Psalms 106:39 — Word Study
WLCוַיִּטְמְא֥וּ בְמַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם וַ֝יִּזְנוּ֗ בְּמַֽעַלְלֵיהֶֽם׃
BSAThey defiled themselvesṭâmêʼ▸ [became morally foul, contaminated] by their actionsmaʻăseh [deeds, works] and prostituted themselveszânâh▸ [committed spiritual adultery, went a whoring] by their deedsmaʻălâl [evil desires, inventions]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּטְמְא֥וּ | and they became unclean | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בְמַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם | by works their | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וַ֝יִּזְנוּ֗ | and they played [the] prostitute | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בְּמַֽעַלְלֵיהֶֽם׃ | by deeds their | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds. |
| KJV | Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. |
| ASV | Thus were they defiled with their works, And played the harlot in their doings. |
| YLT | And they are defiled with their works, And commit whoredom in their habitual doings. |
| WEB | Thus they were defiled with their works, and prostituted themselves in their deeds. |
| BBE | So they became unclean through their works, going after their evil desires. |
Where they part company is in the translation of key verbs — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of two main clauses connected by 'and', each with a prepositional phrase describing how the actions were carried out.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbטָמֵא
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 106:39
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 — The Rebellion of Israelgenerated
Psalm 106:39 reflects on the unfaithfulness of Israel, detailing how they defiled themselves through their actions and turned away from God. This verse is part of a larger narrative that recounts Israel's history of rebellion, where they repeatedly fell into sin and idolatry, leading to God's anger against them, as seen in the preceding and following verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaiah 24:5–6 | The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant. |
| 2 | Isaiah 59:3 | For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters injustice. |
| 3 | Ezekiel 20:18–30 | In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. |
| 4 | Exodus 34:16 | And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same. |
| 5 | Leviticus 17:7 | They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.’ |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 12 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — טָמֵא, vai.yit.me.'Ugenerated
The verb טָמֵא (tame') means to become unclean or defiled, often in a moral or ceremonial context. It indicates a state of being contaminated, which can refer to physical, spiritual, or ritual impurity. This word is commonly used in the Torah to describe the consequences of sin and the need for purification.
The parsing indicates that it is a sequential imperfect verb in the third person masculine plural, which shows that the action is ongoing and reflects a collective behavior of the people. The use of this verb emphasizes the seriousness of their actions in defiling themselves.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main action is governed by two finite verbs: וַיִּטְמְא֥וּ (and they became unclean) and וַ֝יִּזְנוּ֗ (and they played the prostitute). The structure presents a clear sequence of their actions, emphasizing both the moral and spiritual implications.
The Hebrew word order places the verbs at the forefront, highlighting the actions taken by the people. The prepositional phrases that follow specify the means by which they became unclean and unfaithful.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, טָמֵא is rendered as ἐμιάνθη, which carries a similar meaning of becoming defiled or polluted. This choice reflects the translators' understanding of the moral implications of the actions described.
The translation of זָנָה as ἐπόρνευσαν emphasizes the spiritual unfaithfulness of the people, aligning with the Hebrew understanding of idolatry as a form of adultery against God.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 106:39 describes how the people of Israel defiled themselves through their actions and committed spiritual unfaithfulness. This verse highlights the consequences of their behavior, which led to God's anger against them.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
To defile oneself means to become morally or ceremonially unclean, often through sinful actions that separate one from God.
This verse illustrates the recurring theme of Israel's disobedience and unfaithfulness throughout their history, emphasizing the consequences of turning away from God.
The term 'prostituted' indicates a betrayal of faith, likening Israel's idolatry to spiritual adultery, which is a serious offense in the biblical context.
We can reflect on our own actions and ensure that we remain faithful to our commitments, avoiding behaviors that lead to moral and spiritual defilement.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What actions in my life might lead to spiritual defilement, and how can I avoid them?
- In what ways can I remain faithful to my commitments to God?
- How does understanding the seriousness of idolatry help me in my daily life?
