<<  PSALM CVI. >>

1. Praise ye Jehovah.
Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
2. Who can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah,
Or show forth all his praise ?
3. Blessed are they that keep justice,
And he that doeth righteousness at all times.
4. Remember me, O Jehovah, with the favor that thou
bearest unto thy people;
Oh visit me with thy salvation,
5. That I may see the prosperity of thy chosen,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,
That I may glory with thine inheritance.
6. We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;
They remembered not the multitude of thy lovingkindnesses,
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. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up:
So 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.
12. Then believed they his words;
They sang his praise.
13. They soon forgat his works;
They waited not for his counsel,
14. But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tempted God in the desert.
15. And he gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.
16. They envied Moses also in the camp,
And Aaron the saint of Jehovah.
17. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And covered the company of Abiram.
18. And a fire was kindled in their company;
The flame burned up the wicked.
19. They made a calf in Horeb,
And worshipped a molten image.
20. Thus they changed their glory
For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.
21. They forgat God their Saviour,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22. Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
And terrible things by the Red Sea.
23. Therefore he said that he would destroy them,
Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the
breach,
To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
24. Yea, they despised the pleasant land,
They believed not his word,
25. But murmured in their tents,
And hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah.
26. Therefore he sware unto them,
That he would overthrow them in the wilderness,
27. And that he would overthrow their seed among the
nations,
And scatter them in the lands.
28. They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor,
And ate the sacrifices of the dead.
29. Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings;
And the plague brake in upon them.
30. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment;
And so the plague was stayed.
31. And that was reckoned unto him for righteousness,
Unto all generations for evermore.
32. They angered him also at the waters of Meribah,
So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes;
33. Because they were rebellious against his spirit,
And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
34. They did not destroy the peoples,
As Jehovah commanded them,
35. But mingled themselves with the nations,
And learned their works,
36. And served their idols,
Which became a snare unto them.
37. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto
demons,
38. And shed innocent blood,
Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,
Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with blood.
39. Thus were they denied with their works,
And played the harlot in their doings.
40. Therefore was the wrath of Jehovah kindled against
his people,
And he abhorred his inheritance.
41. And he gave them into the hand of the nations;
And they that hated them ruled over them.
42. Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were brought into subjection under their
hand.
43. Many times did he deliver them;
But they were rebellious in their counsel,
And were brought low in their iniquity.
44. Nevertheless he regarded their distress,
When he heard their cry:
45. And he remembered for them his covenant,
And repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.
46. He made them also to be pitied
Of all those that carried them captive.
47. Save us, O Jehovah our God,
And gather us from among the nations,
To give thanks unto thy holy name,
And to triumph in thy praise.
48. Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.
And let all the people say, Amen.
Praise ye Jehovah.

 

1. Praise ye Jehovah.
Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
2. Who can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah,
Or show forth all his praise ?
3. Blessed are they that keep justice,
And he that doeth righteousness at all times.
4. Remember me, O Jehovah, with the favor that thou
bearest unto thy people;
Oh visit me with thy salvation,

General Subject. Of the church instituted among the Jewish nation, it became perverted and revolted. P. P.
I. See Psalm civ. 35. R. 803.
See Psalm civ. 35. E. 1197.
1-5. Prayer of the Lord to the Father to give help, that He might see the church established. P. P.
1, 48. See Psalm cv. 45. A. 8267.

5. That I may see the prosperity of thy chosen,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,
That I may glory with thine inheritance.
6. We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;
They remembered not the multitude of thy lovingkindnesses,
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.

4.          See Psalm viii. 3.   A. 9849.
4, 5,     See Psalm xviii. 44.    S. 86.
See Psalm xviii. 44. R. 483.
See Psalm xviii. 44. T. 251.
See Psalm xviii. 44. E. 331.
5.    Here nation plainly stands for the Lord's kingdom. A. 1416.
In these places by nations are understood all who are in love to the Lord whether they be within the church
where the Word is, or out of it.                          E. 175.
6-8.   Although those who were of the church beheld Divine miracles, they backslid, and yet they were preserved. P.P.

9. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up:
So 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.
12. Then believed they his words;
They sang his praise.
13. They soon forgat his works;
They waited not for his counsel,
14. But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tempted God in the desert.
15. And he gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.
16. They envied Moses also in the camp,
And Aaron the saint of Jehovah.
17. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And covered the company of Abiram.
18. And a fire was kindled in their company;
The flame burned up the wicked.

