. I would make their memory to cease from among men; were it not that I feared the provocation of the…
Joshua 7:9(v8)For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. What…
Psalms 78:52-53(v9)But he led out his own people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid,…
Daniel 9:17-19(v8)“Now therefore, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant, and to his petitions, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary that is…
Exodus 15:5(v11)The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone.
Psalms 78:42(v7)They didn’t remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
Psalms 111:6(v8)He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
Psalms 114:3-7(v9)The sea saw it, and fled. The Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs. What was it, you sea,…
Psalms 143:11(v8)Revive me, Yahweh, for your name’s sake. In your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble.
Isaiah 50:2(v9)Why, when I came, was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t redeem? Or…
Jeremiah 14:7(v8)Though our iniquities testify against us, work for your name’s sake, Yahweh; for our rebellions are many. We have sinned against you.
Isaiah 11:14-16(v9)They will fly down on the shoulders of the Philistines on the west. Together they will plunder the children of the east. They will extend…
Micah 6:4(v10)For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage. I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
Matthew 8:26(v9)He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Exodus 14:13(v11)Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will work for you today; for you will…
Exodus 14:27-28(v11)Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against…
Job 6:22-23(v10)Did I say, ‘Give to me?’ or, ‘Offer a present for me from your substance?’ or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary’s hand?’ or, ‘Redeem me from…
Psalms 78:11(v7)They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.
Psalms 78:53(v11)He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
Psalms 136:24(v10)and has delivered us from our adversaries; for his loving kindness endures forever:
Proverbs 1:22(v7)“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12(v7)and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be…
Exodus 15:9-10(v10)The enemy said, ‘I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the plunder. My desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword. My…
Exodus 15:10(v11)You blew with your wind. The sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
Exodus 15:13(v10)“You, in your loving kindness, have led the people that you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation.
Exodus 15:19(v11)For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on…
Deuteronomy 11:4(v10)and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they…
Deuteronomy 15:15(v7)You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you. Therefore I command you this thing today.
Deuteronomy 29:4(v7)But Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day.
Deuteronomy 32:28-29(v7)For they are a nation void of counsel. There is no understanding in them. Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they…
Psalms 5:7(v7)But as for me, in the abundance of your loving kindness I will come into your house. I will bow toward your holy temple in reverence of you.
Psalms 51:1(v7)Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Psalms 105:5(v7)Remember his marvelous works that he has done: his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,
Psalms 106:45(v7)He remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
Isaiah 44:18(v7)They don’t know, neither do they consider: for he has shut their eyes, that they can’t see; and their hearts, that they can’t understand.
Isaiah 63:7(v7)I will tell of the loving kindnesses of Yahweh and the praises of Yahweh, according to all that Yahweh has given to us, and the great…
Lamentations 3:32(v7)For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
Mark 4:12(v7)that ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their…
Mark 8:17-21(v7)Jesus, perceiving it, said to them, “Why do you reason that it’s because you have no bread? Don’t you perceive yet, neither understand? Is…
Ephesians 2:11(v7)Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision” (in the…
63 distinct cross-references across this passage (64 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
John Calvin1540 · Public DomainOn vv7–87 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt,…
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. 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.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn v8The inestimable goodness of God appeareth in this, that…
The inestimable goodness of God appeareth in this, that he would change the order of nature, rather than his people should not be delivered, although they were wicked.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv7–11Psa 106:7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in…
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.
