Psalms 106:12 — Word Study
WLCוַיַּאֲמִ֥ינוּ בִדְבָרָ֑יו יָ֝שִׁ֗ירוּ תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ׃
BSAThen they believedʼâman▸ [had faith in, trusted] His promisesdâbâr [words, assurances] [and] sangshîyr▸ [praised with music, gave thanks] His praisetᵉhillâh [a song of worship]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיַּאֲמִ֥ינוּ | and they believed | Verb, Hiphil, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בִדְבָרָ֑יו | words his | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| יָ֝שִׁ֗ירוּ | they sang | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine plural |
| תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ׃ | praise his | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Then they believed His promises and sang His praise. |
| KJV | Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. |
| ASV | Then believed they his words; They sang his praise. |
| YLT | And they believe in His words, they sing His praise, |
| WEB | Then they believed his words. They sang his praise. |
| BBE | Then they had faith in his words; they gave him songs of praise. |
Where they part company is in the nuances of the verbs used for belief and singing.
The verse consists of a main action followed by a complementary action, showing a clear relationship between belief and praise.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, AdamClarke & more — read them ›
clause
verbאָמַן
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 106:12
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Israel's Response to God's Deliverancegenerated
Psalms 106:12 reflects on a moment when the Israelites, after witnessing God's mighty acts, placed their faith in His promises and responded with praise. This passage highlights the cycle of belief and worship in the life of Israel, showing how they initially trusted God after deliverance but later forgot His works, as noted in the verses that follow.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exodus 14:31 | When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses. |
| 2 | Exodus 15:1–21 | Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea. |
| 3 | Luke 8:13 | The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away. |
| 4 | John 8:30–31 | As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in Him. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אָמַן, vai.ya.'a.Mi.nugenerated
The verb אָמַן (aman) is a Hiphil form, indicating a causative action, meaning 'to believe' or 'to have faith in.' It conveys the idea of being faithful or trustworthy, often in a relational context, such as trusting in God's assurances. This reflects a deep commitment and reliance on God's words, which is foundational in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The use of this verb in Psalms 106:12 emphasizes the Israelites' response to God's promises. Their belief is an active trust that leads to a response of singing, illustrating the connection between faith and worship.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses believed and sang to convey the actions of the Israelites.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb יַּאֲמִ֥ינוּ governs the sentence, indicating the action of believing, while the phrase יָ֝שִׁ֗ירוּ follows as a parallel action of singing. The structure highlights a cause-and-effect relationship: their belief leads to their praise.
The sentence flows smoothly, with the actions of believing and singing closely linked, demonstrating how faith naturally results in worship.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, אָמַן is rendered as ἐπίστευσαν (episteusan), which also means 'they believed.' This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning, emphasizing trust and faith.
The translation choice reflects the continuity of the concept of belief in both the Hebrew and Greek traditions, maintaining the integrity of the original message.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalms 106:12 recounts how the Israelites believed in God's promises and responded with songs of praise. This reflects their gratitude and trust in God after witnessing His mighty acts of deliverance.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
To believe in God's promises means to have faith and trust in what He has said, relying on His faithfulness to fulfill His word.
Singing in worship is a way to express gratitude, joy, and reverence towards God, reflecting the heart's response to His goodness.
We can apply this verse by trusting in God's promises in our lives and responding with praise and worship, acknowledging His faithfulness.
Forgetting God's works can happen when we face challenges or distractions, leading us to doubt His faithfulness and the truth of His promises.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I seen God's promises fulfilled in my life?
- How can I cultivate a habit of praising God for His faithfulness?
- What are some challenges that make it hard to remember God's works?
- How does my faith influence my response to difficult situations?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early church fathers often referenced this verse to illustrate the importance of faith and worship in response to God's promises.
