Psalms 105:12

when they were but a few men in number, yes, very few, and foreigners in it.

World English Bible

Learn

Your notes

Private to you. Anything you write on this verse, here or while reading, shows up here and in My study.

Other translations

WEBBE

when they were but a few men in number, yes, very few, and foreigners in it.

BSB

When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land,

KJV

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

ASV

When they were but a few men in number, Yea, very few, and sojourners in it.

BBE

When they were still small in number, and strange in the land;

Original Hebrew

Look up a word

Tap a word to see what it means and everywhere else it's used.

בִּהְיוֹתָם bih·yo·tom when were they H1961 מְתֵי me·tei men of H4962 מִסְפָּר mis·par number H4557 כִּמְעַט kim·'at like a little H4592 וְגָרִים ve·ga·rim and sojourners H1481 בָּהּ bah in it H9034

The early church

He next follows out the history well known in the truth of the holy Scriptures. "When they were in small numbers, very few, and they strangers in the land" [Psalm 105:12]; that is, in the land of Canaan....But some copies have the words "very few, and they strangers," in the accusative case, the translator having turned the Greek phrase too literally into Latin. If we were to render the whole clause in this way, we must say, "that they were very few, and they strangers;" but the phrase, "while they were," is the meaning of the Greek; and the verb, "to be," takes not an accusative, but a nominative after it.

Augustine of Hippo · d. 430Expositions on the Psalms

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 8–23

Let us remember the Redeemer's marvellous works, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth. Though true Christians are few number, strangers and pilgrims upon earth, yet a far better inheritance than Canaan is made sure to them by the covenant of God; and if we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, none can do us any harm. Afflictions are among our mercies. They prove our faith and love, they humble our pride, they wean us from the world, and quicken our prayers. Bread is the staff which supports life; when that staff is broken, the body fails and sinks to the earth. The word of God is the staff of spiritual life, the food and support of the soul: the sorest judgment is a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Such a famine was sore in all lands when Christ appeared in the flesh; whose coming, and the blessed effect of it, are shadowed forth in the history of Joseph. At the appointed time Christ was exalted as Mediator; all the treasures of grace and salvation are at his disposal, perishing sinners come to him, and are relieved by him.

Read Matthew Henry on Psalm 105 →

Spurgeon · Verse 12

When they were but a few men in number. bpom ytm. Literally, "homines numeri", men of number; so few as easily to be numbered: in opposition to what their posterity afterwards were, as the sand of the sea, without number. Samuel Chandler.

Read Spurgeon on Psalm 105 →

Parallel passages

The same words or events elsewhere.

1 Chronicles 16:19

Cross-references

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.