Psalm 106:40-43
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The phrase "abhorred his inheritance" is particularly striking. It suggests God looked upon His chosen people, whom He had set apart and claimed as His own, with such deep displeasure that they became detestable to Him due to their persistent sin. This highlights the profound sorrow and revulsion God feels when His beloved people turn away from Him.
Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist recounts Israel's history of sin and God's repeated judgments. Despite God's faithfulness and deliverance, the people repeatedly turned to idols, rebelled, and forgot His mighty deeds. This persistent disobedience, even after experiencing God's wrath and subsequent mercy, led to a deep anger within the Lord, causing Him to reject them as His own special possession.
The Bible speaks of God's anger. What does that mean for His chosen people, His own 'inheritance'?
This verse highlights a profound tension: God's intense displeasure ('anger was kindled') directed at His own people, whom He calls 'his heritage.' This isn't capricious rage, but a righteous response to their persistent sin and unfaithfulness.
The "Kindled" Anger
When the text says God's anger was 'kindled,' it uses imagery of fire. This signifies a powerful, consuming, and justly incensed reaction to rebellion. It’s a passionate response because God's love and covenant commitment to His people are also incredibly passionate.
Abhorring His Heritage
This is perhaps the most striking phrase. God 'abhorred' His own people, whom He had chosen and set apart as His inheritance. This doesn't mean God stopped loving them fundamentally, but that their sin had become so offensive and destructive that it provoked His deep disgust and led to severe judgment. Their actions were so contrary to His nature and their covenant calling that He treated them as detestable.
Israel's history in the Psalms is often a story of repeated sin and God's judgment. How does this verse fit into that pattern?
Psalms 106, and particularly this verse, functions as a confession of national sin. It acknowledges a long, painful cycle where Israel's persistent disobedience led to God's anger and severe punishment. However, the broader context of the psalm also speaks of God's eventual mercy and relenting.
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The Core Problem
The commentators point out that the reason for God's anger is explicitly stated: they were His 'own people' and 'his inheritance.' Their sin was particularly grievous because it was committed by those He had set apart for Himself. This forgetfulness of who they were and who God was, led to repeated cycles of:
This verse, Psalms 106:40, marks a critical point in that cycle where God's judgment is severe, even to the point of 'abhorring' His heritage, yet the psalm continues to speak of God's ultimate faithfulness and desire for His people's restoration.
Understand the original words
aph · Hebrew Noun
A description of God’s righteous, intense, and inevitable reaction against persistent sin, rebellion, and covenant-breaking. It is not an unbridled emotional outburst, but the holy indignation of a just Judge protecting His honor and justice.
nachalah · Hebrew Noun
A term referring to the people whom God has chosen as His own possession, property, or covenantal responsibility. It emphasizes the intimacy and special relationship between God and Israel (or His people), making their rebellion a matter of profound betrayal.
ta‘ab · Hebrew Verb
A strong expression of God’s visceral rejection, intense dislike, or holy repulsion toward sin and those who embrace it. It signifies that the object of this feeling is fundamentally incompatible with His holiness and covenant standards.
gowy · Hebrew Noun
Often translated as 'nations' or 'Gentiles,' it refers to groups of people distinct from the covenant people of God, often characterized by idolatry and opposition to the Lord's people.
lachats · Hebrew Verb
In a biblical context, oppression involves the unjust treatment, cruel subjugation, or crushing of someone, often highlighting the vulnerability of the victim and the wickedness of the oppressor.
natsal · Hebrew Verb
To deliver or rescue someone, often used of God acting on behalf of His people to save them from physical danger, enemies, or judgment.
marah · Hebrew Adjective
A state of defiance against God’s authority; it refers to a heart that refuses to submit to His revealed will and commands.
avon · Hebrew Noun
Moral perversity or deviation from the standard of God’s law; it denotes not just the act of sinning but the twisted nature of wrongdoing and its guilt.
This verse reflects the profound sorrow and judgment that fell upon Israel when they consistently turned away from God, particularly during and after the Babylonian exile, highlighting how their sin led to God's anger against His chosen people and inheritance.
c. 13th-15th century BC
Exodus and Wilderness Journey
After their liberation from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites' journey was marked by repeated acts of disobedience and rebellion against God, despite His miracles and provision.
c. 13th-10th century BC
Conquest and Settlement of Canaan
Upon entering the Promised Land, Israel failed to completely drive out the Canaanite nations as commanded, leading to their assimilation and the adoption of foreign religious practices.
c. 1050 BC
Saul Anointed King
The establishment of the monarchy was a response to Israel's desire to be like other nations, a move that ultimately led to further deviations from God's intended path.
c. 970-931 BC
Reign of Solomon and Divided Kingdom
Though Solomon's reign began with great wisdom, his later years saw him turn to idolatry, and after his death, the kingdom split into Israel (north) and Judah (south), fueling further sin.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria to Assyria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of its population and the scattering of the ten tribes.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon
The Southern Kingdom of Judah met a similar fate as Jerusalem was destroyed and its people exiled to Babylon due to persistent idolatry and disobedience.
c. 538 BC
Return from Babylonian Exile
Following the Babylonian exile, some Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, yet the cycle of forgetting God's deeds continued.
This passage speaks of God hiding His face due to Israel's sin, paralleling the sense of God's abhorrence in Psalms 106:40.
Jeremiah 12:7-8Here, the prophet laments that God's heritage has acted like a lion in the forest, which leads to God declaring His hatred for them, echoing the theme of God's anger towards His inheritance.
Ezekiel 5:11This verse states that because Israel has defiled God's sanctuary, He will also defile them and abhor them, directly linking desecration with divine abhorrence.
Romans 1:28-32This passage describes people who, because they did not see fit to acknowledge God, were given over to a depraved mind and approved of those who practice sin, reflecting a sense of divine abandonment and disapproval akin to abhorrence.
clarkePsalms 106:40: "Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance."
Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled - God kindled a fire in his judgments for those who by their flagitious conduct had inflamed themselves with their idols, and the impure rites with which they were worshipped.
pulpitPsalms 106:40: "Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance."
Verse 40. - Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people (comp. Psalm 78:58, 59). Insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance (see Psalm 78:62). It justly increased God's anger that the sinners were his own people, his own inheritance.
The phrase "abhorred his inheritance" is particularly striking. It suggests God looked upon His chosen people, whom He had set apart and claimed as His own, with such deep displeasure that they became detestable to Him due to their persistent sin. This highlights the profound sorrow and revulsion God feels when His beloved people turn away from Him.
The psalmist recounts Israel's history of sin and God's repeated judgments. Despite God's faithfulness and deliverance, the people repeatedly turned to idols, rebelled, and forgot His mighty deeds. This persistent disobedience, even after experiencing God's wrath and subsequent mercy, led to a deep anger within the Lord, causing Him to reject them as His own special possession.
The psalmist recounts Israel's history of sin and God's repeated judgments. Despite God's faithfulness and deliverance, the people repeatedly turned to idols, rebelled, and forgot His mighty deeds. This persistent disobedience, even after experiencing God's wrath and subsequent mercy, led to a deep anger within the Lord, causing Him to reject them as His own special possession.
"Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and the…" — The phrase "abhorred his inheritance" is particularly striking. It suggests God looked upon His chosen people, whom He had set apart and claimed as His own, with such deep displeasure that they becam…
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Last reviewed October 2026
