Psalm 105:34

Modern

He spoke, and the locusts came—young locusts without number.

Traditional

He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,

Literal

He spoke, and the locust came, and the young locust without number,

Latin

Dixit, et venit locusta, et bruchus cujus non erat numerus:

Hebrew

English

He spoke, and the locusts came—young locusts without number.

The psalmist tells the story of Moses and the plagues in Egypt (see Exodus 7:20–12:30).

This hymn praises the Lord’s faithfulness to Abraham and his descendants in all their journeys:
- from Ur to Canaan (Psalm 105:12),
- to Egypt (Psalm 105:17, 23),
- through the wilderness (Psalm 105:37, 41), and
- back to Canaan (Psalm 105:44).
These events fulfilled the Lord's promise to Abraham (Psalm 105:9, 42), which was the basis for Israel’s very existence. Joseph, whose suffering turned into glory, serves as a model of encouragement for Israel (Psalm 105:16–25).
Psalm 105:1–15 (along with 96; 106:1, 47–48) is included in David’s song of praise recorded in 1 Chronicles 16.

Theme notes and profiles

Exodus 10:12–15
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may swarm over it and devour every plant in the land—everything that the hail has left behind.”
Psalm 78:46
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.
Joel 2:25
I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts—the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust—My great army that I sent against you.
Joel 1:4–7
What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.
Revelation 9:3–10
And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth.