Remember His Wonders
When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land, Psalm 105:12 · Berean Standard Bible
When this promise was first given to Abraham, the people who would inherit it didn't exist yet—or existed in such small numbers that they seemed insignificant and foreign wherever they were.
Abraham had one son, Isaac. Isaac had one son, Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons. Then they went to Egypt. That's the beginning—tiny, vulnerable, living as outsiders in other people's lands. The contrast is profound: from these few people, God promised to make a great nation.
The psalmist, setting up the story that follows
Genesis shows Abraham and his immediate family as nomads, strangers in the land, dependent on others' hospitality. Yet God says: I will make you countless and this land will be yours.
When the patriarchs first received these promises, they were numerically insignificant and lacked established territory—they were alien sojourners.
The phrase 'few in number' (*qtnm smr bmspr*) echoes Deuteronomy 4:27 and 26:5 ('My father was a wandering Aramean'). This emphasizes the miraculous character of Israel's subsequent growth and conquest: from tiny family to multitude. The language of 'strangers' (*grym*) acknowledges their vulnerable status in Canaan during the patriarchal period.
The narrative voice, establishing the narrative's initial conditions—the lowly starting point that makes subsequent divine action more remarkable.
This inaugurates the Joseph narrative (vv. 17-20) and will lead into the Egyptian sojourn. The pattern establishes itself: God makes promises to a tiny, vulnerable group; history unfolds through divine protection of these insignificant people.
10He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11“I will give you the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.”
12When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land,
13they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
14He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:
Read all of Psalm 105 — From Abraham to the exodus, God's faithfulness is retold as a song. He remembered His holy promise and brought His people out with joy.
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