Psalm 105:23 kjv
Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
Psalm 105:23 nkjv
Israel also came into Egypt, And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
Psalm 105:23 niv
Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
Psalm 105:23 esv
Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
Psalm 105:23 nlt
Then Israel arrived in Egypt;
Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
Psalm 105 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 46:6 | ...took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt... | Direct entry of Jacob's family into Egypt. |
| Gen 47:4 | "They said to Pharaoh, 'We have come to sojourn in the land... let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.'" | Explicit request by Jacob's family to temporarily reside in Egypt. |
| Acts 7:15 | "So Jacob went down into Egypt..." | Stephen's sermon confirming the entry of Jacob into Egypt. |
| Gen 15:13 | "...Your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs... they will be afflicted for four hundred years." | Prophecy of Israel's sojourn and affliction in a foreign land. |
| Exod 12:40 | "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years." | Confirms the duration of their temporary residence. |
| Deut 26:5 | "...A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there..." | Israel's confession of their patriarch's humble, transient origins. |
| Heb 11:9 | "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob..." | Patriarchs viewed their promised land also as a temporary dwelling. |
| Gen 10:6 | "The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan." | Geneaological table showing Mizraim (Egypt) descended from Ham. |
| Psa 78:51 | "and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham." | Uses "tents of Ham" as a poetic reference to Egypt. |
| Psa 106:22 | "...in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea." | Another poetic reference to Egypt as "land of Ham." |
| Gen 50:20 | "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good..." | Joseph's statement on God's sovereign plan behind their move to Egypt. |
| Deut 10:22 | "Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven..." | Emphasizes the great multiplication during their sojourn. |
| Exod 1:7 | "But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, multiplied and grew exceedingly strong..." | Details the rapid growth of the Israelite population in Egypt. |
| Acts 7:17 | "But as the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied..." | Stephen noting the fulfillment of the promise of multiplication in Egypt. |
| Exod 1:11 | "...They set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens." | The oppression that followed the sojourning. |
| Exod 3:7-8 | "...I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt... and have come down to deliver them..." | God's response to their cries during oppression. |
| Deut 6:21 | "...We were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand." | Confession of their former state of bondage. |
| Isa 52:4 | "For thus says the Lord God: 'My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there...' " | Reinforces the initial purpose of going to Egypt as sojourners. |
| 1 Chr 16:16 | (Psa 105:9) "The covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac..." | The underlying covenant God was fulfilling throughout this history. |
| Psa 105:22 | "...that he might instruct his princes according to his will, and teach his elders wisdom." | Joseph's high position preparing for the family's arrival. |
| Neh 9:9-10 | "You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea... worked signs and wonders..." | God's awareness and intervention during their time in Egypt. |
| Num 20:15 | "...Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time..." | Acknowledging the extended stay in Egypt. |
Psalm 105 verses
Psalm 105 23 Meaning
Psalm 105:23 succinctly states that Jacob, now also known as Israel, entered Egypt with his family and lived there as a temporary resident in the land known biblically as the land of Ham. This verse marks a pivotal moment in the nation of Israel's early history, signaling their transition from a small nomadic clan to a people residing in a foreign land under God's providential care, preparing the ground for their growth into a numerous nation.
Psalm 105 23 Context
Psalm 105 is a psalm of historical remembrance and thanksgiving, recalling God's steadfast faithfulness to His covenant people, Israel. It begins with a call to remember and recount the marvelous deeds of the Lord (vv. 1-6) and specifically His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (vv. 7-15). The psalm then elaborates on God's providence, particularly through the story of Joseph, who was sent ahead to Egypt to preserve life (vv. 16-22). Verse 23 naturally follows this narrative, describing the entry of Jacob's entire family into Egypt facilitated by Joseph. This event is a critical juncture, as it describes the relocation of the nascent nation of Israel to a foreign land where they would multiply significantly before experiencing servitude and ultimately, miraculous deliverance by God. Historically, this aligns with the patriarchal period transitioning into the early Exodus era.
