Psalms 106:4 · Bible study
Psalms 106:4 Commentary: Personal Plea in a Corporate Confession
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Psalm 106:4: a personal prayer for God's favor and salvation, set within a national confession of sin.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The psalmist prays for a personal share in God's saving favor toward Israel, asking God to act (remember, visit) on his behalf.
- Key words: Zākhar (remember, act on behalf of), rātsôn (favor, acceptance), pāqad (visit, intervene), yĕshûʿāh (salvation, deliverance).
- Main debate: Is the 'me' the individual psalmist or a personification of the community? Both readings appear in commentaries.
- Theological theme: Individual salvation is embedded in the restoration of God’s covenant people.
- Best use: A model for personal prayer within corporate confession, and a reminder that our hope is tied to God’s faithfulness to His whole church.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor to Your people; visit me with Your salvation,
WEB World English Bible 2000
Remember me, Yahweh, with the favor that you show to your people. Visit me with your salvation,
KJV King James Version 1769
Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Remember me, O Jehovah, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people; Oh visit me with thy salvation,
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Remember me, O Jehovah, With the favour of Thy people, Look after me in Thy salvation.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Remember me, O Jehovah, with [thy] favour toward thy people; visit me with thy salvation:
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
They wandered in a wilderness, in a place without water: they found not the way of a city for their habitation.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Acuérdate de mí, oh Jehová, según tu benevolencia para con tu pueblo: visítame con tu salud;
Lembra-te de mim, SENHOR, conforme tua boa vontade para com teu povo; concede-me tua salvação.
Éternel, souviens-toi de moi dans ta bienveillance pour ton peuple!
HERR, gedenke mein nach der Gnade, die du dem Volk verheißen hast; beweise uns deine Hilfe,
Gedenk mijner, o HEERE! naar het welbehagen tot Uw volk, bezoek mij met Uw heil;
O Eterno, ricordati di me, con la benevolenza che usi verso il tuo popolo; visitami con la tua salvazione,
Pamiętaj na mię, Panie! dla miłości ku ludowi swemu; nawiedźże mię zbawieniem swojem,
Они блуждали в пустыне по безлюдному пути и не находили населенного города;
耶和華啊，你用恩惠 待你的百姓；求你也用這恩惠記念我，開你的救恩 眷顧我，
Keep me in mind, O Lord, when you are good to your people; O let your salvation come to me;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 106:4
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the psalmist prays to be included in the covenant favor God shows to Israel. The verbs 'remember' (zākhar) and 'visit' (pāqad) carry weight in the Hebrew: they mean more than mental recall, they call for God to act on behalf of the one remembered. Barnes reads the verse as 'a pious ejaculation' from someone who sees the blessings of God's people and longs to share them. Keil and Delitzsch note that the phrase 'with the favor of your people' places the speaker alongside the community, asking to experience the grace God is about to pour out on the nation. The main point of agreement is that the prayer is both personal and corporate: the individual’s hope is tied to the restoration of the whole people. A secondary agreement is that this verse functions as a hinge between the opening call to praise (vv.1, 3) and the lengthy confession of sin that follows (vv.6, 46).
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The psalmist prays for personal experience of the saving favor that God shows to His covenant people.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker identity | The prayer comes from someone who identifies with the people of God and their history. | Some commentators (Barnes, Cambridge) see it as the individual psalmist's own plea; others (Wesley, Poole) read it as the community speaking through a single voice. |
| Meaning of 'remember me' | God's remembering in the Bible is active, not passive, He acts on behalf of the one remembered. | Is the request primarily for personal deliverance (Gill) or for a share in the coming national restoration (Keil & Delitzsch)? Both are present. |
| Connection to surrounding verses | Verse 4, 5 is a transition from praise (vv.1, 3) to confession (vv.6ff), linking the individual to the community. | Is it a later insertion by a reader (Cambridge notes this possibility and rejects it) or an original part of the psalm's structure? |
| Salvation: present or future? | The word yĕshûʿāh can mean present deliverance or ultimate salvation. | Some see it as prayer for immediate experience of God's saving acts; others as longing for the full restoration yet to come. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 106 is a historical psalm, likely written during or after the Babylonian exile. It recounts Israel’s repeated rebellion from Egypt through the wilderness and into the land, and it ends with a cry for gathering from the nations (v.47). The prayer in verses 4, 5 fits this setting of national shame and longing. The speaker asks to see 'the good of your chosen' and to rejoice in 'the gladness of your nation', language that points to a hoped-for restoration when God will again show favor to His people.
In the Hebrew Bible, the verb pāqad ('visit') often describes God coming to deliver or judge. In Genesis 21:1 God 'visited' Sarah and she conceived. In Exodus 3:16 God tells Moses He has 'visited' His people in Egypt. The psalmist uses the same verb, asking for a personal share in that kind of saving intervention. The word rātsôn ('favor' or 'acceptance') appears in Isaiah 49:8 as 'a time of acceptance' paired with 'a day of salvation.' So the prayer is for a moment when God’s goodwill toward Israel becomes concrete deliverance.
The setting also echoes the prayers of Nehemiah, who repeatedly asks God to 'remember me for good' (Neh 5:19; 13:14, 22, 31). Like Nehemiah, the psalmist prays as an individual who identifies with the nation’s sins (v.6) yet dares to ask for a personal experience of the coming salvation. This dual identity, sinner and member of the covenant people, gives the verse its emotional and theological depth.
Textual Notes
Several Hebrew manuscripts and most ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Vulgate) read the plural 'remember us' and 'visit us,' as noted by Adam Clarke. The Masoretic Text has the singular. The Cambridge Bible suggests the plural reading may be an assimilation to the plural verbs in v.6 ('We have sinned'). The difference does not change the essential meaning: either an individual prays for himself or as a representative of the people. The consulted sources mention no other significant variants.
