Psalms 106:6
Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The three verbs used here aren't just a poetic flourish; they escalate in intensity, painting a picture of sin that starts as a simple "wrongdoing," moves to a more deliberate "perversity," and culminates in outright "wickedness." This deliberate piling up of terms emphasizes the profound and stubborn nature of Israel's rebellion against God.
The psalm begins with praise for God's steadfast love and calls for rejoicing, but then immediately shifts to a confession of corporate sin. The speaker, representing the entire community and acknowledging a generational pattern, admits to deep-seated wickedness, directly contrasting the earlier praise with the people's persistent rebellion. This confession sets the stage for a recounting of Israel's history, highlighting their repeated failures even in the face of God's powerful acts of salvation, starting from the Exodus.
Why does the psalmist confess sins not just his own, but those of generations past? What does it mean to carry the weight of ancestral wrongdoing?
The opening of Psalm 106 plunges us into a profound confession. The psalmist doesn't just say, 'I have sinned,' but 'We have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedly.' This isn't just a statement of personal failing, but an acknowledgment of generational sin.
Breaking the Cycle
The commentary highlights that the confession includes "we and our fathers." This indicates a deep understanding that sin isn't isolated to one person or time. It can become a pattern, a legacy passed down. When the psalmist says, "We have sinned with our fathers," it means they followed in their footsteps, failing to learn from their ancestors' mistakes. This is a crucial spiritual insight: simply inheriting a nation or a family doesn't absolve us; it can mean inheriting the consequences of past disobedience.
Threefold Confession
Notice the progression in the confession: "sinned," "committed iniquity," "done wickedly." This isn't just repetition for emphasis; it paints a comprehensive picture of their moral failure. It moves from a general sense of straying ('sinned') to deliberate wrongdoing ('iniquity'), and finally to active rebellion ('wickedness'). This thorough confession acknowledges the depth and breadth of their collective guilt.
Despite the people's persistent failure, the psalm quickly pivots to God's action. What is it that compels God to act, even when His people do not deserve it?
While Psalm 106 lays bare Israel's deep and generational sin, it doesn't end there. The incredible truth is that God's response is not based on human merit but on His own character.
God's Motive: His Name
As the commentary points out, God "saved them for his own name's sake, that he might make his power to be known." This is a divine self-revelation. God acts not because Israel suddenly became righteous, but because His reputation, His honor, and the demonstration of His power were on the line. When He delivered them from Egypt, rebuked the Red Sea, and sustained them, it was a testament to His faithfulness and might, not to their worthiness.
Understand the original words
chata' · Hebrew Verb
To miss the mark, violate God's law, or fail to live up to His moral standards. It signifies a departure from the path of righteousness and a rupture in the relationship with God.
avon · Hebrew Noun
A twisting or perversion of the right path; denotes moral crookedness or guilt. It suggests a conscious distortion of what is known to be good.
rasha' · Hebrew Verb/Noun
Moral guilt or the act of acting perversely. It encompasses conscious wrongdoing and acting in a way that is contrary to the established order or will of God.
This psalm is a corporate confession uttered during or after the Babylonian exile, acknowledging that the people's present suffering is a direct consequence of their ancestors' (and their own) repeated pattern of sin and unfaithfulness, stretching all the way back to the Exodus.
~1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
God powerfully delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through a series of plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. This foundational event demonstrates God's might and faithfulness.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Rebellion at the Red Sea
Immediately after their miraculous deliverance, the Israelites despair upon facing the Egyptian army, questioning God's power and provision and wishing they had remained in Egypt.
c. 1446 BC - 1406 BC
Wandering in the Wilderness
Due to their persistent disobedience and lack of faith, the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years, experiencing God's judgment and provision.
c. 1406 BC
Entry into the Promised Land
After the first generation dies in the wilderness, the Israelites finally enter and begin to conquer the land of Canaan.
This passage echoes the same theme of national sin and confession, showing that the Israelites were called to acknowledge their iniquities and those of their ancestors as a prerequisite for restoration.
Ezra 9:6-7Ezra's prayer is a powerful example of collective confession, mirroring the psalmist's language and acknowledging that both the current generation and their forefathers had sinned greatly, leading to their current predicament.
Nehemiah 9:2Here, the Israelites separate themselves from all foreigners and stand confessing their sins and the iniquities of their fathers, highlighting the generational aspect of sin that the psalm addresses.
Daniel 9:5-8Daniel's profound prayer of confession directly parallels this verse, as he acknowledges his own sin and the sin of his people, including the transgressions of their fathers, demonstrating a deep understanding of inherited guilt.
Romans 3:23This New Testament verse provides the theological underpinning for such confessions, stating plainly that 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,' affirming the universality of sin that the psalm laments.
clarkePsalms 106:6: "We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly."
We have sinned - Here the confession begins; what preceded was only the introduction to what follows: Our forefathers sinned, and suffered; we, like them, have sinned, and do suffer.
bensonPsalms 106:6: "We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly."
Psalm 106:6-7 . We have sinned with our fathers — That is, as our fathers did, and have not been made wiser or better by their examples, as we ought to have been. Our fathers understood not — Or, considered not; thy wonders in Egypt — Namely, so as to be rightly affected with them, and to receive from them the instruction they were intended to convey. They saw them, but they did not rightly appre…
The three verbs used here aren't just a poetic flourish; they escalate in intensity, painting a picture of sin that starts as a simple "wrongdoing," moves to a more deliberate "perversity," and culminates in outright "wickedness." This deliberate piling up of terms emphasizes the profound and stubborn nature of Israel's rebellion against God.
The psalm begins with praise for God's steadfast love and calls for rejoicing, but then immediately shifts to a confession of corporate sin. The speaker, representing the entire community and acknowledging a generational pattern, admits to deep-seated wickedness, directly contrasting the earlier praise with the people's persistent rebellion. This confession sets the stage for a recounting of Israel's history, highlighting their repeated failures even in the face of God's powerful acts of salvation, starting from the Exodus.
The psalm begins with praise for God's steadfast love and calls for rejoicing, but then immediately shifts to a confession of corporate sin. The speaker, representing the entire community and acknowledging a generational pattern, admits to deep-seated wickedness, directly contrasting the earlier praise with the people's persistent rebellion. This confession sets the stage for a recounting of Israel's history, highlighting their repeated failures even in the face of God's powerful acts of salvation, starting from the Exodus.
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Mercy Amidst Rebellion
The psalm recounts how, even at the Red Sea, immediately after witnessing God's mighty acts, the people began to doubt and murmur. Yet, God still acted. This highlights a core biblical principle: God's mercy is often extended not because we finally get it right, but because His nature is to be merciful. His kindness is a response to His own character, which He commits to uphold, even when His people repeatedly fail to uphold their end of the covenant.
c. 1406 BC - 586 BC
Period of the Judges and Kings
Israel experiences cycles of faithfulness and unfaithfulness, repeatedly turning to idolatry and incurring God's discipline, interspersed with periods of national repentance and deliverance.
586 BC
The Babylonian Exile Begins
Jerusalem is destroyed, and the majority of the Judean population is exiled to Babylon due to generations of sin and rebellion against God.
"Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness." — The three verbs used here aren't just a poetic flourish; they escalate in intensity, painting a picture of sin that starts as a simple "wrongdoing," moves to a more deliberate "perversity," and culmi…
