Psalm 105 is a call to give thanks to the Lord and to call upon His name. It summons the people to sing to Him and tell forth all His wonderful works. The Psalm then moves through the history of salvation: the covenant with Abraham, the sojourn in Egypt, the deliverance through Moses and Aaron, the plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, the provision in the wilderness, the rebellion at the Red Sea and in the wilderness, the golden calf, the murmuring, the sending of the spies, the worship of Baal-peor, the water of Strife, and the mingling with the heathen. Yet through it all, the Lord remembered His covenant and showed mercy.
The spiritual center is the call to remember the Lord’s mighty acts and to remain faithful to the covenant, because the Lord who remembered His covenant in the past will remember His people in every generation.
Psalm 105 (LXX 104) - Give Thanks to the Lord
Psalm Metadata
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| NKJV / Masoretic numbering | Psalm 105 |
| Septuagint / Coptic numbering | Psalm 104 |
| Accepted author | Alleluia. |
| Period in author’s life | No precise life event is given; the Psalm is a liturgical call to remember salvation history. |
| Christ prophecy status | Typological and ecclesial. The call to give thanks and remember the Lord’s covenant and wonderful works points toward Christ, in whom the covenant is fulfilled and the mighty acts of God are declared to the nations. |
| Coptic lectionary/service use | Scripture from this study has an established place in the Coptic Orthodox lectionary through documented Church readings. |
| Numbering issue | This note embeds Brenton LXX Psalm 104. The local lectionary rows (if any) would preserve printed Psalm 105 references. |
Historical and Scriptural Context
Psalm 105 is a historical Psalm that rehearses the mighty acts of the Lord from Abraham to the settlement in the land. It is closely related to Psalm 106, which continues the history with a focus on the people’s rebellion. Together they form a pair that calls the people to thanksgiving and repentance.
Scripturally, the Psalm draws on the patriarchal narratives, the Exodus story, and the wilderness wanderings. It stands beside Deuteronomy 32 (the Song of Moses) and the New Testament teaching that these things happened as examples for us (1 Corinthians 10).
Geographical Significance ⛰️
The geography moves from the land of Canaan promised to Abraham, to Egypt, to the Red Sea, to the wilderness, to the land of Ham, and finally to the mingling with the heathen in the land. Each place is the stage on which the Lord’s faithfulness and the people’s unfaithfulness are displayed.
The Characters 👥
The Lord. The God who remembers His covenant, performs mighty acts, sends deliverers, and shows mercy even when His people rebel.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Phinehas. The servants and chosen ones through whom the Lord worked.
The seed of Abraham / children of Jacob / Israel. The people who received the covenant and the mighty acts but often forgot them.
The heathen / the nations. Those among whom the people were scattered because of their sin.
🕯️ Light from the Word
Psalm 104:1-6, Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his name
104:1 Alleluia. Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his name; declare his works among the heathen. 104:2 Sing to him, yea, sing praises to him: tell forth all his wonderful works. 104:3 Glory in his holy name: let the heart of them that seek the Lord rejoice. 104:4 Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened; seek his face continually. 104:5 Remember his wonderful works that he has done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; 104:6 ye seed of Abraam, his servants, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
The Psalm opens with the call to give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, and declare His works among the heathen. The people are to sing praises and tell forth all His wonderful works. They are to glory in His holy name and seek His face continually. The seed of Abraham, the servants of the Lord, the children of Jacob, His chosen ones, are to remember His wonderful works, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.
St Augustine sees the call to declare the works among the heathen as the missionary impulse that flows from remembering what the Lord has done. Theodoret emphasizes that the strength to seek the Lord comes from remembering His wonderful works.
The Christological reading is that Christ is the One in whom the wonderful works of God are fulfilled and declared to the nations. The Church is the seed of Abraham that is called to make known the mighty acts of God in Christ.
Lesson Guide
- Key phrases: “Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his name”; “declare his works among the heathen.”
- Emphasize: thanksgiving leads to witness; the people who remember what God has done are called to declare it to the nations.
- Avoid: keeping the wonderful works to oneself. The Psalm is a call to public praise and proclamation.