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Even at the Red Sea] Not only while they were on the bank they feared to enter, but also even when they were passing and walking over that dry land made for them by a miracle, they did still continue their murmurings and mutinings.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv7–10Understood not; or, considered not, to wit, so as…
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.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv7–11Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt,.... Or,…
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 Deu 29:2, something of this kind may be observed in the disciples of Christ, Mar 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:
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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 Num 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? Exo 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.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv7–9At the sea - When those wonders were but…
At the sea - When those wonders were but newly done, and fresh in memory.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv7–10Verse 7. Our fathers understood not] They did not…
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 על ים al yam, "AT the sea;" בים סוף beyam suph, "IN the sea Suph," or Red Sea. They provoked him at it and in it.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn v8Psa 106:8-12. Nevertheless, he saved them for his name’s…
Psa 106:8-12. Nevertheless, he saved them for his name’s sake — That he might glorify his name, and vindicate it from the blasphemous reproaches which the Egyptians and others would have cast upon it if the Israelites had been destroyed. He rebuked the sea also — For standing in their way, and retarding their march; and it was dried up — Immediately; as, in the creation, at God’s rebuke the waters fled, Psa 104:7. He led them through the depths as through the wilderness — As securely as if they had walked upon the dry land. He saved them from him that hated them — From Pharaoh, who pursued them with cruel rage and hatred. The waters covered their enemies — So as to slay them, but not so as to conceal their shame; for, the next tide, they were thrown up dead upon the shore. There was not one of them left — To carry tidings what was become of the rest. Then believed they his words — The Israelites acknowledged that God was with them of a truth, and had, in mercy to them, brought them out of Egypt, and not with any design to slay them in the wilderness. Then they feared the Lord, and his servant Moses, Exo 14:31. They sang his praise — In that song of Moses, penned on this great occasion, Exo 15:1. Observe, reader, in what a gracious and merciful way God sometimes silences the unbelief of his people, and turns their fears into praises!
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv7–11Our fathers understood not - They did not fully…
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.
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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.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv7–97. Our fathers… in Egypt—Their sin and unfaithfulness dated…
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.
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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.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv7, 8, 9, 117. Our fathers in Egypt considered not thy marvellous…
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.
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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.
7–12. The first instance of Israel’s sin; their unbelief and murmuring at the Red Sea.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn v7(7) At the sea.—LXX., “going up to the sea.”…
(7) At the sea.—LXX., “going up to the sea.” (12) An epitome of Exo_14:31; Exo_14:15
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv7–11Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; rather,…
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; rather, considered not did not give serious thought to them; took them as matters of course, and so were not impressed by them. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies. (comp. Psa_69:16 Isa_63:7 Lam_3:32; and infra, ver. 45) But provoked him; rather, were rebellious (see the Revised Version). At the sea, even at the Red Sea. (comp. Exo_14:11, Exo_14:12)
The roots of disobedience.
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It is not sufficient to say that the root of disobedience is "wilfulness." Fairly reading human nature, we can find other roots from which it springs. In the history of the people Israel we can see that they did not always sin from sheer wilfulness. Sometimes they had really lost their faith hold of Jehovah, and sometimes the burdens and trials of the way brought them into conditions of despondency; and unbelief and despondency became roots of disobedience. It is usual to treat the conduct of the Israelites without giving due consideration to their difficult, perilous, perplexing, and wearisome circumstances. Rightly viewed, it would have been the supreme human marvel if they had not failed in obedience and trust. Think what a mighty host it was, yet how imperfectly organized. Think of the strain of their manifest peril at the Red Sea, and the exceeding toil and weariness of their climb up the wadies to Sinai. Think of the difficulty, in that arid region, of providing food and water for so many creatures. Think kindly of them, and though the sense of their sin is not lightened, considerateness for the sinners is nourished. The disobedience that roots in unbelief, or in despondency, puts men into the pitifulness and mercy of their God.
I DISOBEDIENCE ROOTED IN UNBELIEF. Here a distinction is necessary. Here is an unbelief which is wilful, which a man chooses, and for which he seeks reasons, and this is wholly sinful, and needs humbling punishment. And there is an unbelief which is the natural human response to difficult and trying circumstances, which seem to force doubts upon us. All are liable to this kind of unbelief in sharing the trials of human life. But there is a Divine gentleness in the dealing with the disobedience which has its root in this unbelief.
