Psalms 106:20

Psa 106:20 Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.

Ver. 20. Thus they changed their glory] i.e. Their God, Rom 1:23, the Creator for a contemptible creature.

Of an ox that eateth grass] Tunc stercora egerit, et multum inquinatur, as R. Solomon here glosseth. They pretended not to worship the calf, but God in the calf, as did also Jebu, 2Ki 10:16; 2Ki 10:29 2Ch 11:15, and as the idolatrous Papists do at this day. See Exo 32:5-6. Yet the text here saith, "They worshipped the molten image, they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox." And although some of the Rabbis would excuse this gross idolatry of their forefathers, yet others, more wise, bewail it, and say that there is an ounce of this golden calf in all their present sufferings.

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.

20. (Psa 106:20) And exchange their glory for the likeness of an ox eating grass. This must be read in the closest connection with Psa 106:19, in Order to complete it. Their folly consisted in exchanging the true God, whose worship and whose favour was their highest honour, for the mere likeness of an irrational brute. Eating grass, not in the act, but in the habit, of so doing. Although the golden calf at Horeb, and the golden calves at Dan and Beesheba, were all regarded as representatives of Jehovah himself, their worshipwas uniformly treated as idolatry, and as a virtual though not a formal or avowed renunciation of his service. Compare Jer 2:10-13.

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

He showeth that all idolaters renounce God to be their glory, when instead of him they worship any creature, much more wood, stone, metal, or calves.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 20. Thus they changed their glory] That is, their God, who was their glory; and they worshipped an ox in his stead. See the use St Paul makes of this, Ro 1:23; see also the note there. See Clarke on Ro 1:23. The incorruptible God was thus served by all the heathen world.

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

(20) Their glory—i.e., Jehovah, as shown by Jer_2:11.

Similitude.—This is also a Deuteronomic word (Deu_4:16; Deu_4:18), meaning originally “structure,” from a root meaning “to build,” and so “form,” “model.”

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

20. So they exchanged their glory

For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.

Jehovah was the glory of Israel (Deu_4:6-8; Deu_10:21); and this spiritual invisible God they bartered for the likeness of an animal, such as they were forbidden to make (Deu_4:16-18; Exo_20:4). Cp. Jer_2:11.

The reading their glory is reckoned as one of the eighteen Tiqqûnç Sôpherîm[60] or ‘corrections of the scribes,’ and is said to stand for ‘his glory.’ It is disputed whether the term means that the scribes actually altered the text from motives of reverence, or held that his glory was what the Psalmist would have written, had he not purposely avoided it as an indecorous expression. It is noteworthy that some MSS of the LXX (אc.a ART) read his glory, and to this form of the text St Paul refers in Rom_1:23. The Targ. gives ‘the glory of their Lord.’

[60] See Ginsburg, Introd. to the Heb. Bible, pp. 347 ff., who holds the view that the Scribes altered the text: and Barnes in the journal of Theol. Studies, i. 387 ff., who holds that the so-called corrections are interpretations not readings.

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.

Thus they changed their glory,.... God, who is glorious in all the perfections of his nature, and is glory itself, and was the glory of these people; it was their greatest honour that they had knowledge of him, nearness to him, the true worship of him among them, and that they were worshippers of him; and who, though he is unchangeable in himself, may be said to be changed when another is substituted and worshipped in his room, or worshipped besides him; which was what the Heathen did, and in which the Israelites exceeded them, Rom 1:23, the Targum is,

"they changed the glory of their Lord.''

Into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass; which was monstrous stupidity, to leave the worship of the true God, El Shaddai, God all sufficient, all powerful, that stands in need of nothing, but upholds and supports all creatures in being, and provides them with necessaries; and worship an ox, yea, the figure of one that eats grass, that lives on hay, and is supported by that which is so weak and withering; the Targum adds,

"and makes dung;''

or defiles itself with it, as the ox does while it is eating grass; Jarchi observes, there is nothing more abominable and filthy than an ox when it is eating grass, which then makes much dung, and defiles itself; this the Targumist adds, to make the worship of such a creature the more contemptible.

