“When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.”
When they were few in number, of little account, and strangers in it. This clause acknowledges the vulnerability and marginality of the patriarchs, emphasizing divine initiative rather than human strength or numbers. The patriarch's status as 'strangers' in the promised land underscores the tension between promise and present reality, between covenantal hope and existential precarity. This portrait of weakness serves to highlight God's power to elevate and fulfill, making the subsequent narrative of growth and deliverance theologically significant.
Church Fathers on Psalms 105:12
1. This Psalm is the first of those to which is prefixed the word Allelujah; the meaning of which word, or rather two words, is, Praise the Lord. For this reason he begins with praises: “O confess unto the Lord, and call upon His Name” Psalm 104:1; for this confession is to be understood as praise, just as these words of our Lord, “I confess to You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” Matthew 11:25 For after commencing with praise, calling upon God is wont to follow,…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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