Psalm 105 23 Word analysis
- Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל - Yisra'el): Refers to Jacob's new name (Gen 32:28) given by God, signifying his changed character and identity, and also prophetically represents the emerging nation descended from him. Its use here indicates the nascent collective identity.
- also came into (בָּא - ba'): A simple verb meaning "entered" or "came." While seemingly straightforward, its context within God's historical actions (as portrayed throughout Psalm 105) implies a divinely orchestrated entry, not a random migration.
- Egypt (מִצְרָ֑יִם - Mitsrayim): The well-known ancient land on the Nile River. In biblical narratives, it served as both a place of refuge and a place of oppression, critical for Israel's formation.
- and Jacob (יַעֲקֹ֖ב - Ya'akov): The patriarch himself, whose personal journey is intertwined with the destiny of the entire nation. Mentioning both "Israel" and "Jacob" emphasizes both the patriarch leading the clan and the collective identity of the developing nation.
- sojourned (גָּר - gar): A significant Hebrew term meaning "to dwell as a stranger," "to reside temporarily," or "to be an alien." This word is crucial, emphasizing that their stay in Egypt was never intended to be permanent settlement but a transient period. It echoes God's earlier promise to Abraham that his descendants would be sojourners (Gen 15:13) and foreshadows their eventual exodus. It conveys a status of non-native, living by permission.
- in the land of Ham (אֶ֖רֶץ חָֽם - erets Ham): A poetic or archaic designation for Egypt. "Ham" was one of Noah's sons (Gen 10:6), whose descendant Mizraim became the progenitor of the Egyptians. This designation emphasizes Egypt's origin outside of the Abrahamic covenant line and reinforces its identity as a distinct, non-Israelite land, stressing the foreignness of the Israelites' temporary residence.
- "Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned": This phrasing highlights a continuity, where Jacob, as the patriarchal head, initiates the move that his descendants, "Israel," continue as their collective history. The personal act of the patriarch sets in motion the national experience. It links the people's arrival to the covenant through the patriarch.
- "came into Egypt...sojourned in the land of Ham": The repetition of the location through two different designations ("Egypt" and "land of Ham") adds a poetic flourish and emphasis. It underlines the foreignness of their new home, reinforcing the temporary and alien status implicit in "sojourned." It serves to solidify the place in the mind of the hearer and highlight the divine leading into a distinct territory for a specific purpose.
Psalm 105 23 Bonus section
The mention of "the land of Ham" provides a genealogical context that links Egypt to Noah's descendants, emphasizing the historical reality and biblical understanding of nations stemming from a common ancestor. For the psalmist's original audience, it would immediately identify Egypt as a known, albeit non-covenant, power. This verse also serves as a thematic bridge in Psalm 105: it concludes the narrative of Joseph's deliverance and leadership (vv. 16-22) and sets the stage for the rapid multiplication of Israel and their subsequent oppression (vv. 24-25), leading directly to the Exodus narrative which forms the climax of the psalm's historical recounting. The journey into Egypt, though seemingly a retreat from the promised land, was a strategic divine deployment.
Psalm 105 23 Commentary
Psalm 105:23 marks a crucial transition in Israel's formative history. Following the remarkable divine orchestration that placed Joseph in power in Egypt, this verse depicts the pivotal moment when Jacob's family—now recognized as "Israel"—migrated to Egypt. The word "sojourned" is the theological core here; it signifies a temporary residence, not a permanent settlement. This entry into a foreign land was not an abandonment of God's promise of the land of Canaan, but a necessary step in His grand redemptive plan. It was in Egypt, away from Canaan's immediate influences, that God would protect and allow Jacob's seventy descendants to multiply into a multitude, transforming them from a family into a nation, preparing them for their eventual exodus and inheritance of the Promised Land. The seemingly adverse move was actually part of God's precise, covenant-keeping design.