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

Thus they changed their glory - Their true glory - the proper object of worship - God. Compare the notes at Rom 1:23. They “exchanged” that as an object of worship for the image of an ox.

Into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass - Into the likeness of an ox. That is, They worshipped God under that image. The circumstance of its “eating grass” is added to show the absurdity of the act. Instead of worshipping God - an independent Being, who does not need to be supported, but who himself sustains all things, and provides for all - they worshipped an animal that had need of constant sustenance, and would itself soon die if deprived of its proper nourishment. Compare the notes at Isa 40:18-20; notes at Isa 41:6-7.

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

Changed, as far as in them lay, and in respect of their worship.

Their glory; their God, who was indeed their glory; for they had this just occasion of triumphing and glorying over all the nations of the world; that whereas all other nations worshipped stocks and stones, or the heavenly bodies, or dead men, they only worshipped the living and true God, who was present and in covenant with them, and with them only.

Into the similitude of an ox; into the golden image of an ox or calf.

That eateth grass; which is so far from feeding his people, as the true God did the Israelites, that he must be fed by them. And yet the image of such a creature was preferred by them, before the all-sufficient and ever-blessed God, which was an evidence of their horrid contempt of God, and also of their prodigious folly and stupidity.

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

Ver. 20. Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. They said that they only meant to worship the one God under a fitting and suggestive similitude by which his great power would be set forth to the multitude; they pleaded the great Catholic revival which followed upon this return to a more ornate ceremonial, for the people thronged around Aaron, and danced before the calf with all their might. But in very deed they had given up the true God, whom it had been their glory to adore, and had set up a rival to him, not a representation of him; for how should he be likened to a bullock? The psalmist is very contemptuous, and justly so: irreverence towards idols is an indirect reverence to God. False gods, attempts to represent the true God, and indeed, all material things which are worshipped, are so much filth upon the face of the earth, whether they be crosses, crucifixes, virgins, wafers, relics, or even the Pope himself. We are by far too mealy mouthed about these infamous abominations: God abhors them, and so should we. To renounce the glory of spiritual worship for outward pomp and show is the height of folly, and deserves to be treated as such.

Ver. 20. An ox that eateth grass. The Egyptians, when they consulted Apis, presented a bottle of hay or of grass, and if the ox received it, they expected good success. Daniel Cresswell.

Ver. 20. Although some of the Rabbins would excuse this gross idolatry of their forefathers, yet others more wise bewail them, and say that there is an ounce of this golden calf in all their present sufferings. John Trapp.

Psalms 106:21*

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

20. Their glory—The cloud of light, or fire, in which God appeared to them, as Exo_16:7; Exo_16:10; Exo_24:16-17; Deu_5:24. In all these appearances “they saw no similitude.” Deu_4:12; Deu_4:15. In making one they fundamentally revolted from Jehovah, though they saw it not at first. Comp. Rom_1:23.

That eateth grass—A description at once definitive of species and expressive of contempt.

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

Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass; i.e. they exchanged the spiritual revelation of Jehovah, in all his glorious attributes, for a material emblem, which would naturally suggest low and unworthy thoughts of the supreme Being. So Schultz and Cheyne. The expression, "an ox that eateth grass," emphasizes the contempt of the writer for a people who could so act. He has, probably, in his thoughts not only the golden calf, but the Apis bulls of Egypt.

Our God our glory.

The "glory" of Israel was found, as this verse indicates, in the God whom her sons worshipped; not in her cultivated fields, not in her varied scenery, not in her peculiar civilization, not even in her temple and its rites, but in her God. No other contemporary nation worshipped one, pure, righteous, pitiful God, who sought the well being, material and spiritual, of all his children. Well may we, to whom God has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, claim that our God is the glory of our land.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Their glory - God, who was indeed their glory. Into - Into the golden image of an ox or calf, which is so far from feeding his people, as the true God did the Israelites, that he must be fed by them.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

eating grass There is nothing as disgusting and repugnant as an ox. When it eats grass, it emits much dung, with which it sullies itself. Other books read: its saliva.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.