- What steps can I take to purify my actions and align them with God's will?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 106:39 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThus were they defiled with their own works,.... Not the land only, but they themselves also; or "with their works" (a), with the works of the Heathen they learned, Psalms 106:35, or rather with
Read John Gill on Psalms 106 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThey did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them: -From the fathers in the wilderness the Psalmist turns to the sons in Canaan.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 106 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleCommitted spiritual whoredom, by worshipping those idols which were but human inventions, and that in such an unnatural and bloody manner, as they had devised.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 106 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 106:39 Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.Ver. 39. Thus were they defiled] Great sins do greatly pollute; neither are men by anything more disadvantaged than by doting upon their own devices. And went a whoring] They followed it earnestly, and with delight.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 106 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(34-39) The national sin after the settlement in Canaan.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 106 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 39. And went a whoring.] By fornication, whoredom, and idolatry, the Scripture often expresses idolatry and idolatrous acts. I have given the reason of this in other places. Besides being false to the true God, to whom they are represented as betrothed and married, (and their acts of idolatry were breaches of this solemn engagement,) the worship of idols was frequently accompanied with various acts of impurity. The translation in the Anglo-Saxon is very remarkable: [A.S.] and they fornicated. In Anglo-Saxon, [A.S.] signifies to fire, to ignite; [A.S.] to commit adultery. So [A.S.] is a prostitute, a whore; and [A.S.] is to go a whoring, to fornicate; probably from [A.S.], or [A.S.] to…
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 106 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges39. So they were defiled in their works, And went a whoring in their doings. As the relation of Israel to Jehovah is expressed by the figure of marriage (Hosea 2:2 ff., and often), the abandonment of Jehovah for other gods is described as infidelity to the marriage vow. Cp. Exodus 34:15-16; Deuteronomy 31:16 : &c.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 106 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThus were they defiled with their own works - By their very attempts to deliver themselves from sin.
Read Albert Barnes 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
They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.
Thus they were defiled with their works, and prostituted themselves in their deeds.
They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.
They were defiled by their deeds, and unfaithful in their actions.
Tyndale line
Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.
Thus were they defiled with their works, And played the harlot in their doings.
Thus were they defiled with their works, and went a whoring in their doings.
Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went astray with their own inventions.
Thus were they steined with their owne woorkes, and went a whoring with their owne inuentions.
Strictly literal
And they were defiled with their works, and went a-whoring in their doings.
And they are defiled with their works, And commit whoredom in their habitual doings.
And they are defiled with their works, || And commit whoredom in their habitual doings.
Thus were they made unclean through their own doings, and went astray with their own deeds.
They were defiled by their deeds; in their actions they were like prostitutes.
From the Latin
Then they were brought to be few: and they were afflicted through the trouble of evils and sorrow.
Simplified
They also defiled themselves by what they did: their actions were spiritual adultery.
So they became unclean through their works, going after their evil desires.
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 states, "וַיִּטְמְא֥וּ בְמַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם וַ֝יִּזְנוּ֗ בְּמַֽעַלְלֵיהֶֽם׃" which translates to, "They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds." The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in meaning, as all four words correspond in the original Greek, although the word order and articles differ due to the nature of the Greek language. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Dead Sea Scrolls do not provide differing readings for this verse, thus aligning with the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint in their representation of this passage.
וַיִּטְמְא֥וּ בְמַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם וַ֝יִּזְנוּ֗ בְּמַֽעַלְלֵיהֶֽם׃
4 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 106:39
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.
טָמֵא (tame') is a Hebrew root meaning to be or become unclean, covering various contexts such as sexual, religious, and ceremonial impurity. The noun form, טָמְאָה (tam'ah), refers to uncleanness itself. The entries indicate that the word can be used reflexively to mean defiling oneself.
טָמֵא vb. be or become unclean
Qal be or become unclean
Niph. defile oneself, be defiled
Pi. defile
Pu. myself is not polluted
Hithp.—reflexive, defile oneself
Hothp. after that she has been defiled
base
טָמְאָה n.f. uncleanness Mi 2:10
ref
H2930a טָמֵא be or become unclean .be or become unclean
. defile oneself, be defiled
. defile
. myself is not pulluted
.—reflexive, defile oneself
. after that she has been defiled
H2930b טָמְאָה uncleanness
2930 tame' taw-may'
a primitive root; to be foul, especially in a ceremial or
moral sense (contaminated):--defile (self), pollute (self), be
(make, make self, pronounce) unclean, X utterly.
טָמֵא (ta.me) — to defile.