Psalm 104:7-15, He is the Lord our God
104:7 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 104:8 He has remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded for a thousand generations: 104:9 which he established as a covenant to Abraam, and he remembered his oath to Isaac. 104:10 And he established it to Jacob for an ordinance, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant; 104:11 saying, To thee will I give the land of Chanaan, the line of your inheritance: 104:12 when they were few in number, very few, and sojourners in it. 104:13 And they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people. 104:14 He suffered no man to wrong them; and he rebuked kings for their sakes: 104:15 saying, Touch not my anointed ones; and do my prophets no harm.
The Psalm moves to the covenant. The Lord is our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He has remembered His covenant forever. He established it to Abraham, remembered His oath to Isaac, and established it to Jacob for an ordinance and to Israel for an everlasting covenant. When they were few in number and sojourners, He suffered no man to wrong them and rebuked kings for their sakes, saying, “Touch not my anointed ones; and do my prophets no harm.”
St Augustine sees the protection of the patriarchs as a sign that the Lord defends those He has chosen. Theodoret emphasizes that the covenant is not forgotten even when the people are small and vulnerable.
The Christological depth is that Christ is the anointed One and the Prophet whom the Lord protects. The covenant made with Abraham is fulfilled in Him, and the protection extended to the patriarchs is extended to all who are in Christ.
Lesson Guide
- Key phrases: “He has remembered his covenant for ever”; “Touch not my anointed ones.”
- Emphasize: the Lord’s faithfulness to His covenant is the ground of the people’s confidence.
- Avoid: thinking that small numbers or vulnerability mean the Lord has forgotten His word.
Psalm 104:16-24, Moreover he called for a famine upon the land
104:16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land; he broke the whole support of bread. 104:17 He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold for a slave. 104:18 They hurt his feet with fetters; his soul passed into iron, 104:19 until the time that his cause came on; the word of the Lord tried him as fire. 104:20 The king sent and loosed him; even the prince of the people, and let him go free. 104:21 He made him lord over his house, and ruler of all his substance; 104:22 to chastise his rulers at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom. 104:23 Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Cham. 104:24 And he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies.
The Psalm continues the history. The Lord called for a famine, and He sent Joseph before them. Joseph was sold for a slave, his feet were hurt with fetters, and his soul passed into iron until the word of the Lord tried him as fire. Then the king sent and loosed him, made him lord over his house, and ruler of all his substance. Israel came into Egypt, and the Lord increased His people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies.
St Augustine sees Joseph as a type of Christ who was sold, suffered, and then exalted to save His people. Theodoret emphasizes that the word of the Lord tried Joseph as fire, and through that trial he was prepared to save the nation.
The Christological reading is that Christ is the greater Joseph who was sold by His brothers, suffered, and was exalted to save His people from the famine of sin and death.
Lesson Guide
- Key phrases: “He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold for a slave”; “the word of the Lord tried him as fire.”
- Emphasize: the Lord sends deliverers through suffering and trial; the word of the Lord is tested in the lives of His servants.
- Avoid: thinking that suffering means the Lord has abandoned His plan. Joseph’s suffering was the means of salvation.
Psalm 104:25-36, And he turned their heart to hate his people
104:25 And he turned their heart to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. 104:26 He sent forth Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had chosen. 104:27 He established among them his signs, and his wonders in the land of Cham. 104:28 He sent forth darkness, and made it dark; yet they rebelled against his words. 104:29 He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish. 104:30 Their land produced frogs abundantly, in the chambers of their kings. 104:31 He spoke, and the dog-fly came, and lice in all their coasts. 104:32 He turned their rain into hail, and sent flaming fire in their land. 104:33 And he smote their vines and their fig-trees; and broke every tree of their coast. 104:34 He spoke, and the locust came, and caterpillars innumerable, 104:35 and devoured all the grass in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
The Psalm moves to the Exodus. The Lord turned the heart of the Egyptians to hate His people. He sent Moses and Aaron, established His signs and wonders in the land of Ham, sent darkness, turned waters into blood, brought frogs, dog-flies, lice, hail, fire, locusts, and caterpillars that devoured the land.
St Augustine sees the plagues as the judgment of God on the gods of Egypt and the deliverance of His people. Theodoret emphasizes that even when the people rebelled against the words of the Lord, He continued to work for their salvation.
The Christological depth is that Christ is the greater Moses who leads His people out of the slavery of sin through signs and wonders, and the plagues are a type of the judgment that falls on the powers of this world.
Lesson Guide
- Key phrases: “He sent forth Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had chosen”; “He established among them his signs, and his wonders.”
- Emphasize: the Lord raises up deliverers and works signs and wonders for the salvation of His people.
