Psalms 106:38 · Bible study
Psalms 106:38 Commentary: Blood, Pollution, and Atonement
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Psalm 106:38's shocking account of child sacrifice, the Old Testament principle of blood polluting the land, and how Christ's blood purifies.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Israel shed the innocent blood of children in idolatrous sacrifice, defiling the Promised Land.
- Key words: Dam nakiy (innocent blood); chaneph (pollute, make profane); sha phakh (pour out, shed).
- Main debate: Whether “innocent blood” refers to children as morally innocent (Barnes, Gill) versus only relatively innocent (not fully guiltless in Adam). Also debated: how the principle of blood pollution applies to Christ's atonement, contrast or fulfillment?
- Theological theme: Sin is more than personal; it defiles the land and requires divine cleansing. The need for a perfect sacrifice.
- Best use: A lens to understand the depth of sin, the holiness of God, and the necessity of Christ's blood for purification.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
They shed innocent blood— the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.
WEB World English Bible 2000
They shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted with blood.
KJV King James Version 1769
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And shed innocent blood, Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And they shed innocent blood--Blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they have sacrificed to idols of Canaan, And the land is profaned with blood.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly: and their cattle he suffered not to decrease.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y derramaron la sangre inocente, la sangre de sus hijos y de sus hijas, que sacrificaron á los ídolos de Canaán: y la tierra fué contaminada con sangre.
E derramaram sangue inocente, o sangue de seus filhos e de suas filhas, os quais eles sacrificaram aos ídolos de Canaã; e a terra foi profanada com este sangue.
Ils répandirent le sang innocent,
und vergossen unschuldig Blut, das Blut ihrer Söhne und ihrer Töchter, die sie opferten den Götzen Kanaans, daß das Land mit Blutschulden befleckt ward;
En zij hebben onschuldig bloed vergoten, het bloed hunner zonen en hunner dochteren, die zij den afgoden van Kanaan hebben opgeofferd; zodat het land door deze bloedschulden is ontheiligd geworden.
e sparsero il sangue innocente, il sangue dei loro figliuoli e delle loro figliuole, che sacrificarono agl’idoli di Canaan; e il paese fu profanato dal sangue versato.
I wylewali krew niewinną, krew synów swoich, i córek swoich, których ofiarowali bałwanom rytym Chananejskim, tak, że splugawiona była ziemia onem krwi rozlaniem.
Он благословляет их, и они весьма размножаются, и скота их не умаляет.
流 無辜人 的血，就是自己兒 女 的血，把他們 祭祀 迦南 的偶像，那地 就被血 污穢了。
And gave the blood of their sons and their daughters who had done no wrong, offering them to the images of Canaan; and the land was made unclean with blood.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 106:38
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse describes the climax of Israel's apostasy: child sacrifice to Canaanite idols. Barnes notes the victims were “innocent” in the sense of being undeserving, as a sacrifice for sin must be pure, a principle that ultimately points to Christ. Keil and Delitzsch call human sacrifice “the abomination in which heathenism culminates.” Gill stresses the added horror that the blood was that of the worshippers' own sons and daughters, shedding innocent blood in the land set apart for God. Cambridge Bible observes that this practice copied the Canaanites, who were condemned for such enormities (Deu 12:31; 18:9-10). The land being “polluted with blood” (Hebrew chaneph, to be profaned) echoes Numbers 35:33: blood pollutes the land, and only the blood of the murderer can atone. The verse is not mere history; it is a confession that calls for divine cleansing, a need only fully met in Christ.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical event: The plain reading of the text, supported by extrabiblical evidence of Canaanite child sacrifice and passages like 2 Kings 16:3 and Jeremiah 7:31.
- Rhetorical hyperbole or metaphor: Some propose the language exaggerates Israel's apostasy or uses 'sacrifice' metaphorically for dedication; however, the parallelism with 'they sacrificed to demons' (v.37) and the legal consequences (Num 35:33) argue for literal meaning.
- Typological foreshadowing: The principle of innocent blood bringing pollution and requiring atonement—seen as pointing forward to Christ's once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22, 1 Pet 1:18-19).
