Psalms 105:38 Meaning: When Egypt Wanted Them Gone

Three Hebrew words carry the scene. The verb samach (rejoiced) normally describes religious celebration or deep joy, but here it is laced with terror. The Egyptians felt relief mixed with dread, they were glad to be safe, not glad about God. Then nafal (fallen) pictures something heavy dropping without warning. Fear did not creep in; it crashed down on them. And pachad (dread) is more than ordinary fear. It is the kind that makes knees knock, the terror that overwhelms a person when they realize they are up against something far greater than themselves. Together they show that God had torn down Egypt’s pride and left them afraid of His people. That is what happens when the Lord fights for you. Your enemies do not just let you go. They are glad to see you go.

Christians across traditions see this verse as a moment of God’s overwhelming power. Many Protestant commentators, like Matthew Henry and Albert Barnes, note that the plagues broke Egypt’s will and forced them to release Israel. They emphasize that the fear was not simply human but the dread of divine judgment. In Catholic and Orthodox readings, this verse often appears in hymns of deliverance, celebrating how God humbles the proud and rescues the weak. Some preachers see a parallel in the believer’s own liberation from sin: the world may be glad to see you leave its ways because your life no longer fits its patterns. The common thread is that God’s victory turns hostile hearts into reluctant allies.

Some read “the fear of them” and think Israel had become a military threat on their own. That misses the point. Israel was still a crowd of former slaves without weapons or strategy. In fact, the fear came from what they had seen God do: the plagues, the darkness, the death of the firstborn. Egypt feared the God who stood behind His people. Their gladness was not respect for Israel but terror of Israel’s God.

You may be in a situation where someone has power over you, a boss, a family member, a system that feels impossible to escape. This verse asks you to trust that God can loosen the grip without you having to fight your way out. He can so change the situation that the very people who hold you back become eager to release you. That does not always happen overnight, and sometimes the release comes through hard losses, as it did for Egypt. But the God who made Pharaoh’s own servants say, “We are all dead men” (Exodus 10:7) can move on your behalf. Let that quiet your heart this week, and watch for His hand turning opposition into exit.