II DISOBEDIENCE ROOTED IN DESPONDENCY. This reminds us how differently things affect different dispositions. Some are naturally despondent. They always see the dark sides, are ever ready to give up in despair. And this spirit often leads to failing obedience. Men have not spirit enough to do what they ought. But God "knoweth our frame. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon1885 · Public DomainOn vv7–11Ver. 7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in…
Ver. 7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. The Israelites saw the miraculous plagues and ignorantly wondered at them: their design of love, their deep moral and spiritual lessons, and their revelation of the divine power and justice they were unable to perceive. A long sojourn among idolaters had blunted the perceptions of the chosen family, and cruel slavery had ground them down into mental sluggishness. Alas, how many of God's wonders are not understood, or misunderstood by us still. We fear the sons are no great improvement upon the sires. We inherit from our fathers much sin and little wisdom; they could only leave us what they themselves possessed. We see from this verse that a want of understanding is no excuse for sin, but is itself one count in the indictment against Israel.
They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies. The sin of the understanding leads on to the sin of the memory. What is not understood will soon be forgotten. Men feel little interest in preserving husks; if they know nothing of the inner kernel they will take no care of the shells. It was an aggravation of Israel's sin that when God's mercies were so numerous they yet were able to forget them all. Surely some out of such a multitude of benefits ought to have remained engraven upon their hearts; but if grace does not give us understanding, nature will soon east out the memory of God's great goodness.
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But provoked him at the sea, even; at the Red sea. To fall out at starting was a bad sign. Those who did not begin well can hardly be expected to end well. Israel is not quite out of Egypt, and yet she begins to provoke the Lord by doubting his power to deliver, and questioning his faithfulness to his promise. The sea was only called Red, but their sins were scarlet in reality; it was known as the "sea of weeds, "but far worse weeds grew in their hearts.
Ver. 7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. Though the elders went along with Moses, and heard him shew his commission to Pharaoh, and make his demands in the name of the Lord to let Israel go, (Ex 3:16); yea, and they saw the judgments of God on Egypt; yet "they did not understand" that these wonders would do the work of their deliverance. At first they thought it was worse with them. Much less did they understand, that their deliverance should be a type of eternal deliverance, that God would be their God, as after is explained in the preface to the ten commandments. And because they "understood not his wonders, "therefore they "remembered not his mercies." A shallow understanding causeth a short memory. Nathaniel Homes, 1652.
Ver. 7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. It is more than probable, that many of the Israelites ascribed most of these wonders to the skill of Moses transcending that of the Egyptian magicians or to his working by the assistance of a higher and more potent spirit than that which assisted them. Or, in case they did believe them to have been the effects of a Divine Power, yet they did not inure their minds seriously to consider it, so as to have a standing awe of that power imprinted upon their hearts by such a consideration: and he that considers great and important matters superficially, in the language of the Scripture, does not understand them. Robert South.
Ver. 7. Understood not...remembered not. He reproveth both their understanding and memory. Understanding there was need of; that they might meditate unto what eternal blessings God was calling them through these temporal ones; and of memory, that at least they might not forget the temporal wonders which had been wrought, and might faithfully believe, that by the same power which they had already experienced, God would free them from the persecution of their enemies; whereas they forgot the aid which he had given them in Egypt, by means of such wonders, to crush their enemies. Augustine.
Ver. 7. One sin is a step to another more heinous; for not observing, is followed with not remembering, and forgetfulness of duty draweth on disobedience and rebellion. David Dickson.
Ver. 7. They provoked him. 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 as aimed at him in a threefold respect. First, of his power. Secondly, of his goodness. Thirdly, of his patience.
First. And first it rises up against the power and prerogative of God. It is, as it were, an assault upon God sitting upon his throne, a snatching at his sceptre, and a defiance of his very royalty and supremacy. He that provokes God does in a manner dare him to strike, and to revenge the injury and invasion upon his honour. He considers not the weight of God's almighty arm, and the edge of his sword, the swiftness and poison of his arrows, but puffs at all, and looks the terrors of sin revenging justice in the face. The Israelites could not sin against God, after those miracles in Egypt, without a signal provocation of that power that they had so late, and so convincing an experience of: a power that could have crushed an Israelite as easily as an Egyptian; and given as terrible an instance of its consuming force upon false friends, as upon professed enemies; in the sight of God, perhaps, the less sort of offenders of the two.
