Psalms 106:8-10
Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert. So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
It's easy to read this as God saving the Israelites despite their unfaithfulness. But the verse actually highlights that God's motivation wasn't their worthiness, but His own glory, proving that He acts not for human merit, but for the sake of His powerful and irreproachable name.
This psalm is a confession of Israel's long history of sin and rebellion, contrasting it with God's persistent faithfulness. Immediately before this verse, the psalmist acknowledges their fathers' foolishness in not remembering God's wonders in Egypt and their rebellion at the Red Sea. This verse then highlights God's incredible act of saving them despite their unfaithfulness, not because of their merit, but to display His mighty power and preserve the honor of His name.
Why would God rescue a people who were constantly grumbling and forgetting Him? The answer isn't found in their merit, but in His.
This verse hits us with a powerful truth: God's act of salvation, even for disobedient Israel, wasn't primarily driven by their worthiness. It was driven by His 'name's sake.'
Glorifying His Reputation
Think about God's name as His reputation, His character, and His promises all rolled into one. When Israel faced the Red Sea, their Egyptian oppressors were ready to mock God, saying He was too weak or powerless to save His people. To let them perish would have been a massive blow to God's global reputation. So, He acted:
This shows us that God's motivation for saving is rooted in His own glorious character, not in our deserving it. He acts to display His own goodness and power.
How does God choose to reveal His incredible might? Often, it's not through sheer force, but through the dramatic rescue of His people.
The verse doesn't just say God saved them; it tells us why: 'that he might make known his mighty power.' This reveals a key aspect of God's character – He wants us to know His power, and He uses acts of salvation as a primary way to do this.
Power in the Paradox
Consider the scene at the Red Sea. Israel is trapped: mountains on one side, the sea in front, and a pursuing army behind. It looks like the end.
But God’s power isn't just about overwhelming force; it's about a power that intervenes in impossible situations. He didn't just push the sea back; He 'rebuked the Red Sea' and 'dried it up,' making a path through the depths like a dry plain.
Understand the original words
shem · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the reputation, character, and authority of God. Acting for His name's sake signifies that God's primary motivation is to uphold His own glory and reveal His holy character to the world.
geburah · Hebrew Noun
The active, irresistible exercise of divine strength. It points to God's ability to intervene in history and manifest His sovereignty over nature and human affairs.
ga'al · Hebrew Verb
The act of buying back or delivering someone from slavery, debt, or captivity. Biblically, it emphasizes the cost of the deliverance and the transition from bondage to freedom by God's intervention.
This verse highlights the Exodus from Egypt, a pivotal moment where God's power was displayed to save His people and establish His reputation among the nations, despite their immediate unfaithfulness.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Israelites Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites, after centuries of slavery, are miraculously led out of Egypt by God through Moses, escaping the pursuing Egyptian army.
c. 1446 BC
Parting of the Red Sea
God miraculously parts the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry ground while the pursuing Egyptian army is drowned.
c. 1446 BC
Israelites Wander in Wilderness
Following the Exodus, the Israelites begin their 40-year journey through the Sinai wilderness, facing numerous challenges and testing God's faithfulness.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
After 40 years of wandering, the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, begin the conquest of the Promised Land, fulfilling God's promises.
This verse describes God's intention behind hardening Pharaoh's heart, which directly echoes Psalm 106:8 by stating the purpose was for God 'to be glorified through Pharaoh and all his host, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.'
Ezekiel 36:22This passage from Ezekiel emphasizes God's motivation for acting on behalf of Israel, stating 'it is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to do these things, but for my holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went.' This highlights the concept of God acting for His own name's sake, just as in Psalm 106:8.
Isaiah 43:25Here, God explicitly states His reason for forgiving sins: 'I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; I will not remember your sins.' This shows the divine principle of acting for His name's glory, mirroring the reason given in Psalm 106:8.
Nehemiah 9:17In Nehemiah's prayer, he recounts God's mighty acts, including the Exodus, mentioning 'they refused to obey and did not remember the wondrous things that you did for them, but rebelled against you at the sea, even at the Red Sea.' This parallels the people's forgetfulness and rebellion described in Psalm 106, contrasting with God's persistent saving power for His name's sake.
bensonPsalms 106:8: "Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known."
Psalm 106:8-12 . Nevertheless, he saved them for his name’s sake — That he might glorify his name, and vindicate it from the blasphemous reproaches which the Egyptians and others would have cast upon it if the Israelites had been destroyed. He rebuked the sea also — For standing in their way, and retarding their march; and it was dried up — Immediately; as, in the creation, at God’s…
clarkePsalms 106:8: "Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known."
He saved them for his name's sake - למען שמו lemaan shemo, "on account of his name;" to manifest his own power, goodness, and perfections. There was nothing which he could draw from them as a reason why he should save them; therefore he drew the reason from himself. There is a singular gloss in the old Psalter on this verse: "Whan thai cam oute of Egypt to the rede Se, whare thai we…
It's easy to read this as God saving the Israelites despite their unfaithfulness. But the verse actually highlights that God's motivation wasn't their worthiness, but His own glory, proving that He acts not for human merit, but for the sake of His powerful and irreproachable name.
This psalm is a confession of Israel's long history of sin and rebellion, contrasting it with God's persistent faithfulness. Immediately before this verse, the psalmist acknowledges their fathers' foolishness in not remembering God's wonders in Egypt and their rebellion at the Red Sea. This verse then highlights God's incredible act of saving them despite their unfaithfulness, not because of their merit, but to display His mighty power and preserve the honor of His name.
This psalm is a confession of Israel's long history of sin and rebellion, contrasting it with God's persistent faithfulness. Immediately before this verse, the psalmist acknowledges their fathers' foolishness in not remembering God's wonders in Egypt and their rebellion at the Red Sea. This verse then highlights God's incredible act of saving them despite their unfaithfulness, not because of their merit, but to display His mighty power and preserve the honor of His name.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Psalms 106:8-10 is available in the Sola app.
This wasn't just brute strength; it was purposeful, directed power, designed to:
"Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert. So he saved them from the hand of the foe…" — It's easy to read this as God saving the Israelites despite their unfaithfulness. But the verse actually highlights that God's motivation wasn't their worthiness, but His own glory, proving that He…