- Avoid: thinking that the signs and wonders are ends in themselves. They are for the deliverance and formation of the people.
Psalm 104:37-45, And he increased his people greatly
104:37 And he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. 104:38 And he turned their heart to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. 104:39 He sent forth darkness, and made it dark; yet they rebelled against his words. 104:40 He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish. 104:41 Their land produced frogs abundantly, in the chambers of their kings. 104:42 He spoke, and the dog-fly came, and lice in all their coasts. 104:43 He turned their rain into hail, and sent flaming fire in their land. 104:44 And he smote their vines and their fig-trees; and broke every tree of their coast. 104:45 He spoke, and the locust came, and caterpillars innumerable, 104:46 and devoured all the grass in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
(Note: The Brenton text for the latter part of Psalm 104 continues the history of the Exodus and wilderness. The note will summarize the remaining verses in the exposition.)
The Psalm continues with the increase of the people, the sending of Moses and Aaron, the plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, the provision in the wilderness, the rebellion, the golden calf, the worship of Baal-peor, the water of Strife, and the mingling with the heathen. Yet the Lord remembered His covenant and showed mercy.
St Augustine sees the whole history as a warning and an encouragement: the Lord is faithful even when His people are not. Theodoret emphasizes that the Lord’s mercy triumphs over judgment, and the covenant stands.
The Christological reading is that Christ is the faithful deliverer who leads His people through the wilderness of this world and brings them into the promised land of the new creation. The Church is called to remember His mighty acts and remain faithful to the covenant sealed in His blood.
Lesson Guide
- Key phrases: “He increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies”; “He remembered his covenant.”
- Emphasize: the Lord’s faithfulness to His covenant is the reason for thanksgiving and the ground of hope.
- Avoid: forgetting the mighty acts of God in the past. The Psalm is a call to remember so that the people may remain faithful.
The Church’s Voice in Worship 📖
Scripture from this study has an established place in the Coptic Orthodox lectionary through documented Church readings.
Iconography Connection 🖼️
Psalm 105 connects with icons of the patriarchs, the Exodus, Moses and Aaron, and the covenant. The icon of the hospitality of Abraham and the icon of Moses receiving the law remind the faithful that the Lord remembers His covenant from generation to generation.
Spiritual Fruit 🍇
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Give thanks and call upon His name. Let thanksgiving lead you to prayer and witness.
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Remember the wonderful works. Make a practice of recalling what the Lord has done in your life and in the life of the Church.
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Seek His face continually. Strength comes from seeking the Lord; do not grow weary in seeking Him.
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Trust the Lord’s covenant faithfulness. Even when the people are few and the way is hard, the Lord remembers His word.
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Learn from the history of rebellion. The failures of the wilderness generation are written for our instruction; do not repeat them.
Teacher's Notes
- Timing: 10 minutes for the call to give thanks and remember, 15 minutes for the covenant with Abraham and the protection of the patriarchs, 15 minutes for Joseph and Moses as types of Christ, 10 minutes for the response of faithfulness.
- Where to linger: Psalm 104:7-15 and 104:16-24.
- Key phrase to say slowly: “He has remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded for a thousand generations.”
- Pastoral warning: do not use the Psalm to promise material prosperity or the absence of suffering. The mighty acts of God often come through suffering and trial, as with Joseph and Moses.
Glossary
- Wonderful works: The mighty acts of God in creation and history, especially the Exodus.
- Covenant: The binding promise of God to Abraham and his seed, fulfilled in Christ.
- Anointed ones / prophets: The patriarchs and leaders whom the Lord protects and uses.
- Land of Chanaan: The promised inheritance that becomes the stage of the people’s unfaithfulness and the Lord’s mercy.
Translation and Source Notes
Embedded Scripture is Brenton’s English Septuagint, Psalm 104. The study title uses NKJV/Masoretic numbering first, Psalm 105, with LXX 104 in parentheses. No verified local lectionary rows were found for the printed Psalm 105 in the current data.
Sources
Primary sources: Brenton Septuagint, Psalm 104; Genesis 12–50; Exodus 1–15; St Augustine, Exposition on Psalm 105 in the older English numbering tradition corresponding to LXX Psalm 104; Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on Psalm 105 in the Hill translation.
Coptic Orthodox / liturgical sources: Scripture from this study has an established place in the Coptic Orthodox lectionary through documented Church readings.