Secondly. Provoking God imports an abuse of his goodness. God, as he is clothed with power, is the proper object of our fear; but as he displays his goodness, of our love. By one he would command, by the other he would win and (as it were) court our obedience. And an affront to his goodness, his tenderness, and his mercy, as much exceeds an affront of his power as a wound at the heart transcends a blow on the hand. For when God shall show miracles of mercy, step out of the common road of providence, commanding the host of heaven, the globe of the earth, and the whole system of nature out of its course, to serve a design of goodness upon a people, as he did upon the Israelites; was not a provocation, after such obliging passages, infinitely base and insufferable, and a degree of ingratitude, higher than the heavens struck at, and deeper than the sea that they passed through?
Thirdly. Provoking God imports an affront upon his longsuffering, and his patience. The movings of nature in the breasts of mankind, tell us how keenly, how regretfully, every man resents the abuse of his love; how hardly any prince, but one, can put up an offence against his acts of mercy; and how much more affrontive it is to despise majesty ruling by the golden sceptre of pardon, than by the iron rod of penal law. But now patience is a further and an higher advance of mercy; it is mercy drawn out at length; mercy wrestling with baseness, and striving, if possible, even to weary and outdo ingratitude; and therefore a sin against this is the highest pitch, the utmost improvement, and, as I may so speak, the ne plus ultra of provocation. For when patience shall come to be tired, and even out of breath with pardoning, let all the invention of mankind find something further, either upon which an offender may cast his hope, or against which he can commit a sin. But it was God's patience the ungrateful Israelites sinned against; for they even plied and pursued him with sin upon sin, one offence following and thronging upon the neck of another, the last account still rising highest, and swelling bigger, till the treasures of grace and pardon were so far drained and exhausted, that they provoked God to swear, and what is more, to swear in his wrath and with a full purpose of revenge, that they should never enter into his rest. Robert South.
Ver. 7. They provoked him. Wherein lay their provocation? They remembered not the multitude of his mercies:the former mercies of the Lord did not strengthen their trust in present troubles; that was one provocation. And as former mercies did not strengthen their trust, so the present troubles drew out their distrust, as another Scripture assures, reporting their behaviour in it (Ex 14:11): "And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? "What were these fearful forecasts, these amazing bodements of an unavoidable (as they apprehended) ruin, but the overflowing of unbelief, or distrust in God; and this was another provocation. Former mercies are forgotten, yea, eaten up by unbelief, as the seven lean kine in Pharaoh's dream, eat up the fat ones, and present difficulties are aggravated by unbelief, as if all the power of God could not remove and overcome them. And will not the Lord (think you) visit in anger such a sin as this? Joseph Caryl.
Ver. 7. At the Red Sea. That is to say, 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 De 1:1, and, with a slight variation, in Nu 31:14) means the sea of weeds, and that sea is still called by a similar name, in modern Egypt. Its designation, throughout the books of the Old Testament, is in the Syriac version, and the Chaldee Paraphrased, likewise rendered the sea of weeds; which name may have been derived from the reeds growing near its shore: or from the weeds, or coralline productions, seen through its waters, and the corals seen at its bottom...Pliny states, that it is called the Red Sea from King Erythras, or from the reflection of a red colour by the sun, or from its sand and its ground, or form the nature of its water. Daniel Cresswell.
Ver. 7-8 This psalm is a psalm of thanksgiving, as the first and last verses declare. Now because a man is most fit to praise God when he is most sensible of his own sin and unworthiness; the psalmist doth throughout this psalm lay Israel's sin and God's mercy together. Ps 106:7. Our Fathers (says he) understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They saw them with their eyes, but they did not understand them with their heart: they did not apprehend the design and scope and end of God in those wonders: and therefore, "they remembered not (says the text) thy mercies; for a man remembers no more than he understands."
But it may be these mercies were very few, and so their sin in forgetfulness the less? Nay, not so, Ps 106:7, They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies.
But it may be this was their infirmity or weakness, and so they were rather to be borne withal? Not so, but they rebelled against him; so Montanus reads it better.