1) to be unclean, become unclean, become impure
1a) (Qal) to be or become unclean
1a1) sexually
1a2) religiously
1a3) ceremonially
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to defile oneself, be defiled
1b1a) sexually
1b1b) by idolatry
1b1c) ceremonially
1b2) to be regarded as unclean
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to defile
1c1a) sexually
1c1b) religiously
1c1c) ceremonially
1c2) to pronounce unclean, declare unclean (ceremonially)
1c3) to profane (God's name)
1d) (Pual) to be defiled
1e) (Hithpael) to be unclean
1f) (Hothpael) to be defiled
טָמְאָה (tam.ah) — uncleanness.
uncleanness
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vqw3mp
See CLEAN.
→ (Ceremonially speaking)
Creatures designated as such Le 11; De 14
→ See UNCLEANNESS
מַעֲשֶׂה (ma`aseh) means deed or work, encompassing a range of actions from good to bad, and includes concepts like business, labor, and products made. It can refer to specific achievements, works of God, or even customs. The entries suggest a broad application in various contexts, but do not indicate any significant disagreement among lexicons.
מַעֲשֶׂה 233 n.m. deed, work
base
H4639 מַעֲשֶׂה deed, work
4639 ma`aseh mah-as-eh'
from 6213; an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction;
abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically,
a poem) or (generally) property:--act, art, + bakemeat,
business, deed, do(-ing), labor, thing made, ware of making,
occupation, thing offered, operation, possession, X well,
((handy-, needle-, net-))work(ing, - manship), wrought.
see HEBREW for 06213
מַעֲשֶׂה (ma.a.seh) — deed: work.
: work/product
1) deed, work
1a) deed, thing done, act
1b) work, labour
1c) business, pursuit
1d) undertaking, enterprise
1e) achievement
1f) deeds, works (of deliverance and judgment)
1g) work, thing made
1h) work (of God)
1i) product
מַעֲשֶׂה (ma.a.seh) — deed: justice.
: justice/right/righteousness
1) deed, work
1a) deed, thing done, act
1b) work, labour
1c) business, pursuit
1d) undertaking, enterprise
1e) achievement
1f) deeds, works (of deliverance and judgment)
1g) work, thing made
1h) work (of God)
1i) product
מַעֲשֶׂה (ma.a.seh) — deed: judgement.
: judgement/punishment
1) deed, work
1a) deed, thing done, act
1b) work, labour
1c) business, pursuit
1d) undertaking, enterprise
1e) achievement
1f) deeds, works (of deliverance and judgment)
1g) work, thing made
1h) work (of God)
1i) product
מַעֲשֶׂה (ma.a.seh) — deed: custom.
: custom/manner
Prep | N-mp | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp
זָנָה (zanah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to commit fornication or to be a harlot. It encompasses a range of actions, including adultery and idolatry, with a focus on unfaithfulness, particularly in a figurative sense regarding one's relationship with God. The entries indicate that it can also refer to cult prostitution and moral defection, with various grammatical forms expressing different nuances of the term.
זָנָה vb. commit fornication, be a harlot
Qal
be or act as a harlot
fig. of improper intercourse with foreign nations
of intercourse with other deities
of moral defection
Pu. fornication was not done (in going) after thee
Hiph.
cause to commit fornication
commit fornication
base
H2181 זָנָה commit fornication, be a harlot
2181 zanah zaw-naw'
a primitive root (highly-fed and therefore wanton); to commit
adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple
fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment); figuratively,
to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the
spouse of Jehovah):--(cause to) commit fornication, X
continually, X great, (be an, play the) harlot, (cause to be,
play the) whore, (commit, fall to) whoredom, (cause to) go
a-whoring, whorish.
זָנָה (za.nah) — to fornicate.
1) to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be a harlot, act as a harlot, commit fornication
1a2) to commit adultery
1a3) to be a cult prostitute
1a4) to be unfaithful (to God) (fig.)
1b) (Pual) to play the harlot
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to commit adultery
1c2) to force into prostitution
1c3) to commit fornication
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vqw3mp
מַעֲלָל (ma`alal) refers to a deed or practice, often with a negative connotation. It encompasses actions or works, whether good or bad, and is derived from a root meaning to act. The entries consistently highlight its focus on deeds and practices.
[מַעֲלָל] 41 n.m. deed, practice
base
H4611 מַעֲלָל deed, practice
4611 ma`alal mah-al-awl'
from 5953; an act (good or bad):--doing, endeavour,
invention, work.
see HEBREW for 05953
מַעֲלָל (ma.a.lal) — deed.
1) deed, practice
1a) practice (usually bad)
1b) deeds
1c) acts
Prep | N-mp | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp