Mazmur 105:36-42

105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of their reproductive power. ¹ 

105:37 He brought his people ²  out enriched ³  with silver and gold;

none of his tribes stumbled.

105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,

for they were afraid of them. ⁴ 

105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, ⁵ 

and provided a fire to light up the night.

105:40 They asked for food, ⁶  and he sent quails;

he satisfied them with food from the sky. ⁷ 

105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;

a river ran through dry regions.

105:42 Yes, ⁸  he remembered the sacred promise ⁹ 

he made to Abraham his servant.

[105:36]  ¹ tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).

[105:36]  sn Verses 28-36 recall the plagues in a different order than the one presented in Exodus: v. 28 (plague 9), v. 29 (plague 1), v. 30 (plague 2), v. 31a (plague 4), v. 31b (plague 3), vv. 32-33 (plague 7), vv. 34-35 (plague 8), v. 36 (plague 10). No reference is made in Ps 105 to plagues 5 and 6.

[105:37]  ² tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Lord’s people) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[105:37]  ³ tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[105:38]  ⁴ tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”

[105:39]  ⁵ tn Or “curtain.”

[105:40]  ⁶ tn Heb “he [i.e., his people] asked.” The singular form should probably be emended to a plural שָׁאֲלוּ (sha’alu, “they asked”), the vav (ו) having fallen off by haplography (note the vav at the beginning of the following form).

[105:40]  ⁷ tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).

[105:42]  ⁸ tn Or “for.”

[105:42]  ⁹ tn Heb “his holy word.”