9-11. The deep here stands for the temptations in the wilderness.  In ancient times hell was meant by the deep, and fantasies and  persuasions of falsity were likened to waters and rivers as  also to a smoke out of the deep.A. 756.
9-34. as at the sea Suph and afterwards in the desert (many — instances here recounted —) nevertheless they rebelled.   P. P.
9.  ii.   See Exodus xv. 4, 5, S.   By Pharaoh and his host are signified those who are in the falsities of evil, and by the Red Sea is signified the hell where those falsities are, hence it is evident that by the depths which covered them, the hells are signified. E. 538.
10.    Verse quoted.D. P., Page 87. 19, 20.

19. They made a calf in Horeb,
And worshipped a molten image.
20. Thus they changed their glory
For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.
21. They forgat God their Saviour,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22. Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
And terrible things by the Red Sea.
23. Therefore he said that he would destroy them,
Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the
breach,
To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
24. Yea, they despised the pleasant land,
They believed not his word,
25. But murmured in their tents,
And hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah.
26. Therefore he sware unto them,
That he would overthrow them in the wilderness,

19, 20.By making a calf in Horeb, and bowing themselves to what was graven is signified idolatrous worship, which is that of ceremonies, of statutes, of judgments, and of precepts in the external form only, and not at the same time in the internal.  A. 9391.
See Psalra lxviii. 31.  A. 10407.
22.    See Psalms Ixxviii. 51 and cv. 23, 27.   A. 1063.
Egypt is called the land of Ham.  R. 503.
Egypt is called a land of bondage or servitude in Micah vi. 4, likewise the land of Ham. E. 654.

23. To stand in the breach means to be on one's guard lest falsities break in. Moses is the Word. A. 4926.

27. And that he would overthrow their seed among the
nations,
And scatter them in the lands.
28. They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor,
And ate the sacrifices of the dead.
 29. Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings;
And the plague brake in upon them.
30. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment;
And so the plague was stayed.
31. And that was reckoned unto him for righteousness,
Unto all generations for evermore.
32. They angered him also at the waters of Meribah,
So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes;
33. Because they were rebellious against his spirit,
And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

26, 27. By making their seed to fall among the nations, and by scattering them in the lands is signified that Divine truth would perish with them — the Jews — by evils and falses. E. 768.
28. See Psalm cii. 21. R. 525.
See Psalm vi. 6. E. 186.
See Psalm cii. 21. I. 10.

34. They did not destroy the peoples,
As Jehovah commanded them,
35. But mingled themselves with the nations,
And learned their works,
36. And served their idols,
Which became a snare unto them.
37. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto
demons,

35-39. They totally destroyed and profaned the truths and goods of the church. P. P.
37. By demons the lusts of evil arising from the love of the world are signified. The reason is that in hell they are called demons who are in such lusts, and men also who are in the same become demons after death. R. 458.
This was altogether infernal, but in the spiritual sense by sacrificing their sons and daughters was signified their evil lusts to pervert and destroy the truths and goods of the church, for sons signify the truth of the church, and daughters the goods thereof. E. 586.
In hell those are called demons who are in the lust of falsifying truths, which is chiefly effected by reasonings, hence by demons and demoniacs in the abstract are signified lusts and falses. E. 1001.

38. And shed innocent blood,
Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,
Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with blood.
39. Thus were they denied with their works,
And played the harlot in their doings.

38, 39. To shed the blood of sons and daughters here signifies in the internal sense that they extinguished all truths of faith and goods of charity. To sacrifice sons and daughters to the idols of Canaan signifies to profane the things which are of faith and charity by external worship separate from internal, which is nothing else than idolatrous. A. 1167.

40. Therefore was the wrath of Jehovah kindled against
his people,
And he abhorred his inheritance.
41. And he gave them into the hand of the nations;
And they that hated them ruled over them.
42. Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were brought into subjection under their
hand.
43. Many times did he deliver them;
But they were rebellious in their counsel,
And were brought low in their iniquity.
44. Nevertheless he regarded their distress,
When he heard their cry:
45. And he remembered for them his covenant,
And repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.
46. He made them also to be pitied
Of all those that carried them captive.

40-43. Therefore the church with them was forsaken by the Lord, and destroyed. P. P.
44-46. Then those who were out of the church wrere heard, P. P.
45. See Psalm viii. 5. A. 9849.
See Psalm I. 5, 16. E. 701.

47. Save us, O Jehovah our God,
And gather us from among the nations,
To give thanks unto thy holy name,
And to triumph in thy praise.

47, 48. and a church constituted of them will arise and will worship the Lord. P. P.

48. Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.
And let all the people say, Amen.
Praise ye Jehovah.

48. See Psalm civ. 35. R. 803.
Amen signifies Divine confirmation. E. 228.
See Psalm civ. 35. E. 1197.

Author: EMANUEL SWEDENBORG (1688-1772)