Psalms 105:27

Psa 105:27 They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.

Ver. 27. They showed his signs] Heb. the words of his signs; for God’s wondrous works are vocal, they are real sermons of God’s power and justice. See Exo 4:8.

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.

27. (Psa 105:27) They placed among them the words of his signs and wonders in the land of Ham. The first phrase seems to mean nothing more than set before them, or exhibited to them. Words of signs is by some understood to mean matters (or affairs) of signs, and to be either a pleonastic phrase for signs alone, or an emphatic phrase denoting all the signs. See above, on Psa 65:3. The first is a gratuitous assumption, the last a forced interpretation. Better than either is the explanation which gives to words its proper meaning, and supposes stress to be intentionally laid on the divine word of Jehovah, and the prophetic word of Moses and Aaron, in the way of threatening and command, as well as on the physical effects which followed these denunciations. Compare the use of words in Psa 7:1, and the explanation there given. Signs, i.e. tokens of God's presence and activity, and indications of his will. Wonders, prodigies, miracles, the same word that occurs above in ver. 5 (Psa 105:5).

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 27. They showed his signs] Here is a reference to the plagues with which God afflicted the Egyptians. See the places in the margin, and the notes on them.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

27. They set among them the words of his signs The prophet, in the first place, briefly glances at those things which Moses has detailed at greater length. Nor does he follow the order of the events observed in the history; for he contents himself with showing, that the deliverance of the chosen people was the work of God. He again distinguishes between the power of God, and the ministry of Moses and Aaron. He indeed asserts that these men performed miracles, but these miracles proceeded from God, so that celestial power was not obscurely displayed by their instrumentality.

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.

(27) They shewed.—Literally, They placed, i.e., did.

His signs.—Literally (as in margin), the words of his tokens; but it may also be rendered, “the details of his signs.”(Comp. Psa_65:3 : “matters of iniquity,” or, “details of sin.”) So here, “details of signs,” i.e., signs in detail or sequence, sign after sign.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

27. They shewed &c.] Moses and Aaron. But the parallel passages in Psa_78:43; Exo_10:2 (cp. Jer_32:20) make it probable that we should follow most of the Ancient Versions (LXX, Aq. Symm. Syr. Jer.) in reading the singular, He set; and this agrees better with the context, as Jehovah is the subject in Psa_105:24-26; Psa_105:28-29.

his signs] Lit. the acts or matters of his signs (cp. the acts or matters of his wondrous works in Psa_145:5): i.e. his various signs: hardly, the words or message of his signs, “as being declarations of God’s will and command to let His people go.”

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.

They showed his signs among them,.... The Egyptians to whom they were sent; that is, Moses and Aaron did. In the original it is, "the words of his signs" (x). They declared the words of God to them, that he would do such signs and wonders among them; or inflict such plagues upon them, in case they did not let Israel go: or they performed them according to the word of the Lord, as he commanded them, as well as taught the doctrines and instructions to be learned from them. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it in the singular number, though contrary to the Hebrew text, and understand it of God, "he put the words of his signs in them"; in Moses and Aaron; or gave them orders and power to perform them: he put them "in both", as the Arabic version has it; or, "he did his signs by them", as the Syriac version.

And wonders in the land of Ham; or Egypt, as in Psa 105:23, meaning the miracles of the plagues, which are next particularly mentioned, though not all of them: the plagues of the murrain, and of the boils and blains, are omitted; the reason of which, according to Aben Ezra, is, because Pharaoh did not seek to Moses to remove them; and the other eight that are mentioned are not placed in the order in which they were done, the last but one being observed first.

(x) "verba signorum suorum", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, &c.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

They shewed his signs among them - literally, “They placed among them the words of his signs.” So the margin. The reference is to the miracles performed in Egypt in bringing calamities upon the Egyptians to induce them to permit the children of Israel to go out from their bondage. They were the agents in setting these wonders before the Egyptians. The term words is employed here - “the words of his signs” - to keep up the idea that it was by the command of God that this was done, or by his word. It was by no power of their own, but only by the authority of God.

And wonders in the land of Ham - Miracles. Things suited to produce astonishment. See Psa 105:5.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

His signs, Heb. the words of his signs; an emphatical expression. First they boldly declared the word and will of God concerning the several plagues, and then they actually inflicted them.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 27. They showed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. The miracles which were wrought by Moses were the Lord's, not his own: signs, as being the marks of Jehovah's presence hence they are here called "his" and power. The plagues were "words of his signs" (see margin), that is to say, they were speaking marvels, which testified more plainly than words to the omnipotence of Jehovah, to his determination to be obeyed, to his anger at the obstinacy of Pharaoh. Never were discourses more plain, pointed, personal, or powerful, and yet it took ten of them to accomplish the end designed. In the preaching of the gospel there are words, and signs, and wonders and these leave men without excuse for their impenitence; to have the kingdom of God come nigh unto them, and yet to remain rebellious is the unhappy sin of obstinate spirits. Those are wonders of sin who see wonders of grace, and yet are unaffected by them: bad as he was, Pharaoh had not this guilt, for the prodigies which lie beheld were marvels of judgment and not of mercy.

Psalms 105:28*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

27. His signs—Literally, the words of his signs; that is, the meaning of his miracles, which were the tokens of his supremacy and of his will.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They showed his signs among them; literally, the matters of his signs; i.e. his long series of signs. Aaron showed the earlier signs generally, (Exo_7:10, Exo_7:19, 20 8:6, 17) Moses the later ones. (Exo_9:10, 23 10:13, 22) And wonders in the land of Ham. (comp. ver. 23 and Psa_106:22)

Delivering judgments.

The "signs" here mentioned are the "plagues" which Jehovah sent on Egypt for the humbling of its weak but obstinate Pharaoh. They were "judgments" for Egypt; they were first steps of "deliverance" for Israel. So the salmist, regarding them from the standpoint of God"s dealing with his ancestors, very properly treats them as "delivering judgments." All Divine judgments are two-sided: we see what they are to those who are judged; we ought to see what they are to those who are called to learn through the judgments.

I WHAT ARE DIVINE JUDGMENTS TO THOSE WHO ENDURE THEM? Such the plagues were to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Observe that the question really at issue was, the relative claim and ability of the Egyptian gods and Israel"s God. Then it is easy to see (and Dean Stanley, in his "Jewish Church," vol. 1. p. 102, helps us to illustrate) that the plagues demonstrated the helplessness of the idols, and the supreme power of Jehovah. And that is the proper issue of all Divine judgments. They are intended to break us off from all forms of self-trust, and to convince us of the supreme authority and power of God, who is "known by the judgments that he executeth." "When his judgments are abroad in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

II WHAT ARE DIVINE JUDGMENTS TO THOSE WHO WATCH THEM? Such were the Israelites, whose territory of Goshen was not affected by the plagues. But they were in danger of taking up with the idolatry of Egypt; they found it hard to keep true to the unseen Jehovah. So the judgments they did but observe, and did not feel, exerted a similar influence on them. They convinced them of the utter helplessness and uselessness of the Egyptian gods. They proved that the unseen Jehovah-God was practically effective in the actual scenes of nature and life. They even saw more than this. The judgments which thus fell on those who held them in bondage, were plainly beginnings of God"s deliverance for them. If they seemed to tighten the Egyptian hold, they really loosened it. And when the series of judgments reached their climax, Pharaoh and his Egyptians were ready enough to thrust them out. So, while to those who come under Divine judgments they prove humblings; to those who watch and learn, they seem to be Divine deliverances. 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.