"Then believed they in His words" [Psalms 106:12]. The expression seems barely Latin,Early Church Fathers on Psalms 106 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 106:12 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThen believed they his words,.... And not till then; for this is observed, not to their commendation, but to show the slowness of their hearts to believe; they believed on sight, but not before, as
Read John Gill on Psalms 106 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThen believed they his words; they sang his praise. Then believed they his words - (Exodus 14:31.) They sang his praise - (Exodus 15:1.) This verse is not designed to praise Israel, but God, who
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 106 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 106:12 Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.Ver. 12. Then believed they his words] Then for a flash, while the memory of the mercy was fresh and warm; but ere they were three days older they murmured again; it proved not so much as a nine days’ wonderment; they were soon at oldward. They sang his praise] Exodus 15:1-21 A temporary faith and joy.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 106 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 12. Then believed they] Just while the miracle was before their eyes.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 106 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges12. See Exodus 14:31; Exodus 15:1. The allusion to their momentary faith and gratitude emphasises the relapse which Psalms 106:13 goes on to describe.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 106 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThen believed they his words - In immediate view of his interpositions in their behalf in conducting them through the Red Sea, and in the destruction of their enemies.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 106 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible12. Then believed they his words—So Exodus 14:31. This was the immediate moral design of the miracle. All miracles are for the ultimate purpose of sustaining faith.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 106 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Then they believed His promises and sang His praise.
Then they believed his words. They sang his praise.
Then they believed His promises and sang His praise.
They believed his promises; they sang praises to him.
Tyndale line
Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.
Then believed they his words; They sang his praise.
Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.
Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.
Then beleeued they his wordes, and sang prayse vnto him.
Strictly literal
Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.
And they believe in His words, they sing His praise,
And they believe in His words, they sing His praise,
Then believed they in his words, they sang his praise.
Then they believed his words, and they sang his praise.
From the Latin
And their heart was humbled with labours: they were weakened, and their was none to help them.
Simplified
Then his people trusted in what he promised, and sang his praises.
Then they had faith in his words; they gave him songs of praise.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in their wording, with three of the four Hebrew words matched in the Greek translation. This indicates a strong consistency in the transmission of this verse across different textual traditions.
וַיַּאֲמִ֥ינוּ בִדְבָרָ֑יו יָ֝שִׁ֗ירוּ תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ׃
3 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 106:12
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אָמַן (aman) is a Hebrew root meaning to support or confirm, with applications ranging from nurturing (as a foster parent or nurse) to establishing trust and reliability. It encompasses concepts of faithfulness, permanence, and assurance. The entries highlight its use in various forms, including verbs and nouns, but do not indicate any significant disagreement among lexicons.
[אָמַן] vb. confirm, support
Qal
as vb. support, nourish
as subst. foster-father
foster-mother, nurse
pillars, supporters of the door
Niph.
carried by nurse
made firm, sure, lasting
confirmed, established, sure
verified, confirmed
reliable, faithful, trusty
Hiph.
stand firm
trust, believe
base
H539 אָמַן confirm, support .. as vb. support, nourish
. as subst. foster-father
. foster-mother, nurse
. pillars, supporters of the door
. . carried by nurse
. made firm, sure, lasting
. confirmed, established, sure
. verified, confirmed
. reliable, faithful, trusty
. . stand firm
. trust, believe
539 'aman aw-man'
a primitive root; properly, to build up or support; to foster
as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or
faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet;
morally to be true or certain; once (Isa. 30:21;
interchangeable with 541) to go to the right hand:--hence,
assurance, believe, bring up, establish, + fail, be faithful
(of long continuance, stedfast, sure, surely, trusty,
verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the
right.
see HEBREW for 0541
אָמַן (a.man) — be faithful.
1) to support, confirm, be faithful
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to support, confirm, be faithful, uphold, nourish
1a1a) foster-father (subst.)
1a1b) foster-mother, nurse
1a1c) pillars, supporters of the door
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be established, be faithful, be carried, make firm
1b1a) to be carried by a nurse
1b1b) made firm, sure, lasting
1b1c) confirmed, established, sure
1b1d) verified, confirmed
1b1e) reliable, faithful, trusty
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in
1c1a) stand firm
1c1b) trust, believe
Aramaic equivalent: a.man (אֲמַן "to trust" H0540)
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vhw3mp
דָּבָר (dabar) means 'word' or 'speech' and encompasses a range of meanings including discourse, saying, and matter. It can refer to anything spoken or a topic of discussion, extending to concepts like business or affairs. The entries consistently highlight its use in various contexts, but do not indicate any significant disagreement among lexicographers.