Reception History
Christians have used Psalm 106:4 as a model for personal petition within corporate worship. Its language echoes in the Benedictus (Luke 1:68: 'he has visited and redeemed his people'), linking the psalmist's prayer to the coming of Christ as God's salvation. The verse has been sung in hymns of longing for revival and individual conversion. In the early church, it was often applied to the hope of sharing in the resurrection, the ultimate 'visit' with salvation. The pattern of requesting a place among God's people appears in the collects of many liturgical traditions, especially in prayers for the unity of the church.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- “Remember me”, The psalmist asks for more than God's awareness; he asks for God’s active, covenant-keeping attention. This is not a request for information but for intervention.
- “With the favor of your people”, The prayer is not selfish. He wants what God is giving to the whole community. His personal hope is wrapped up in the people’s restoration.
- “Visit me with your salvation”, The word ‘salvation’ (yĕshûʿāh) means deliverance, victory, prosperity. He asks for a personal visit from the God who saves.
Five-Point Outline
- Context: A psalm of national confession, yet one individual dares to pray for himself. Why does he do this?
- Two Verbs: ‘Remember’ and ‘visit’ are not passive. They call for God to act. In the Exodus story, God ‘remembered’ His covenant and ‘visited’ His people.
- Shared Favor: The phrase “with the favor of your people” ties the individual to the community. God’s grace is not a private possession.
- Salvation as Experience: He asks to see the good, rejoice, and glory with the inheritance. Salvation is not just a future hope; it is a present joy.
- Audacity of Faith: Even after listing centuries of rebellion (vv.6, 46), the psalmist prays for inclusion. Grace invites bold requests.
Illustration Hooks
- A church member going through chemotherapy while the congregation sings about resurrection. The prayer “visit me with your salvation” becomes intensely personal.
- A family prays for a wayward child. They ask God to show them favor as He shows favor to the whole church, a longing for the child to share in that community blessing.
- A worship leader chooses a corporate song of confession, but in the middle pauses to whisper a personal plea: “Remember me, Lord, not just us.”
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Can I pray for my own salvation and blessing without being selfish? (This verse shows that personal prayer within corporate confession is biblical.)
- What does it mean for God to ‘visit’ me today? Is that just for Bible times? (The verb suggests God can and does intervene personally.)
- How do I stay connected to the church when I feel like my sins are worse than everyone else’s? (The psalmist confesses with the people even after listing their sins.)
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 106:4 drops a personal prayer into the middle of a national history of failure. The psalmist does not separate his own story from Israel’s story. This small group session will explore how individual faith and corporate identity belong together, especially when we are honest about sin.
Discussion Questions
- Observation: What does the psalmist ask for in verse 4? List the key requests.
- Observation: Look at verse 5. What are the three outcomes he hopes for? (‘See the good,’ ‘rejoice in the gladness,’ ‘glory with the inheritance’). How are these corporate as well as personal?
- Interpretation: Why does the psalmist emphasize “with the favor that you show to YOUR people”? Why not just ask for favor directly?
- Interpretation: The Hebrew word for ‘visit’ (pāqad) often means God coming to deliver or judge. How does this shape your understanding of what he is asking?
- Application: When you confess sin, do you tend to think of it as your own private failure, or do you see yourself as part of a community that has failed God? Does this verse challenge your usual approach?
- Application: What is one way you can pray for your own needs while also praying for the needs of your church family?
- Application: This psalm ends with a plea for restoration (v.47). How does verse 4 keep hope alive even in the middle of a long confession?
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)
| Nehemiah 5:19 | Remember me, my God, for all the good that I have done for this people. |
| Nehemiah 13:14 | Remember me, my God, concerning this, and don’t wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its observances. |
| Nehemiah 13:22 | I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me for this also, my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your loving kindness. |
| Nehemiah 13:31 | and for the wood offering, at appointed times, and for the first fruits. Remember me, my God, for good. |
| Psalms 25:7 | Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness’ sake, Yahweh. |
| Psalms 119:132 | Turn to me, and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. |
| Luke 1:68 | “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people; |
| Luke 1:69 | and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David |
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.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that several manuscripts and versions read "us" instead of "me" in these lines, along with corresponding plural verbs. He finds the plural reading more consistent with the surrounding context, suggesting the passage originally addressed the community rather than a single individual.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads this verse as a spontaneous prayer that springs from observing God's kindness to His people. Even the ungodly, he notes, can feel this wish, as when Balaam asked to share the righteous man's end. The psalmist simply asks to receive the same salvation he sees God giving to others.
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
The Cambridge commentary defends the personal prayer in these verses as the psalmist's own, not a marginal note or the community speaking. It points out that the speaker distinguishes himself from the people, like Nehemiah's personal prayers, and notes the unique phrase "thy nation" for Israel.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights that the psalmist does not ask for a private or personal blessing, but for the same favor and salvation that God bestows on His people as a whole. The request is to be included in the corporate grace granted to the covenant community.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that God's favour toward His chosen people is a special, everlasting love shown in election, redemption, and calling. To be remembered with this favour means to have a personal sense of it and to receive its benefits. The request for salvation is a plea for Christ's coming or for the present joys of spiritual deliverance.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the speaker here is not the psalmist individually
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stress that when the psalm calls God "good," it refers to how He reveals His nature rather than to His essential nature itself. They describe His mighty acts and praise as inexhaustible, and the psalm
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley emphasizes that the speaker uses "me" not as a lone individual but as representing the entire nation. The "with" refers to the special favors God customarily and uniquely gives to His covenant people.