But it may be this sin was committed whilst they were in Egypt, or among the Egyptians, being put on by them? Not so neither, but when they were come out of Egypt, and only had to deal with God, and saw his glorious power at the Red Sea, then they rebelled against him, at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
What, then, did not the Lord destroy them? No says the text, Notwithstanding, all their grievance, unthankfulness, and their rebellion, he saved them for his name's sake. William Bridge, in a Sermon preached before the House of Commons, Nov. 5, 1647.
Ver. 7-8.
1. On man's part a darkened understanding, ungrateful forgetfulness, and provocation.
2. On God's part: understanding discovering a reason for mercy; memory mindful of the covenant; patience revealing its power.
Ver. 7-8.
1. A special provocation; they murmured at the Red Sea.
2. A special deliverance; "Nevertheless", etc.
3. A special Design; "For his own sake"; "That he might make his power known."
G.R.
Psalms 106:8*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn vv7–9Our fathers understood not Thy wonders in Egypt.
Psa_106:7
Our fathers understood not Thy wonders in Egypt.
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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.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield1917 · Public DomainOn v10Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20").
redeemed
Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv8, 10Nevertheless, he
Nevertheless, he
"Even though what I have just said is true, he"
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for his name's sake
Here "his name" refers to Yahweh. AT: "for the sake of his own reputation" (See: Metonymy)
through the depths, as through a wilderness
Here David compares the way that Yahweh led the Isrealites through the Sea of Reeds to the way people can be led across the dry ground of a wilderness. "The depths" refers the riverbed that appeared after Yahweh parted the waters. AT: "through the Seas of Reeds on dry ground" (See: Simile and Metaphor)
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv7–8 7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt,…
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. 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.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v8 The inestimable goodness of God appeareth in this, that…
The inestimable goodness of God appeareth in this, that he would change the order of nature, rather than his people should not be delivered, although they were wicked.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv7–11 Psa 106:7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in…
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.
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Even at the Red Sea] Not only while they were on the bank they feared to enter, but also even when they were passing and walking over that dry land made for them by a miracle, they did still continue their murmurings and mutinings.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv7–10 Understood not; or, considered not, to wit, so as…
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.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv7–11 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt,.... Or,…
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 Deu 29:2, something of this kind may be observed in the disciples of Christ, Mar 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:
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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 Num 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? Exo 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.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv7–9 At the sea - When those wonders were but…
At the sea - When those wonders were but newly done, and fresh in memory.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv7–10 Verse 7. Our fathers understood not] They did not…
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 על ים al yam, "AT the sea;" בים סוף beyam suph, "IN the sea Suph," or Red Sea. They provoked him at it and in it.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v8 Psa 106:8-12. Nevertheless, he saved them for his name’s…
Psa 106:8-12. Nevertheless, he saved them for his name’s sake — That he might glorify his name, and vindicate it from the blasphemous reproaches which the Egyptians and others would have cast upon it if the Israelites had been destroyed. He rebuked the sea also — For standing in their way, and retarding their march; and it was dried up — Immediately; as, in the creation, at God’s rebuke the waters fled, Psa 104:7. He led them through the depths as through the wilderness — As securely as if they had walked upon the dry land. He saved them from him that hated them — From Pharaoh, who pursued them with cruel rage and hatred. The waters covered their enemies — So as to slay them, but not so as to conceal their shame; for, the next tide, they were thrown up dead upon the shore. There was not one of them left — To carry tidings what was become of the rest. Then believed they his words — The Israelites acknowledged that God was with them of a truth, and had, in mercy to them, brought them out of Egypt, and not with any design to slay them in the wilderness. Then they feared the Lord, and his servant Moses, Exo 14:31. They sang his praise — In that song of Moses, penned on this great occasion, Exo 15:1. Observe, reader, in what a gracious and merciful way God sometimes silences the unbelief of his people, and turns their fears into praises!
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv7–11 Our fathers understood not - They did not fully…
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.
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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.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv7–9 7. Our fathers… in Egypt—Their sin and unfaithfulness dated…
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.
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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.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 9, 11 7. Our fathers in Egypt considered not thy marvellous…
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.
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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.