דָּבָר 1439 n.m. speech, word
sg. speech, discourse, saying, word, as the sum of that which is spoken
sg. saying, utterance, sentence, as a section of a discourse
sg. a word, words
sg. matter, affair, thing about which one speaks
base
H1697 דָּבָר speech, word . sg. speech, discourse, saying, word, as the sum of that which is spoken
. sg. saying, utterance, sentence, as a section of a discourse
. sg. a word, words
. sg. matter, affair, thing about which one speaks
1697 dabar daw-baw'
from 1696; a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or
thing; adverbially, a cause:--act, advice, affair, answer, X
any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case,
cause, certain rate, + chronicles, commandment, X
commune(-ication), + concern(-ing), + confer, counsel, +
dearth, decree, deed, X disease, due, duty, effect, +
eloquent, errand, (evil favoured-)ness, + glory, + harm, hurt,
+ iniquity, + judgment, language, + lying, manner, matter,
message, (no) thing, oracle, X ought, X parts, + pertaining, +
please, portion, + power, promise, provision, purpose,
question, rate, reason, report, request, X (as hast) said,
sake, saying, sentence, + sign, + so, some (uncleanness),
somewhat to say, + song, speech, X spoken, talk, task, + that,
X there done, thing (concerning), thought, + thus, tidings,
what(-soever), + wherewith, which, word, work.
see HEBREW for 01696
דָּבָר (da.var) — word.
: word/speech/command
1) speech, word, speaking, thing
1a) speech
1b) saying, utterance
1c) word, words
1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)
דָּבָר (da.var) — word: speaking.
: speaking
1) speech, word, speaking, thing
1a) speech
1b) saying, utterance
1c) word, words
1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)
דָּבָר (da.var) — word: thing.
: thing/matter
1) speech, word, speaking, thing
1a) speech
1b) saying, utterance
1c) word, words
1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)
דָּבָר (da.var) — word: promised.
: promised/duty
1) speech, word, speaking, thing
1a) speech
1b) saying, utterance
1c) word, words
1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)
דָּבָר (da.var) — word: deed.
: deed
Prep | N-mp | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms
שִׁיר (shiyr) means 'to sing' and is a denominative verb derived from a primitive root. It covers various forms of singing, including participles for singers and songstresses. The entries indicate its use in different verbal stems, such as Qal and Polel, and note its appearance in contexts like 1 Samuel 18:6.
[שִׁיר] 86 vb. sing (denom.)
Qal 49 sing
Pō‛l. 36 sing
Hoph. be sung
base
H7891 שִׁיר sing (denom.)
7891 shiyr sheer
or (the original form) shuwr (1 Sam. 18:6) {shoor}; a
primitive root (identical with 7788 through the idea of
strolling minstrelsy); to sing:--behold (by mistake for
7789), sing(-er, -ing man, - ing woman).
see HEBREW for 07788
see HEBREW for 07789
שִׁיר (shir) — to sing.
1) to sing
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to sing
1a2) singer, songstresses (participle)
1b) (Polel)
1b1) to sing
1b2) singer, songstress (participle)
1c) (Hophal) to be sung
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVqi3mp
The Hebrew word תְּהִלָּה (*tehillah*) means praise, specifically in the form of a song or hymn. It encompasses acts of adoration and thanksgiving directed towards God, as well as general public praise and the qualities of God that warrant such praise. The word is derived from a root meaning to laud.
תְּהִלָּה n.f. praise, song of praise
praise, adoration, thanksgiving, paid to י׳
the act of general, public, praise
praise-song, as title
qualities, deeds, etc., of י׳, demanding praise
renown, fame, glory
base
H8416 תְּהִלָּה praise, song of praise . praise, adoration, thanksgiving, paid to י׳
. the act of general, public, praise
. praise-song, as title
. qualities, deeds, etc., of י׳, demanding praise
. renown, fame, glory
8416 thillah teh-hil-law'
from 1984; laudation; specifically (concretely) a
hymn:--praise.
see HEBREW for 01984
תְּהִלָּה (te.hil.lah) — praise.
1) praise, song or hymn of praise
1a) praise, adoration, thanksgiving (paid to God)
1b) act of general or public praise
1c) praise-song (as title)
1d) praise (demanded by qualities or deeds or attributes of God)
1e) renown, fame, glory
1e1) of Damascus, God
1e2) object of praise, possessor of renown (fig)
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp3ms