Psalm 105 12

Psalm 105:12 kjv

When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.

Psalm 105:12 nkjv

When they were few in number, Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

Psalm 105:12 niv

When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,

Psalm 105:12 esv

When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it,

Psalm 105:12 nlt

He said this when they were few in number,
a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.

Psalm 105 verses

Psalm 105 12 Meaning

Psalm 105:12 describes the early, nascent state of the people of Israel—represented by the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their immediate families. At this foundational stage, they were numerically insignificant and geographically unstable, living as temporary residents without inherited land in the Promised Land. The verse highlights their vulnerability and dependence, setting the stage for God's powerful and faithful actions on their behalf as He guided, protected, and multiplied them from this humble beginning into a great nation.

Psalm 105 12 Context

Psalm 105 is a hymn of thanksgiving that recounts the faithful deeds of Yahweh throughout Israel's early history, emphasizing His covenant relationship with His chosen people. The psalm serves as a communal reminder of God's unswerving loyalty, beginning with His covenant oath to Abraham and extending through the deliverance from Egypt and the settling in the Promised Land. Verse 12 is situated in the initial narrative, describing the period after Abraham's call but before the nation's immense growth in Egypt. It portrays the humble and precarious beginnings of the patriarchal family in Canaan, where they lived as strangers in a land that was promised but not yet possessed. This specific verse emphasizes God's sovereign care over them when they were numerically weak and without a secure home, setting the stage for the miraculous multiplication and protection that followed. Historically, this refers to the period roughly from Abraham's entry into Canaan until the descent into Egypt.

Psalm 105 12 Word analysis

• When (בְּהְיוֹתָם - bəhiōtām): This term functions as a temporal indicator, pinpointing the specific moment or period in time being referenced. It signals a foundational condition or circumstance from which the subsequent events of divine intervention flowed.
• they (הֵמָּה - hēmmāh): Refers to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and their immediate families. In the context of Israel's collective memory, these individuals represented the nascent beginnings of the nation, the foundational few upon whom the entire future depended.
• were but a few (מִסְפָּר - mimsāpār): The Hebrew mimsaphar literally means "of number" or "countable." Here, it signifies a very small quantity, emphasizing their numerical insignificance. From a human perspective, they lacked the demographic strength for self-defense or rapid expansion, highlighting God's role in their protection and multiplication.
• a small company (מְתֵי מִסְפָּר - mətê mispār): This phrase reinforces the preceding "but a few." Mətê means "men of" or "few of," specifically pointing to "few men" or "a limited company." The repetition intensifies the portrayal of their smallness and vulnerability. This collective noun phrase stresses their insignificance and total dependence on divine intervention for survival and growth, underscoring that their existence and future prosperity were not due to their own power.
• and sojourners (גֵּרִים - gērîm): This significant Hebrew term means "resident aliens," "foreigners," or "strangers." It highlights their non-land-owning status, indicating they were without inherited rights or a permanent homeland within Canaan, even though the land had been promised to them. They were temporary residents, dependent on the goodwill of local inhabitants, symbolizing their unrooted and precarious existence. This term has deep theological implications, as Israel itself was later called to care for the gerîm within their own land, remembering their own experience. It also polemically asserts that the land was always God's to give, not earned or inherited by Abraham's own means.
• in it (בָּהּ - bāh): Refers back to the "land of Canaan" mentioned in Psalm 105:11. This emphasizes that even within the land promised to them, they were still aliens without firm possession, highlighting the patience required in waiting for God's full fulfillment of His promises.

Psalm 105 12 Bonus section

The repeated emphasis on their small numbers and alien status serves a didactic purpose for future generations of Israel, reminding them that their national strength and existence were always by divine enablement, not human effort. This historical memory prevented hubris and fostered continued reliance on God. Furthermore, the patriarchs' "sojourner" status in Canaan foreshadows a deeper spiritual truth about God's people (both Israel and the church) living as pilgrims in this world, anticipating a future, eternal inheritance. The precariousness described in this verse serves to magnify God's miraculous care, as seen in subsequent verses where God rebukes kings for their sake, ensuring their survival.

Psalm 105 12 Commentary

Psalm 105:12 paints a poignant picture of Israel's humble genesis. It deliberately juxtaposes the immensity of God's covenant promises with the profound insignificance and vulnerability of His chosen people at their inception. "A few in number" and "small company" underscore that Israel's selection was not based on any intrinsic human greatness or power but purely on God's sovereign grace and unconditional election. Their status as "sojourners" in the Promised Land, gērîm, accentuates their complete dependence on God's faithfulness; they possessed nothing in their own right, owning only graves and grazing lands through temporary agreements. This verse sets the stage for God's incredible acts of protection, multiplication, and deliverance detailed later in the psalm. It reveals a foundational theological truth: God's work often begins with the weak and despised, demonstrating that His power is perfected in weakness and that all glory belongs to Him alone, not to human might or numbers.