7–12. The first instance of Israel’s sin; their unbelief and murmuring at the Red Sea.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v7 (7) At the sea.—LXX., “going up to the sea.”…
(7) At the sea.—LXX., “going up to the sea.” (12) An epitome of Exo_14:31; Exo_14:15
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv7–11 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; rather,…
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; rather, considered not did not give serious thought to them; took them as matters of course, and so were not impressed by them. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies. (comp. Psa_69:16 Isa_63:7 Lam_3:32; and infra, ver. 45) But provoked him; rather, were rebellious (see the Revised Version). At the sea, even at the Red Sea. (comp. Exo_14:11, Exo_14:12)
The roots of disobedience.
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It is not sufficient to say that the root of disobedience is "wilfulness." Fairly reading human nature, we can find other roots from which it springs. In the history of the people Israel we can see that they did not always sin from sheer wilfulness. Sometimes they had really lost their faith hold of Jehovah, and sometimes the burdens and trials of the way brought them into conditions of despondency; and unbelief and despondency became roots of disobedience. It is usual to treat the conduct of the Israelites without giving due consideration to their difficult, perilous, perplexing, and wearisome circumstances. Rightly viewed, it would have been the supreme human marvel if they had not failed in obedience and trust. Think what a mighty host it was, yet how imperfectly organized. Think of the strain of their manifest peril at the Red Sea, and the exceeding toil and weariness of their climb up the wadies to Sinai. Think of the difficulty, in that arid region, of providing food and water for so many creatures. Think kindly of them, and though the sense of their sin is not lightened, considerateness for the sinners is nourished. The disobedience that roots in unbelief, or in despondency, puts men into the pitifulness and mercy of their God.
I DISOBEDIENCE ROOTED IN UNBELIEF. Here a distinction is necessary. Here is an unbelief which is wilful, which a man chooses, and for which he seeks reasons, and this is wholly sinful, and needs humbling punishment. And there is an unbelief which is the natural human response to difficult and trying circumstances, which seem to force doubts upon us. All are liable to this kind of unbelief in sharing the trials of human life. But there is a Divine gentleness in the dealing with the disobedience which has its root in this unbelief.
II DISOBEDIENCE ROOTED IN DESPONDENCY. This reminds us how differently things affect different dispositions. Some are naturally despondent. They always see the dark sides, are ever ready to give up in despair. And this spirit often leads to failing obedience. Men have not spirit enough to do what they ought. But God "knoweth our frame. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv7–11 Ver. 7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in…
Ver. 7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. The Israelites saw the miraculous plagues and ignorantly wondered at them: their design of love, their deep moral and spiritual lessons, and their revelation of the divine power and justice they were unable to perceive. A long sojourn among idolaters had blunted the perceptions of the chosen family, and cruel slavery had ground them down into mental sluggishness. Alas, how many of God's wonders are not understood, or misunderstood by us still. We fear the sons are no great improvement upon the sires. We inherit from our fathers much sin and little wisdom; they could only leave us what they themselves possessed. We see from this verse that a want of understanding is no excuse for sin, but is itself one count in the indictment against Israel.
They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies. The sin of the understanding leads on to the sin of the memory. What is not understood will soon be forgotten. Men feel little interest in preserving husks; if they know nothing of the inner kernel they will take no care of the shells. It was an aggravation of Israel's sin that when God's mercies were so numerous they yet were able to forget them all. Surely some out of such a multitude of benefits ought to have remained engraven upon their hearts; but if grace does not give us understanding, nature will soon east out the memory of God's great goodness.
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But provoked him at the sea, even; at the Red sea. To fall out at starting was a bad sign. Those who did not begin well can hardly be expected to end well. Israel is not quite out of Egypt, and yet she begins to provoke the Lord by doubting his power to deliver, and questioning his faithfulness to his promise. The sea was only called Red, but their sins were scarlet in reality; it was known as the "sea of weeds, "but far worse weeds grew in their hearts.
