Tehillim 105 | The Exodus and Fulfillment of the Covenant

The previous psalm was a song of praise to God for the act of creation, and our current psalm is similarly a song of praise for the Exodus from Egypt, which expresses God's providence over the world He created and His involvement in history. Like other historical psalms, Psalm 105 offers a wonderful window into the poet’s perspective of the stories in the Torah. We’ll note that the following psalm also describes the same period as Psalm 105 — the Exodus and the entry into the Land — but from a very different perspective. Psalm 105 paints a rosy picture, whereas Psalm 106 presents a much more complex and troubling one. Psalm 105 focuses on God's actions, whereas Psalm 106 focuses on the actions of Israel.

Psalm 105, then, recounts the historical story of God's promise to the patriarchs, and its fulfillment through the Exodus and the entry into the Land. A prominent motif in the psalm is the use of the verb זכר (to remember). God remembered His covenant with the patriarchs (see verse 8 at the opening and verse 42 at the conclusion), brought Israel out of Egypt through many signs and wonders, and brought them into the Land. In parallel, the psalmist calls upon the people of Israel to also remember God's wonders: “Recall the wonders He has done, the marvels and judgments He has pronounced” (105:5). In this way, the psalm speaks back to the closing of the third book in Tehillim (Psalms 88–89), where the poet felt that God had forgotten him and pleaded with God to remember him. Our psalm uses the same verb — זכר (recall/remember) — to show that throughout history, God has remembered Israel and fulfilled His covenant. And it calls upon Israel to fulfill their part of that memory—to remember God’s deeds.

The psalm concludes with the purpose of entering the Land: “So that they might keep His statutes and observe His teachings. Halleluya!” (105:45) – and here too, the focus shifts from a question posed to God to a question posed to Israel — Israel too has a role in upholding the covenant. This idea will be explored further in the next psalm.