What is clear: Israel committed the abomination of child sacrifice, polluting the land God gave them, which underscores the seriousness of sin and the need for a perfect atonement.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Literal child sacrifice | Israel committed actual child sacrifice, copying Canaanite rites, as attested in other Old Testament passages (2 Kings 16:3; Jer 7:31). | Some argue that the language may be hyperbolic or refer to dedicating children to idols without death; but the consensus from ancient sources (Phoenician, Punic) confirms literal sacrifice. Most commentators treat it literally. |
| Meaning of 'innocent blood' | The victims were innocent in the sense that they did not deserve execution; sacrifice requires a pure victim. | Gill argues that no human is strictly innocent before God except Christ; others (Barnes, Matthew Henry) hold the children were innocent compared to their murderers. Both agree the children were undeserving of this fate. |
| The land polluted with blood | The land (especially Canaan as God's holy territory) was defiled by bloodshed, necessitating either judgment or atonement (Num 35:33). | Some see this as a physical pollution requiring literal cleansing; others view it as a cultic metaphor. Catholics and Orthodox may relate it to the sanctity of space, while Protestants often focus on the moral breach. |
| Foreshadowing of Christ's atonement | The principle of innocent blood sacrifice for sin points toward the need for a perfect sacrifice. | Evangelicals and Reformed (Barnes, Gill) see a direct typological connection: as the lamb was innocent, so Christ. Others (some Lutherans) emphasize contrast: the blood of animals/children could not truly atone; only Christ's does. Both see Christ as the fulfillment. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 106 is a national confession, likely composed during the Babylonian exile (Lange, Keil & Delitzsch). It recounts Israel's history from the exodus to their settlement in Canaan, highlighting repeated rebellion. Verses 34-39 describe what happened after Israel entered the Promised Land. God commanded them to destroy the Canaanite nations and their cultic sites (Exo 23:32-33; Deu 7:16). Instead, they “mixed with the nations and learned their works” (v.35). One of the most detestable Canaanite practices was child sacrifice, offered to deities like Molech (Lev 18:21; 20:2-5). Israelites adopted this custom, sacrificing their children to “demons” (v.37, see Deu 32:17). Cultural historians note that such rites often occurred in the Valley of Hinnom (Topheth), later associated with judgment (Jer 19:4-6).
The land itself, Yahweh's holy territory where His tabernacle dwelt, became defiled. The Hebrew verb chaneph (polluted, H2610) conveys profanation, making something sacred common and unclean. Numbers 35:33-34 is the legal background: “blood pollutes the land… I, Yahweh, dwell among the children of Israel.” So this pollution was not just moral but cultic: the land that belonged to God had been violated. This historical context explains why exile was the necessary consequence: the land could no longer contain the presence of a holy God amid such defilement.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 106:38. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The only minor variation is the absence of the verse in some Greek manuscripts of the Septuagint due to haplography, but the consensus text includes it. The verse is securely established.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this verse is part of the confession recited on Yom Kippur, acknowledging national sin. Early Christian writers (e.g., Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho) cited Israel's idolatry as a warning against paganism. The Reformation commentators (Calvin, Gill, Matthew Henry) read it as a dark backdrop for the gospel: only a truly innocent sacrifice can cleanse such pollution. In modern preaching, the verse is often applied to the sanctity of human life and the horror of abortion, though careful exegetes tie it first to the Old Testament context of covenant violation. Throughout church history, the verse has reminded readers that sin is never private, it defiles the whole community and the land itself, making Christ's blood the only sufficient remedy.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The horror of sin's escalation. Israel began with mingling and ended with child sacrifice. Sin never stays small; it demands more.
- The land cries out. Blood pollution is a corporate reality. Sin defiles not only individuals but the community and the place where God dwells.
- A need for atonement. Innocent blood shed demands a perfect sacrifice, foreshadowing the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Five-point outline
- Context: Israel in Canaan, failing to obey God's command to purge the nations.
- Culmination: Child sacrifice, the ultimate betrayal of Yahweh.
- Consequence: The land is polluted; God's possession is defiled.
- Cry: No human remedy can cleanse this bloodguilt.
- Christ: His innocent blood is the only sufficient purification.
Illustration hooks
- A family inherits a house that was the site of a violent crime. They cannot feel at home until the place is cleansed, deep stains that cling. That is how Israel's sin felt in the land.
- Garden soil soaked with motor oil: nothing grows there. The land itself becomes barren from pollution. Israel's sin made the Promised Land spiritually barren.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God judge nations today for shedding innocent blood? How does that relate to modern issues like abortion or violence?
- If my personal sin pollutes the land, what does that mean for my community?
- How does Christ's blood actually clean the pollution of sin? Is it more than a metaphor?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 106 is a corporate confession. This verse names the worst sin Israel committed in the land, child sacrifice. As you read, notice the progression from mixing with nations to idolatry to the ultimate abomination. The land was polluted with blood. Use the questions below to explore the passage and its implications for faith in Christ.
Discussion questions
- Read Psalm 106:34-39. What steps led Israel from disobedience to child sacrifice? Where do you see patterns of spiritual compromise today?
- The children are called “innocent blood.” In what sense were they innocent? How does this describe the horror of the act? (See Gill and Barnes.)
- What does it mean that the land was “polluted with blood”? How is this more than a metaphor? Refer to Numbers 35:33.
- If blood pollution required the blood of the murderer for atonement (Num 35:33), what hope did Israel have for cleansing? How does Christ's blood differ from this principle?
- How does this verse shape your understanding of the atonement? Why is it significant that Christ's blood is “innocent” (1 Pet 1:18-19)?
- In what ways can a community feel “polluted” by sin? How does corporate confession and the gospel bring restoration?
- Psalm 106 ends with a prayer for salvation from captivity. How does Jesus' sacrifice provide the final answer to that prayer?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 35:33 | “‘So you shall not pollute the land where you live; for blood pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him who shed it. |
| Deuteronomy 21:9 | So you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, when you shall do that which is right in Yahweh’s eyes. |
| II Kings 21:16 | Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; in addition to his sin with which he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight. |
| II Kings 24:4 | and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and Yahweh would not pardon. |
| Isaiah 1:15 | When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. |
| Isaiah 24:5 | The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. |
| Isaiah 26:21 | For, behold, Yahweh comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain. |
| Jeremiah 2:34 | Also the blood of the souls of the innocent poor is found in your skirts. You didn’t find them breaking in, but it is because of all these things. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the innocent were sacrificed precisely because they were innocent, since a pure offering is required to atone for the guilty. He sees this as foreshadowing Christ's atonement, where the sinless one dies for sinners. The land's pollution reflects either the sheer volume of bloodshed or the magnitude of the sin itself.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that Psalm 106 is not primarily a reproof or complaint against Israel, but a confession of sins aimed at obtaining pardon. The psalm begins with praise to encourage hope, then acknowledges that God's people repeatedly abused his kindness, making them unworthy of continued blessing—so the writer asks forgiveness.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible notes that Israel's failure to exterminate the Canaanites led them to adopt the same abominations, especially child sacrifice, which Scripture calls the climax of Canaanite wickedness. By copying these practices, Israel polluted the land with blood, ignoring the warning of Canaan's judgment.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva notes emphasize that the killing was not ordinary murder but the sacrifice of children to Canaanite idols, making the land itself defiled by the blood. This links the people's sin directly to the land's pollution, showing how idolatry corrupts not just the worshiper but the ground they inhabit.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that only Christ is perfectly innocent, being born of a virgin; all others descending from Adam are conceived in sin. He then notes the aggravated wickedness of sacrificing their own children to Canaan's idols, which pollutes the land with innocent blood.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB points out that the phrase translated as "polluted with blood" literally reads "blood" or "murder" in the original Hebrew. This clarifies that the pollution is not general uncleanness but the specific sin of murder, supported by parallel passages.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight the poet's deliberate change of the Hebrew word for "sink down" instead of the usual "rot" in the primary passage, a conscious choice rather than a scribal error. They also emphasize that Israel's failure to destroy the Canaanites led directly to the worst abomination, human sacrifice, which God detests but demons delight in.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads Psalm 106 as a carefully crafted liturgical prayer of confession, not simply a historical poem. He highlights its distinctive structure: it opens with praise, then shifts through a beatitude and a personal petition before the communal confession begins. The psalm’s stylistic markers—rhyme-like suffixes, synonyms, and a continuous thread of thought—mark it as a formal viddui shaped for worship during the Babylonian exile.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry observes that Israel's conduct in Canaan was exactly like their behavior in the wilderness: they provoked God, yet He repeatedly delivered them. God's dealings with them consistently displayed both justice and mercy, punishing their rebellion but relenting when they cried out because He remembered His covenant.