Psalm 105:25 kjv
He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
Psalm 105:25 nkjv
He turned their heart to hate His people, To deal craftily with His servants.
Psalm 105:25 niv
whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.
Psalm 105:25 esv
He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.
Psalm 105:25 nlt
Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites,
and they plotted against the LORD's servants.
Psalm 105 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 1:8 | Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. | New Pharaoh, unaware of Joseph's legacy |
| Exod 1:9-10 | He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us..." | Fear of Israel's growth causing oppressive intent |
| Exod 1:11 | So they put taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. | Crafty dealings against Israel initiated |
| Exod 1:16 | He said, "When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women... if it is a son, you shall kill him." | Ultimate malicious craftiness – infanticide |
| Exod 4:21 | I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. | God's active role in hardening Pharaoh's heart |
| Exod 7:3 | But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I will multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. | God hardens Pharaoh for displaying His power |
| Exod 9:12 | But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them... | Repeated divine hardening of Pharaoh's heart |
| Exod 10:1-2 | ...that I may show these signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell... | Hardening to declare God's deeds to future generations |
| Deut 2:30 | But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit... | God hardens hearts to deliver His people into their hands |
| Deut 26:6 | So the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. | Recounts Egyptian oppression due to their harshness |
| Acts 7:19 | This king dealt craftily with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not survive. | Stephen confirms Egypt's crafty oppression |
| Ps 78:40-41 | How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! They turned back... | Contrasts with Israel's tendency to harden their own hearts |
| Prov 21:1 | The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will. | God's absolute sovereignty over leaders' hearts |
| Isa 63:17 | O LORD, why do You make us wander from Your ways and harden our heart so that we fear You not? | Acknowledges God's ability to allow or cause spiritual hardness |
| Rom 9:17 | For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show My power..." | God raises up and hardens for His own purposes and glory |
| Rom 9:18 | So then, He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. | Paul's theological statement on God's sovereignty over hardening |
| Gen 15:13-14 | Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs... afflicted four hundred years. | God foretells the affliction in Egypt, part of His plan |
| Jer 19:7 | And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem... and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies... | God can thwart or turn the plans/counsels of nations |
| Ezek 14:9 | And if the prophet is enticed to speak a word, I the LORD have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him. | God can orchestrate events leading to certain outcomes for His judgment/plan |
| Job 12:23-24 | He makes nations great, and He destroys them; He enlarges nations, and leads them away. He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the earth... | God's sovereignty over nations and their leaders, influencing their minds |
| Ezra 1:1 | ...the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia... | God's ability to stir/turn the heart of a pagan king for His purposes |
| Ps 33:10-11 | The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever... | God's plans always prevail over human or national schemes |
Psalm 105 verses
Psalm 105 25 Meaning
Psalm 105:25 explains that the Lord God actively turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate His chosen people, Israel, and to cunningly devise malicious plans against His servants. This divine action directly instigated the oppression described in the book of Exodus, serving God's ultimate purpose of delivering Israel and displaying His glory.
Psalm 105 25 Context
Psalm 105 is a psalm of thanksgiving and praise, recounting God's faithful preservation of Israel through their early history. It urges remembrance of God's marvelous deeds, particularly His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Verse 25 falls within the section describing Israel's sojourn in Egypt and the events leading up to the Exodus. This verse immediately follows the description of Israel's prosperity and immense growth in Egypt (Psalm 105:23-24). Historically, this context points directly to the events in Exodus 1, where a new pharaoh arises who "did not know Joseph" and, fearing the burgeoning numbers of Israelites, institutes oppressive policies. The Psalmist's assertion that God "turned their heart" highlights the divine control behind even such negative developments, setting the stage for God to display His power in a dramatic deliverance and assert His supremacy over the might of Egypt and its gods.
Psalm 105 25 Word analysis
- He: Refers directly to the Lord God (Yahweh), who is the primary subject throughout Psalm 105, showcasing His ultimate agency and control over all events in salvation history.
