Psalms 105:28 Commentary: Who Rebelled Not? The Darkness and Obedience

The ninth plague, darkness so thick it could be felt, struck at the heart of Egyptian religion. The sun god Ra was the supreme deity of the Egyptian pantheon, and Pharaoh styled himself as Ra’s son. By turning day into night for three days, Yahweh showed who really ruled the heavens. The plague also recalled an earlier judgment: the “darkness over the land of Egypt” in Exodus 10, which the children of Israel escaped because “they had light in their dwellings” (Exodus 10:23).

Psalm 105 is a hymn that retells Israel’s history from the patriarchs through the Exodus and into the land. It is not concerned with strict chronology. The darkness, the ninth plague in Exodus, appears here before the plague on the waters (v.29), frogs (v.30), and others. Calvin and the Cambridge Bible note this rearrangement. Cambridge suggests it may be a marginal gloss later inserted in the wrong place, while others like Jamieson-Fausset-Brown propose that the darkness functions as a symbol of God’s judgment overshadowing all the plagues, therefore placed first.

Within the psalm’s structure, verse 28 opens a section describing the ten plagues (vv.28, 36). Each plague is introduced by “He sent” or “He spoke” and is met by either human resistance or creation’s obedience. The ambiguity of the second half of verse 28, “they didn’t rebel against his words”, echoes this tension. Did the Egyptians finally yield? Did Moses and Aaron stand firm? Or does the darkness itself personify obedience? The answer shapes how we read the rest of the plague narrative: as a story of human stubbornness or faithful mediatorship.

Both the psalm’s original audience, returning from exile, and later readers would have seen God’s power in a fresh light: the same God who sent darkness could also bring light, and he was worthy of trust even in judgment.

The consulted sources note one significant textual variant. The Masoretic Text reads with the negative: “and they rebelled not” (וְלֹא מָרוּ). The Septuagint and Syriac, however, omit the negative, rendering the clause as “and they rebelled against his word.” Adam Clarke mentions a proposal that a shin has been lost, changing the verb to “they did not observe.” The Qere (marginal reading) prefers the plural “his words” (דְּבָרָיו), while the Kethiv (written text) uses the singular “his word” (דְּבָרוֹ). The Cambridge Bible notes that the LXX, Aquila, and Jerome support the plural. These variants influence how interpreters understand the referent, whether a positive statement (obedience) or negative (rebellion) was intended.

No other significant variants are noted by the supplied commentators for this verse.

Ancient readers of this verse grappled with its ambiguity from the start. The Septuagint translated without the negative, making the Egyptians rebel, a reading that influenced many Greek-speaking Christians. Some early Christian writers saw the darkness as a type of the darkness that covered the land at Christ’s crucifixion (Luke 23:44), with the non-rebellion pointing to Christ’s own obedience. Medieval Jewish commentators like Rashi and Ibn Ezra, building on earlier rabbinic traditions, typically identified the subject as Moses and Aaron, emphasizing their faithful role as God's messengers. The Protestant Reformers, Calvin, Luther (in his lectures), and the Geneva Bible, followed this line, using Moses’ courage as a model for ministers. Later, the textual debate became more prominent among critical scholars, who weighed the evidence for the negative. In modern hymns and devotional literature, the verse is often cited to illustrate creation’s obedience under God’s command, drawing a contrast with human resistance. Across all eras, the verse has been read as a call to trust God’s word, whether through obedient servants, subdued enemies, or silent elements.

Three-point outline

1. God sends what he commands. Darkness is not a rogue force; it is a messenger (v.28a). The Hebrew verb shalach (sent) carries agency, God dispatches his servants, whether natural elements or human beings.
2. Obedience comes in two forms. The second clause leaves the subject open. Preachers may choose to read it as (a) the obedience of Moses and Aaron under threat, (b) the temporary submission of the Egyptians, or (c) the personified obedience of darkness. Each angle reinforces the same truth: God’s word ultimately prevails.
3. Non-rebellion is remarkable. In a psalm that highlights Israel’s later failures (see Psalm 106), this moment of faithful response, by whomever, stands out. It invites the congregation to consider where they resist God’s word and where they yield.

Five-point outline

1. God’s sovereignty over creation (darkness obeys)
2. God’s sovereignty over history (the plague narrative is summarized)
3. God’s choice of human agents (Moses and Aaron)
4. God’s ability to soften hard hearts (Egyptians yield temporarily)
5. God’s expectation of obedience from his people

Illustration hooks

• A sudden power outage: in a city blackout, people become aware of how dependent they are on light and electricity. The Egyptian darkness exposed deeper spiritual blindness.
• A difficult errand: when someone is asked to deliver bad news and does it anyway, despite the other person’s anger, they mirror Moses and Aaron’s obedience before Pharaoh.
• A storm that halts traffic: nature interrupts human plans. In the plague of darkness, nature stopped normal life, and for a moment, even rebellion paused.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Why does God sometimes use frightening means to get people’s attention?
• How do we know when we are being “obedient to God’s word” versus just going along?
• If the Egyptians “did not rebel” after the darkness, why did they rebel again later? What does that say about human repentance?

This small-group guide focuses on the identity of “they” and what it means to obey God’s words. Encourage the group to keep the interpretive options open, the ancient text does not settle the question, and that ambiguity is part of its power.

Discussion questions

1. Read Psalm 105:28 and Exodus 10:21, 23. Why do you think the psalmist mentions the darkness before the other plagues?
2. The Hebrew word marah (“rebel”) is the same root used for Israel’s rebellion at Meribah (Psalm 95:8). What does that connection suggest about the kind of obedience being described?
3. List the different possibilities for the pronoun “they”: Moses and Aaron, the Egyptians, or the darkness itself. What evidence from the passage supports each view?
4. If “they” refers to Moses and Aaron, what does that tell us about the cost of obeying God’s commands? How does the threat of Pharaoh compare to pressures you face?
5. If “they” refers to the Egyptians, is their non-rebellion genuine obedience or just temporary fear? How can we tell the difference in our own lives?
6. If “they” refers to the darkness (personified), how does that emphasize God’s authority over creation? What other parts of nature obey God in this psalm?
7. The Septuagint (ancient Greek translation) reads “they rebelled against his words.” Which reading makes more sense in the context of the Exodus story? Why do you think scribes might have changed the text?
8. What does it mean for you personally to “not rebel” against God’s words today? Is it harder to obey when you feel threatened, when you feel powerless, or when you feel comfortable?