Bible Strands
Psalms 106:43
Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses a community reflecting on Israel’s national history, specifically recounting the cyclical pattern of oppression, deliverance, and apostasy during the period of the judges. The narrative captures the moment when repeated divine rescue meets persistent human defiance.
The words — יַמְר֣וּ (yam.Ru) translates literally as "they rebelled," while בַ/עֲצָתָ֑/ם (va./'a.tza.Ta/m) means "by their plan[s]." These terms emphasize deliberate, calculated defiance rather than accidental failure.
The thread — This cycle of rescue followed by stubborn rebellion appears in Judges 2:16 and is echoed in Psalms 81:12. The pattern contrasts with the steadfast path described in Psalms 1:1.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that repeated deliverance does not automatically produce obedience. Readers must examine whether their own responses to grace consistently align with repentance rather than rebellion.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
Cross-references
- Judges 2:16 Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.
- Psalms 81:12 So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
- Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.
- 1 Samuel 12:9 But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.
- Psalms 106:29 So they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
- Judges 5:8 When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.
- Judges 6:5 For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.
- 1 Samuel 13:19 And no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews must not be allowed to make swords or spears.”