Psalms 105:35

Study note

Setting — The psalmist narrates God’s spoken judgment against Egypt, marking the moment the unnumbered locusts arrive to strip the land bare. This event sits between the initial swarm and the subsequent striking of the firstborn.

The words — The Hebrew כָּל (kol) signals total inclusion, while עֵ֣שֶׂב ('E.sev) specifies the vegetation or green growth. The verb וַ/יֹּ֣אכַל (va/i.Yo.khal) repeats to stress that the locusts consumed both the field crops and the fruit of the soil.

The thread — This description continues the plague sequence introduced in Psalms 105:34 and immediately precedes the strike on the firstborn in Psalms 105:36. The narrative framework traces back to the Exodus account where God’s spoken word directly triggers the locust swarm.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine speech initiates tangible, total destruction. It asks the reader to observe how judgment moves from environmental stripping to human consequence without pause or mitigation.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.