And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:

PSALMS 105:43KJV
Know the Bible

Psalms 105:43 (KJV)

What does Psalms 105:43 mean?

Psalms 105:43 describes God leading the Israelites out of Egypt and presents their departure as a joyful event. The singer calls them God’s people and his chosen, placing their happiness within the story of God’s care for them.

The words “brought forth” picture a people leaving the place where they had been held. After the darkness and other troubles in Egypt described earlier in the psalm, the verse turns to the sound of joy among those who departed.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 105:43

  • “chosen” — בָּחִיר (bachir): This word means someone chosen or selected. Here it refers to the people as a group, rather than to one individual.
  • “gladness” — רִנָּה (rinnah): This word can mean a joyful cry or ringing shout. The word adds the sound of celebration to the picture of departure.

Why Psalms 105:43 matters

  • The verse places God at the center of the departure. “He brought forth” presents the Israelites’ leaving as something God did for them, not simply as a journey they undertook.
  • The word “chosen” connects the people leaving Egypt with God’s earlier choice of Abraham and his descendants. Earlier in the psalm, verse 6 calls them “the children of Jacob his chosen.”
  • The joy belongs within a longer story about the land. Verse 44 continues by describing God giving the people the lands of other nations, so the departure is a movement toward a destination.

Where else these words appear

“chosen” Hebrew H972 · used in 13 verses

  • 2 Samuel 21:6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
  • Psalms 106:5 That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.
  • Isaiah 45:4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

“joy” Hebrew H8342 · used in 22 verses

  • Esther 8:16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
  • Isaiah 22:13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
  • Jeremiah 16:9 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

“gladness” Hebrew H7440 · used in 33 verses

  • 1 Kings 8:28 Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
  • Psalms 106:44 Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
  • Isaiah 43:14 Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.