Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.

PSALMS 106:29KJV
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Psalms 106:29 (KJV)

What does Psalms 106:29 mean?

Psalms 106:29 says that the people made God angry by their actions, and as a result, a plague broke out among them. The verse highlights a direct connection between the people's behavior and a severe consequence that followed.

In this psalm, the writer is recalling Israel’s history, specifically moments when the people turned away from God and suffered for it. The "inventions" refer to the wrong or idolatrous things the people did, and the "plague" describes a disaster that came as a result. The verse is part of a larger confession, where the psalmist is speaking to God about the nation’s repeated failures.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 106:29

  • anger (חָרָה, charah): This word often means to burn with anger or become very upset. In this verse, it shows the intensity of God’s response to the people’s actions.
  • inventions (מַעֲלָל, ma'alal): This word refers to deeds, especially those that are crafty or wicked. Here, it points to the specific sinful behaviors or practices that provoked God.
  • plague (מַגֵּפָה, maggephah): This word means a sudden blow, plague, or disaster. It emphasizes that what happened was not just a natural event, but a direct and severe consequence.
  • in (פָּרַץ, parats): This verb means to break out or burst forth. It gives the sense that the plague came suddenly and forcefully upon the people.

Why Psalms 106:29 matters

  • Psalms 106:29 clarifies that the consequences described were not random but were directly tied to the people's choices and actions.
  • The verse highlights a pattern throughout the psalm: Israel’s repeated disobedience leads to serious consequences, reinforcing the seriousness of turning away from God.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by showing how the psalmist is recounting Israel’s failures as a way of confessing and seeking God’s mercy, not just listing past events.

Where else these words appear

“plague” Hebrew H4046 · used in 25 verses

  • Exodus 9:14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.
  • Numbers 26:1 And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,
  • 1 Chronicles 21:17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.

“inventions” Hebrew H4611 · used in 41 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
  • Jeremiah 4:18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
  • Jeremiah 32:19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

“in” Hebrew H6555 · used in 48 verses

  • Genesis 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
  • 2 Kings 14:13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
  • Nehemiah 4:7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

“anger” Hebrew H3707 · used in 53 verses

  • Deuteronomy 4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
  • 1 Kings 22:53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
  • Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.