- turned (הָפַךְ, hāfak): A strong causative verb meaning to overturn, transform, or cause a drastic change. It signifies God's direct, intentional, and active intervention, rather than a passive allowance. This emphasizes God's purposeful orchestration of even seemingly adverse circumstances for His larger redemptive plan and for His glory.
- their heart (לִבָּם, libām): "Their" refers to the Egyptians. In Hebrew thought, the "heart" (לֵבָב, levav) represents not just emotions, but the seat of intellect, will, reason, moral character, and overall inner being. Thus, God fundamentally altered the core disposition and will of the Egyptians, making them hostile.
- to hate (לִשְׂנֹא, liśnō‘): To strongly detest, become an enemy of, or have an intense aversion towards. This describes the radical shift from welcoming a foreign population (during Joseph's time) to profound animosity, signifying a deliberate change in attitude engineered by God.
- his people (עַמּוֹ, ‘ammō): God's covenant people, Israel. The possessive pronoun "His" emphasizes their unique identity and special relationship with God, highlighting that the Egyptian hatred was ultimately directed against those belonging to the Most High.
- to deal craftily (לְהִתְנַכֵּל, ləhitnakkēl): Derived from the root נָכַל (nakal), meaning to act treacherously, cunningly, deceitfully, or to plot with malicious intent. This describes the systematic, calculated, and insidious oppression carried out by the Egyptians, including forced labor and attempts at infanticide, as seen in Exodus. It denotes planned policy decisions, not mere spontaneous aggression.
- with his servants (לַעֲבָדָיו, la‘ăvādāv): Also refers to Israel, reinforcing their identity not merely as an ethnic group, but as those chosen and called to serve God. The use of both "his people" and "his servants" underscores the depth of their relationship with Yahweh and implies that any mistreatment of them is a direct affront to their divine Master and Sovereign.
Words-Group Analysis
- He turned their heart: This powerful phrase attributes the radical change in Egyptian sentiment directly to God. It highlights God's active, sovereign control over human will and geopolitical situations. This action by God demonstrates that His ultimate plan is unthwartable, as even human wickedness and oppression can be woven into His divine tapestry of redemption.
- to hate his people, to deal craftily: This sets forth the dual outcomes of God's turning of the Egyptians' hearts. The "hatred" is the internal, shifted disposition, leading directly to the "crafty dealing"—the practical, malicious, and cunning actions of oppression. This shows a progression from inward animosity to outward, planned mistreatment. This reveals that the suffering of Israel was not random or pointless, but precisely ordained and purposed by God to lead to His greater glory and Israel's magnificent deliverance.
Psalm 105 25 Bonus section
The seemingly difficult concept of God hardening or turning hearts, as seen in this verse and throughout Exodus, is crucial for understanding the depths of divine sovereignty. It demonstrates that God's overarching redemptive plan encompasses all aspects of history, including human wickedness. While it does not negate human responsibility for their choices, it highlights that God remains ultimately in control, even over the wills of kings and nations, shaping circumstances to fulfill His righteous purposes and magnify His glory. This truth underscores that adversity in the life of God's people is never without purpose but is often a precursor to a greater demonstration of His power and faithfulness.
Psalm 105 25 Commentary
Psalm 105:25 presents a theological statement on the root cause of Israel's enslavement in Egypt: it was a divine act. The Psalmist is clear that God actively intervened by "turning" the hearts of the Egyptians from their initial benevolence towards a deep-seated hatred and treacherous planning against Israel. This profound change initiated the harsh oppression and suffering recounted in the book of Exodus. This wasn't merely a passive allowance by God but a deliberate orchestration of events. Through this, God compelled the Israelites to cry out to Him, demonstrated His supreme power over human rulers and pagan deities through the subsequent plagues and Exodus, and ultimately glorified His name as the faithful, covenant-keeping Deliverer. The period of affliction, therefore, was not a setback for God's plan but an essential phase in bringing His covenant promises to fruition.