They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy to see "great things" as simply impressive miracles. But the text calls God "their Savior," highlighting that these "great things" weren't just a show of power, but specific acts of rescue designed to save them from slavery.
They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is a national confession, recounting Israel's repeated acts of unfaithfulness despite God's repeated acts of deliverance. It follows a psalm celebrating God's mighty deeds, highlighting the stark contrast between God's faithfulness and Israel's forgetfulness. The verses leading up to this one detail specific instances of rebellion, like envying Moses and Aaron and worshipping the golden calf, illustrating the people's ingratitude.
Ever feel like life’s challenges are too big to handle? You’re not alone. The Israelites, fresh from Egypt, felt it too. But their response? A dangerous forgetting.
This verse hits hard: "They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt." It's not just a casual oversight; it's a deliberate turning away from the memory of God's powerful rescue. Imagine the scene: just days or weeks after God parted the Red Sea, unleashing plagues, and leading them out with a mighty hand, the people start to doubt.
The Immediate Contrast
Think about it. They had witnessed God's power firsthand. He wasn't a distant deity; He was the one who had just snatched them from the jaws of slavery. The contrast between God’s incredible actions and the people’s rapid forgetting highlights a core human struggle: how easily we can disregard the very power that delivered us when new difficulties arise.
The 'Savior' Title
It's crucial to note they called God "their Savior." This wasn't a title they earned; it was a title God proved He deserved through His actions in Egypt. To forget Him as Savior is to forget the very identity He revealed to them and the foundation of their new life.
Egypt, the 'land of Ham,' was a place of bondage. Yet, it also became the backdrop for God's most dramatic displays of power. How did this setting fuel their ingratitude?
The mention of "Egypt" or "the land of Ham" (as seen in related passages) isn't just geographical. It’s a reminder of where they came from – a place of slavery and oppression. This context makes their forgetting all the more stark.
Ask a follow-up
From Oppression to Deliverance
Consider the weight of it: God didn't just save them from a minor inconvenience; He saved them from a system designed for their destruction. The plagues, the Red Sea crossing – these weren't small acts. They were earth-shattering demonstrations of God's sovereignty and power, specifically aimed at liberating His people from the 'land of Ham.'
The Nature of Ingratitude
This verse and the surrounding context (as noted in the commentaries) point to a deep-seated ingratitude. It's the kind of ingratitude that forgets the very source of your freedom and your very identity as God's chosen people. It’s a failure to appreciate the magnitude of the gift of salvation, leading them to complain and rebel soon after.
Understand the original words
shakach · Hebrew Verb
The act of failing to keep in memory or losing from one's mind, often implying a willful neglect of God's character, commandments, or redemptive acts toward His people.
yasha' · Hebrew Noun
One who delivers, rescues, or preserves from danger, bondage, or destruction; applied primarily to God as the sole deliverer of His people.
This verse reflects on a recurring theme in Israel's history: the tendency to forget God's powerful interventions and deliverances, especially in the immediate aftermath of His saving acts.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through a series of miraculous plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.
c. 1446 BC
Wandering in the Wilderness
Following their miraculous deliverance, the Israelites spend 40 years in the wilderness, during which they frequently grumble, doubt, and disobey God.
c. 1446 BC
Rebellion at the Red Sea
Even after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, the people soon forgot God's works and murmured against Moses and Aaron.
c. 1446 BC
Making the Golden Calf
While Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving the Law, the people fashion a golden calf and worship it, a clear act of forgetting God's salvific acts.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
After 40 years of wandering, the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, begin to conquer the Promised Land.
This passage warns Israel not to forget the Lord their God after they enter the promised land, drawing a parallel to their past experiences in the wilderness and Egypt, much like Psalms 106:21 highlights their forgetting of God's mighty deeds.
Joshua 24:31Following the conquest of the land, Joshua reminds Israel that they served the Lord all their days and that 'all the days of Joshua' they 'remembered the Lord.' This verse serves as a counterpoint to Psalms 106:21, emphasizing the importance of remembrance over forgetting.
Psalm 78:11-12This psalm recounts Israel's history, explicitly stating, 'They forgot what he had done, and the wonders that he had shown them.' This parallel passage directly addresses the same theme of forgetfulness after experiencing God's powerful acts.
Isaiah 43:18The prophet Isaiah calls on Israel to 'not remember the former things, or consider the things of old,' because God is about to do something new. While Psalms 106:21 laments forgetting past deeds, Isaiah points to God's forward-looking power that can eclipse even great historical acts.
pulpitPsalms 106:21: "They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;"
Verse 21. - They forgat God their Saviour (comp. ver. 13). "God their Saviour" is "God who had so recently saved them out of the hands of Pharaoh." Which had done great things in Egypt. The allusion is principally to the long series of "plagues."
ellicottPsalms 106:21: "They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;"
(21) Forgot God their saviour. —With evident allusion to Deuteronomy 6:12 .
It's easy to see "great things" as simply impressive miracles. But the text calls God "their Savior," highlighting that these "great things" weren't just a show of power, but specific acts of rescue designed to save them from slavery.
This psalm is a national confession, recounting Israel's repeated acts of unfaithfulness despite God's repeated acts of deliverance. It follows a psalm celebrating God's mighty deeds, highlighting the stark contrast between God's faithfulness and Israel's forgetfulness. The verses leading up to this one detail specific instances of rebellion, like envying Moses and Aaron and worshipping the golden calf, illustrating the people's ingratitude.
This psalm is a national confession, recounting Israel's repeated acts of unfaithfulness despite God's repeated acts of deliverance. It follows a psalm celebrating God's mighty deeds, highlighting the stark contrast between God's faithfulness and Israel's forgetfulness. The verses leading up to this one detail specific instances of rebellion, like envying Moses and Aaron and worshipping the golden calf, illustrating the people's ingratitude.
"They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt," — It's easy to see "great things" as simply impressive miracles. But the text calls God "their Savior," highlighting that these "great things" weren't just a show of power, but specific acts of rescue…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026