Why is the order of the plagues different from Exodus?
The psalm lists the plagues in a different order and leaves some out, so it is not a complete summary of Exodus 7-12. It is a poem that selects events to praise God, not a chronological account.
Psalms · psalm 105 of 150
Psalm 105: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in Psalm 105?
Psalm 105 invites us to give thanks to the Lord and remember his wonders, and then reviews the history: the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph's journey to Egypt, Israel's stay there, the plagues, the exodus and the care in the wilderness. It all happened because God remembered his holy promise, and the psalm ends with the purpose that his people keep his statutes.
Psalm 105 has no title and is a historical psalm in Book IV that recounts God's work from the patriarchs to the entry into the land. Psalm 106 reviews the same history from the other side, the people's unfaithfulness, and so the two are read as a pair. This psalm does not mention Israel's sins: it concentrates on the Lord's faithfulness.
Psalm 105 summary
The psalm opens with a call to give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds, sing to him, seek him and his strength, and remember his wonders. It addresses the offspring of Abraham and the children of Jacob. Verses 7-11 recall that the Lord is our God and that he remembers his covenant forever, the one he made with Abraham, swore to Isaac and confirmed to Jacob, saying he would give the land of Canaan as an inheritance.
According to verses 12-15, the patriarchs were few and strangers, and God allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account. Then famine came on the land, and God sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters until what he had foretold came to pass. The king of Egypt released him and made him lord of his house.
Israel came into Egypt, and God made his people fruitful. Verses 26-36 tell how he sent Moses and Aaron with signs and plagues: darkness, blood, frogs, flies, gnats, hail, locusts, and the striking of the firstborn. He brought them out with silver and gold, and none stumbled. On the journey he gave them cloud, fire, quail, bread from heaven and water from the rock. All this was because he remembered his holy promise. He gave them the lands of the nations so that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-6: Call to give thanks, call on his name and remember his wonders.
- vv. 7-11: The Lord remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the promise of the land of Canaan.
- vv. 12-22: The patriarchs protected from kings; Joseph sent to Egypt, imprisoned and made lord.
- vv. 23-36: Israel in Egypt, Moses and Aaron, and the plagues that culminate in the firstborn.
- vv. 37-45: The exodus, care in the wilderness and fulfillment of the promise so that they keep his laws.
Key verses in Psalm 105
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Psalm 105:1-2
We are called to give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples and sing to him. Remembering what God has done becomes witness before others.
Psalm 105:8-11
The Lord remembers his covenant forever, the one he made with Abraham, swore to Isaac and confirmed to Jacob, promising the land of Canaan. The whole psalm rests on the fact that God does what he promises.
Psalm 105:16-22
Famine came, God sent Joseph ahead, sold as a slave and put in prison, and finally the king made him lord of his house. It is a view of Joseph's story as the work of God's providence.
Psalm 105:42-45
God remembered his holy promise to Abraham, brought out his people with joy and gave them the lands of the nations, so that they might keep his statutes. God's salvation aims at a life of obedience.
Main themes
- Remembering God's works
- Faithfulness to the covenant with Abraham
- Providence in Joseph's story
- The plagues and the exodus
- Salvation for a life of obedience
People and places
- The Lord
- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
- Joseph
- Moses and Aaron
- Israel and Egypt
Psalm 105 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. What are we called to do with the Lord's works?
Answer: Make them known among the peoples and remember the wonders he has done. — Psalm 105:1-5
2. With whom did the Lord make the covenant he remembers forever?
Answer: With Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. — Psalm 105:9-10
3. What land was promised as an inheritance?
Answer: The land of Canaan. — Psalm 105:11
4. Whom did God send ahead of Israel to Egypt?
Answer: Joseph, who was sold as a slave. — Psalm 105:17
5. Whom did God send to perform signs in Egypt?
Answer: Moses and Aaron. — Psalm 105:26-27
6. Why did God give the lands of the nations to his people?
Answer: So that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. — Psalm 105:44-45
Application for today
Psalm 105 teaches us to remember God's history as an act of worship. In a church or small group it can be useful to tell what God has done for the community and for each family, as well as the biblical story. Remembering feeds gratitude and hope when a season is hard.
It also shows a God who keeps his word even when the road seems dark, as in Joseph's story. And it ends with a goal: the saved people are to keep his statutes. God's grace does not stop at deliverance but seeks a life of joyful obedience. Christians see in Christ the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and live with the same gratitude.
Psalm 105 ends with the land given and the call to obey. Psalm 106 tells the other side of the same history: how Israel forgot the Lord again and again, and how he, in his steadfast love, did not abandon his covenant.
Frequently asked questions about Psalm 105
What does touch not my anointed ones in verse 15 mean?
It is a warning from God to the kings who threatened the patriarchs. He calls them anointed ones and prophets, though they were few and strangers, to show they were under his protection. This was the case with Abraham and Isaac, whom God protected from Pharaoh and Abimelech.