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Psalms 105:14

in Psalms 105

He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

He suffered no man to do them wrong; Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

KJV

He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;

This verse in Psalms 105

Commentary

10 notes on this verse

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Fourthly, Even those that touch the prophets, nay that kill the prophets (as many did), cannot do them any harm, any real harm. Lastly, God's anointed prophets are dearer to him than anointed kings themselves. Jeroboam's hand was withered when it was stretched out against a prophet.

This site's exposition

When they were few in number

on Psalms 105:12-15

They were few, unsettled, and moving from nation to nation, and kings were rebuked on their account. The title prophet comes from Genesis 20:7, where God calls Abraham a prophet in His own words. At Genesis 26:11 Abimelech warns that whoever harms Isaac will die.

This site's exposition

He rebuked kings on their behalf

Two kings are meant. Pharaoh is struck with plagues over Sarai at Genesis 12:17, and Abimelech of Gerar is warned in a dream at Genesis 20:3. Plagues fall on Egypt long before Moses.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Augustine of Hippo

Exposition on Psalm 105 · Written before 430.

proposed

"What time as they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people" [Psalm 105:13]. This is a repetition of what he had said, "from one nation to another." "He suffered no man to do them harm: but reproved even kings for their sakes" [Psalm 105:14]. "Touch not," He said, "Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm" [Psalm 105:15]. He declares the words of God chiding or reproving kings, that they might not harm the holy fathers, while they were small in number, very few, and they strangers in the land of Canaan. Although these words be not read in the books of that history, yet they are to be understood as either secretly spoken, as God speaks in the hearts of men by unseen and true visions, or even as announced through an Angel. For both the king of Gerar and the king of the Egyptians were warned from Heaven not to harm Abraham, and another king not to harm Isaac, [Genesis 26:8-11] and others not to harm Jacob; while they were very few, and strangers, before he went over into Egypt to sojourn with his sons: which is understood to be herein mentioned. But since it occurred to ask, before they passed over and multiplied in Egypt, how so few in number, and those strangers in a foreign land, could maintain themselves: he next adds, "He suffered no man to do them wrong," etc.

A commentator

Jerome

Homily 31, on Psalm 104 · Written before 420.

proposed

He did not permit man to harm them. Pharaoh, that he should harm Abraham in the person of Sarah, nor Abimelech Isaac in the person of Rebecca. And he rebuked kings for their sake. He says the same thing, Pharaoh and Abimelech.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

16 ), because he was always generous; and yet even in this world he was not wanting to them, but that he might appear, to do uncommon things for them, he exercised them with uncommon trials. [1.] They were few, very few. Abraham was called alone ( Isa. li.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number

He suffered no man to do them wrong,.... Though strangers and unsettled, and moving from place to place; and few in number, and weak and defenceless. Thus the herdsmen of Gerar were not suffered to do any harm to Isaac and his herdsmen; but, on the contrary, the king of the place, with some of his chief men, sought an alliance, and entered into one with Isaac. Thus Laban was not suffered to hurt Jacob, nor the Sichemites to hurt him and his sons; the terror of God falling on all the cities round about, Gen 26:

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

few . . . in number--alluding to Jacob's words (Ge 34:30), "I being few in number." yea, very few--literally, "as a few," that is, like fewness itself (compare Isa 1:9). strangers--sojourners in the land of their future inheritance, as in a strange country (Heb 11:9).

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Treasury of David, Vol. 5 (1878)

proposed

He suffered no man to do them wrong. Men cannot wrong us unless he suffers them to do so; the greatest of them must wait his permission before they can place a finger upon us. The wicked would devour us if they could, but they cannot even cheat us of a farthing without divine sufferance. Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes. Pharaoh and Abimelech must both be made to respect the singular strangers who had come to sojourn in their land; the greatest kings are very second rate persons with God in comparison with his chosen servants.
He suffered no man to do them wrong - He protected them as they wandered from place to place, and as they were exposed to dangers. See the history of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in their wanderings, as it is recorded in the book of Genesis. Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes - That he might protect them; that he might keep them from danger and from sin. See the case of Pharaoh in the time of Abraham, Gen 12:17-20, and the case of Abimelech, Gen 20:3, Gen 20:6.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

And they walked from nation to nation Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines, in Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, and so Isaac, and so Jacobthey all were exiled from one strange place to another strange place.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Psalms 105:13:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

7 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • לֹֽא־not

    lo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • הִנִּ֣יחַhe permitted

    hiniachH5117 →142 times

  • אָדָ֣םanyone

    ʾadamH120 →551 times

  • לְעָשְׁקָ֑םto oppress them

    leashekamH6231 →36 times

  • וַיּ֖וֹכַחand he rebuked

    vaiyokhachH3198 →59 times

  • עֲלֵיהֶ֣םon them

    ʾaleihemH5921 →5755 times

  • מְלָכִֽים׃kings

    melakhimH4428 →2525 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

5 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Genesis 35:5

    As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.

    it leads to

    • Exodus 23:27

      I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.

    • 2 Chronicles 17:10

      And the dread of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

    • Psalms 14:5

      There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous.

    • Joshua 5:1

      Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until…

    • Exodus 34:24

      For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your…

Where this verse is studied

About Psalms

Olive Trees. Vincent van Gogh, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, November 1889. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
Olive Trees. Vincent van Gogh, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, November 1889. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 105; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Homily 31, on Psalm 104; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.