Ver. 7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. Though the elders went along with Moses, and heard him shew his commission to Pharaoh, and make his demands in the name of the Lord to let Israel go, (Ex 3:16); yea, and they saw the judgments of God on Egypt; yet "they did not understand" that these wonders would do the work of their deliverance. At first they thought it was worse with them. Much less did they understand, that their deliverance should be a type of eternal deliverance, that God would be their God, as after is explained in the preface to the ten commandments. And because they "understood not his wonders, "therefore they "remembered not his mercies." A shallow understanding causeth a short memory. Nathaniel Homes, 1652.
Ver. 7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. It is more than probable, that many of the Israelites ascribed most of these wonders to the skill of Moses transcending that of the Egyptian magicians or to his working by the assistance of a higher and more potent spirit than that which assisted them. Or, in case they did believe them to have been the effects of a Divine Power, yet they did not inure their minds seriously to consider it, so as to have a standing awe of that power imprinted upon their hearts by such a consideration: and he that considers great and important matters superficially, in the language of the Scripture, does not understand them. Robert South.
Ver. 7. Understood not...remembered not. He reproveth both their understanding and memory. Understanding there was need of; that they might meditate unto what eternal blessings God was calling them through these temporal ones; and of memory, that at least they might not forget the temporal wonders which had been wrought, and might faithfully believe, that by the same power which they had already experienced, God would free them from the persecution of their enemies; whereas they forgot the aid which he had given them in Egypt, by means of such wonders, to crush their enemies. Augustine.
Ver. 7. One sin is a step to another more heinous; for not observing, is followed with not remembering, and forgetfulness of duty draweth on disobedience and rebellion. David Dickson.
Ver. 7. They provoked him. 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 as aimed at him in a threefold respect. First, of his power. Secondly, of his goodness. Thirdly, of his patience.
First. And first it rises up against the power and prerogative of God. It is, as it were, an assault upon God sitting upon his throne, a snatching at his sceptre, and a defiance of his very royalty and supremacy. He that provokes God does in a manner dare him to strike, and to revenge the injury and invasion upon his honour. He considers not the weight of God's almighty arm, and the edge of his sword, the swiftness and poison of his arrows, but puffs at all, and looks the terrors of sin revenging justice in the face. The Israelites could not sin against God, after those miracles in Egypt, without a signal provocation of that power that they had so late, and so convincing an experience of: a power that could have crushed an Israelite as easily as an Egyptian; and given as terrible an instance of its consuming force upon false friends, as upon professed enemies; in the sight of God, perhaps, the less sort of offenders of the two.
Secondly. Provoking God imports an abuse of his goodness. God, as he is clothed with power, is the proper object of our fear; but as he displays his goodness, of our love. By one he would command, by the other he would win and (as it were) court our obedience. And an affront to his goodness, his tenderness, and his mercy, as much exceeds an affront of his power as a wound at the heart transcends a blow on the hand. For when God shall show miracles of mercy, step out of the common road of providence, commanding the host of heaven, the globe of the earth, and the whole system of nature out of its course, to serve a design of goodness upon a people, as he did upon the Israelites; was not a provocation, after such obliging passages, infinitely base and insufferable, and a degree of ingratitude, higher than the heavens struck at, and deeper than the sea that they passed through?
Thirdly. Provoking God imports an affront upon his longsuffering, and his patience. The movings of nature in the breasts of mankind, tell us how keenly, how regretfully, every man resents the abuse of his love; how hardly any prince, but one, can put up an offence against his acts of mercy; and how much more affrontive it is to despise majesty ruling by the golden sceptre of pardon, than by the iron rod of penal law. But now patience is a further and an higher advance of mercy; it is mercy drawn out at length; mercy wrestling with baseness, and striving, if possible, even to weary and outdo ingratitude; and therefore a sin against this is the highest pitch, the utmost improvement, and, as I may so speak, the ne plus ultra of provocation. For when patience shall come to be tired, and even out of breath with pardoning, let all the invention of mankind find something further, either upon which an offender may cast his hope, or against which he can commit a sin. But it was God's patience the ungrateful Israelites sinned against; for they even plied and pursued him with sin upon sin, one offence following and thronging upon the neck of another, the last account still rising highest, and swelling bigger, till the treasures of grace and pardon were so far drained and exhausted, that they provoked God to swear, and what is more, to swear in his wrath and with a full purpose of revenge, that they should never enter into his rest. Robert South.
Ver. 7. They provoked him. Wherein lay their provocation? They remembered not the multitude of his mercies:the former mercies of the Lord did not strengthen their trust in present troubles; that was one provocation. And as former mercies did not strengthen their trust, so the present troubles drew out their distrust, as another Scripture assures, reporting their behaviour in it (Ex 14:11): "And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? "What were these fearful forecasts, these amazing bodements of an unavoidable (as they apprehended) ruin, but the overflowing of unbelief, or distrust in God; and this was another provocation. Former mercies are forgotten, yea, eaten up by unbelief, as the seven lean kine in Pharaoh's dream, eat up the fat ones, and present difficulties are aggravated by unbelief, as if all the power of God could not remove and overcome them. And will not the Lord (think you) visit in anger such a sin as this? Joseph Caryl.
Ver. 7. At the Red Sea. That is to say, 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 De 1:1, and, with a slight variation, in Nu 31:14) means the sea of weeds, and that sea is still called by a similar name, in modern Egypt. Its designation, throughout the books of the Old Testament, is in the Syriac version, and the Chaldee Paraphrased, likewise rendered the sea of weeds; which name may have been derived from the reeds growing near its shore: or from the weeds, or coralline productions, seen through its waters, and the corals seen at its bottom...Pliny states, that it is called the Red Sea from King Erythras, or from the reflection of a red colour by the sun, or from its sand and its ground, or form the nature of its water. Daniel Cresswell.
Ver. 7-8 This psalm is a psalm of thanksgiving, as the first and last verses declare. Now because a man is most fit to praise God when he is most sensible of his own sin and unworthiness; the psalmist doth throughout this psalm lay Israel's sin and God's mercy together. Ps 106:7. Our Fathers (says he) understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They saw them with their eyes, but they did not understand them with their heart: they did not apprehend the design and scope and end of God in those wonders: and therefore, "they remembered not (says the text) thy mercies; for a man remembers no more than he understands."
But it may be these mercies were very few, and so their sin in forgetfulness the less? Nay, not so, Ps 106:7, They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies.
But it may be this was their infirmity or weakness, and so they were rather to be borne withal? Not so, but they rebelled against him; so Montanus reads it better.
But it may be this sin was committed whilst they were in Egypt, or among the Egyptians, being put on by them? Not so neither, but when they were come out of Egypt, and only had to deal with God, and saw his glorious power at the Red Sea, then they rebelled against him, at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
What, then, did not the Lord destroy them? No says the text, Notwithstanding, all their grievance, unthankfulness, and their rebellion, he saved them for his name's sake. William Bridge, in a Sermon preached before the House of Commons, Nov. 5, 1647.
Ver. 7-8.
1. On man's part a darkened understanding, ungrateful forgetfulness, and provocation.
2. On God's part: understanding discovering a reason for mercy; memory mindful of the covenant; patience revealing its power.
Ver. 7-8.
1. A special provocation; they murmured at the Red Sea.
2. A special deliverance; "Nevertheless", etc.
3. A special Design; "For his own sake"; "That he might make his power known."
G.R.
Psalms 106:8*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv7–9 Our fathers understood not Thy wonders in Egypt.
Psa_106:7
Our fathers understood not Thy wonders in Egypt.
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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.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v10 Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20").
redeemed
Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv8, 10 Nevertheless, he
Nevertheless, he
"Even though what I have just said is true, he"
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for his name's sake
Here "his name" refers to Yahweh. AT: "for the sake of his own reputation" (See: Metonymy)
through the depths, as through a wilderness
Here David compares the way that Yahweh led the Isrealites through the Sea of Reeds to the way people can be led across the dry ground of a wilderness. "The depths" refers the riverbed that appeared after Yahweh parted the waters. AT: "through the Seas of Reeds on dry ground" (See: Simile and Metaphor)
translationWords
save
name
reveal
power
rebuke
desert
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v9 106:9 Red Sea: See Exod 14:15-31.
106:9 Red Sea: See Exod 14:15-31.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.