Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that their "acts" and "inventions" are not just external behaviors but the very things they devised and created, which then defiled them. This suggests that the things we make and the paths we forge for ourselves, when detached from God, can become the source of our own spiritual impurity.
Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalm is recounting Israel's history, moving from their wilderness wanderings to their time in the promised land. Having previously failed to completely drive out the Canaanites, they began to adopt the surrounding nations' corrupt practices, leading to idolatry and even child sacrifice. This verse summarizes the consequence: their actions defiled them and led them into spiritual adultery, turning away from God.
When our actions, instead of drawing us closer to God, actually push us away, something is deeply wrong. This verse points to a specific kind of spiritual pollution rooted in our own choices.
The phrase "defiled with their own works" in Psalm 106:39 highlights how our actions can corrupt us. It's not just about outward actions, but the inner disposition that leads to them. When we engage in practices that stray from God's commands – whether it's literal sin or misguided attempts at worship – we become stained. These 'works' become the very source of our impurity, trapping us in a cycle of corruption.
This is especially seen in the context of Israel's history. Instead of eradicating the Canaanite nations as commanded, they mingled with them and adopted their practices (Psalm 106:34-35). These adopted 'works' became their own, leading to spiritual defilement and a departure from their covenant with God.
The Bible doesn't shy away from intense metaphors to describe sin. This verse uses the language of marital unfaithfulness to paint a picture of Israel's deep betrayal of God.
The phrase "played the whore in their deeds" is a powerful metaphor for spiritual unfaithfulness. In the Old Testament, God often depicted His relationship with Israel as a marriage covenant. To 'go a whoring' meant to be unfaithful to this covenant, turning away from God to worship other gods or engage in practices that God forbade.
This wasn't just about ritual impurity; it was a profound betrayal of their exclusive commitment to God. Their 'inventions' – their own devised forms of worship and practices learned from other nations – became the objects of their illicit affection. This spiritual adultery led them away from the true source of life and purity, resulting in judgment.
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Understand the original words
tame’ · Hebrew Adjective/Verb
To be made ceremonially or morally impure. It denotes a state of corruption or contagion that separates a person or a nation from the presence, blessing, and holiness of God.
zanah · Hebrew Verb
A frequent prophetic metaphor used to describe apostasy, spiritual unfaithfulness, and the abandonment of the covenant relationship with God in favor of worldly or idolatrous pursuits. It highlights the betrayal of God's exclusive love and authority.
This psalm reflects on Israel's repeated cycle of unfaithfulness, particularly their adoption of pagan practices and idolatry after entering the Promised Land. Verse 39 speaks to the deep spiritual pollution that resulted from these actions, connecting their 'works' and 'inventions' to spiritual adultery and a defiled state before God, a pattern that ultimately led to national ruin and exile.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
After wandering in the desert, the Israelites enter the Promised Land and begin its conquest, a process that God commanded them to complete by utterly destroying the Canaanite nations.
c. 1400 BC - 1000 BC
Partial Conquest and Cultural Assimilation
Israelites fail to fully drive out the Canaanites, leading to intermarriage and assimilation of their pagan practices and idolatrous worship.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following the death of Solomon, the united kingdom splits into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, both of whom engage in idolatry.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its population and scattering them, a severe judgment for their persistent idolatry and sin.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian Empire destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This marks a catastrophic consequence of their continued unfaithfulness to God.
c. 539 BC
Return from Exile Begins
The Persian Empire under Cyrus allows the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, marking the beginning of their restoration.
This passage uses similar imagery of spiritual adultery and defilement to describe the unfaithfulness of the people to God through their idolatrous practices.
Hosea 2:2Hosea directly compares Israel's unfaithfulness to God with adultery and whoredom, illustrating how their actions broke the covenant relationship.
Jeremiah 13:27Jeremiah powerfully describes the deep-seated nature of Israel's sin, stating they committed adultery and walked with 'impudent foreheads,' echoing the defilement and brazenness mentioned in Psalms.
Romans 6:21Paul contrasts the 'fruit' of sin, leading to defilement and death, with the 'fruit' of righteousness, showing the ultimate outcome of following one's own 'works' and 'inventions' apart from God.
clarkePsalms 106:39: "Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions."
And went a whoring - By fornication, whoredom, and idolatry, the Scripture often expresses idolatry and idolatrous acts. I have given the reason of this in other places. Besides being false to the true God, to whom they are represented as betrothed and married, (and their acts of idolatry were breaches of this solemn engagement), the worship of idols was frequently accompanied with variou…
pulpitPsalms 106:39: "Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions."
Verse 39. - Thus were they defiled with their own works. The heathen "works," which they adopted from them (ver. 35), had become "their own works," and made them a "defiled" and "polluted" people. And went a-whoring with their own inventions; i.e. "became spiritually adulterous," deserted God, and were unfaithful to him (comp. Ezekiel 23:2-21; Hosea 2:2-5).
The verse highlights that their "acts" and "inventions" are not just external behaviors but the very things they devised and created, which then defiled them. This suggests that the things we make and the paths we forge for ourselves, when detached from God, can become the source of our own spiritual impurity.
The psalm is recounting Israel's history, moving from their wilderness wanderings to their time in the promised land. Having previously failed to completely drive out the Canaanites, they began to adopt the surrounding nations' corrupt practices, leading to idolatry and even child sacrifice. This verse summarizes the consequence: their actions defiled them and led them into spiritual adultery, turning away from God.
The psalm is recounting Israel's history, moving from their wilderness wanderings to their time in the promised land. Having previously failed to completely drive out the Canaanites, they began to adopt the surrounding nations' corrupt practices, leading to idolatry and even child sacrifice. This verse summarizes the consequence: their actions defiled them and led them into spiritual adultery, turning away from God.
"Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds." — The verse highlights that their "acts" and "inventions" are not just external behaviors but the very things they devised and created, which then defiled them. This suggests that the things we make an…
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Last reviewed October 2026