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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 105

1 Give thanks to the Lord. Call on his name. Make known his accomplishments among the nations. 2 Sing to him. Make music to him. Tell about all his miraculous deeds. 3 Boast about his holy name. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives. Seek his presence continually. 5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed, his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed, 6 O children of Abraham, God’s servant, you descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen ones. 7 He is the Lord our God; he carries out judgment throughout the earth. 8 He always remembers his covenantal decree, the promise he made to a thousand generations— 9 the promise he made to Abraham, the promise he made by oath to Isaac. 10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as a lasting promise, 11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.”⁠ 12 When they were few in number, just a very few, and resident foreigners within it, 13 they wandered from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another. 14 He let no one oppress them; he disciplined kings for their sake, 15 saying, “Don’t touch my chosen ones. Don’t harm my prophets.”⁠ 16 He called down a famine upon the earth; he cut off all the food supply. 17 He sent a man ahead of them—Joseph was sold as a servant.⁠ 18 The shackles hurt his feet; his neck was placed in an iron collar, 19 until the time when his prediction came true. The Lord’s word proved him right. 20 The king authorized his release; the ruler of nations set him free. 21 He put him in charge of his palace, and made him manager of all his property, 22 giving him authority to imprison his officials and to teach his advisers. 23 Israel moved to Egypt; Jacob lived for a time in the land of Ham. 24 The Lord made his people very fruitful and made them more numerous than their enemies. 25 He caused the Egyptians to hate his people and to mistreat his servants. 26 He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They executed his miraculous signs among them and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham. 28 He made it dark; Moses and Aaron did not disobey his orders. 29 He turned the Egyptians’ water into blood and killed their fish. 30 Their land was overrun by frogs, which even got into the rooms of their kings.⁠ 31 He ordered flies to come; gnats invaded their whole territory. 32 He sent hail along with the rain; there was lightning in their land. 33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees and broke the trees throughout their territory. 34 He ordered locusts to come, innumerable grasshoppers. 35 They ate all the vegetation in their land and devoured the crops of their fields. 36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of their reproductive power. 37 He brought his people out enriched with silver and gold; none of his tribes stumbled. 38 Egypt was happy when they left, for they were afraid of them. 39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, and provided a fire to light up the night. 40 They asked for food, and he sent quail; he satisfied them with food from the sky.⁠ 41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out; a river ran through dry regions. 42 Yes, he remembered the sacred promise he made to Abraham his servant.⁠ 43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced; his chosen ones shouted with joy. 44 He handed the territory of nations over to them, and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 45 so that they might keep his commands and obey his laws. Praise the Lord.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 105:30 and Wisdom of Solomon 10:16

Hebrew Bible · Deuterocanon

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Summary

Psalm 105 retells the plagues of Egypt, listing frogs, flies, gnats, hail, and lightning in sequence. The Wisdom of Solomon later recalls the same events but seems to merge them, presenting the plagues as though they all occurred together.

Passages

Psalm 105:30

Hebrew Bible
28 He made it dark; Moses and Aaron did not disobey his orders. 29 He turned the Egyptians’ water into blood and killed their fish. 30 Their land was overrun by frogs, which even got into the rooms of their kings. 31 He ordered flies to come; gnats invaded their whole territory. 32 He sent hail along with the rain; there was lightning in their land.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Wisdom of Solomon 10:16

Deuterocanon
14 and in bonds she didn’t depart from him, until she brought him the sceptre of a kingdom, and authority over those that dealt like a tyrant with him. She also showed those who had mockingly accused him to be false, and gave him eternal glory. 15 Wisdom delivered a holy people and a blameless seed from a nation of oppressors. 16 She entered into the soul of a servant of the Lord, and withstood terrible kings in wonders and signs. 17 She rendered to holy men a reward of their toils. She guided them along a marvelous way, and became to them a covering in the daytime, and a starry flame through the night. 18 She brought them over the Red sea, and led them through much water;
50 BCE – 50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Wisdom of Solomon

References

"... We find here the fourth contrast. This is driven by the comparison between the fire which proves wholly destructive to the Egyptians (Exodus 9:24) and that which is wholly beneficial to the Israelites when used to bake the manna (Exodus 16:23). The contrast is then made the basis for a general principle (16:17b, 24–25) which adds some specificity to the Jewish belief in God’s providence. In verse 16 the note of “strangeness/unusualness” continues from 16:1–4 and is mixed with the notion of paradox in verse 17 (“most incredible”; literally “most paradoxical”). The author is marveling over Exodus 9:24 (as does Philo in Life of Moses 1.118). 16:18 seems to presuppose that the plagues of frogs, flies, gnats, hail, and lightning were simultaneous, perhaps influenced by their contiguity in Psalm 105:30–32 ..."
A. Peter Hayman, Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible: Wisdom of Solomon (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2019), 67.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 105:30 and Wisdom of Solomon 10:16

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