Psalms 106:20 Meaning and Explanation
“Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →The golden calf was more than a moment of poor judgment in Israel's journey. Psalm 106 names its inward meaning: the people treated the God who had redeemed them as though He could be represented by an animal image. The verse helps us see why worship matters so deeply. What we honor shapes the whole direction of our trust, gratitude, and obedience.
Israel exchanged the glory belonging to their saving God for the likeness of a grass-eating ox. The verse exposes idolatry as a disastrous turning from the living Lord to a creaturely image.
The Context of Psalms 106:20
Psalm 106 opens with praise and thanksgiving, then joins the psalmist's confession with the sins of Israel's fathers. The early section remembers deliverance from Egypt and the Red Sea, followed by Israel's quick forgetfulness in the wilderness. Verses 19 and 20 focus on Horeb, where they made and worshipped a molten calf. Verse 21 immediately identifies the One they forgot as God their Saviour, whose great works in Egypt had displayed His power. The psalm moves from this offense to Moses standing in the breach for the people.
What Does Psalms 106:20 Mean?
"Thus" draws the verse directly from the making and worshipping of the calf. Their act had an exchange at its heart. "Their glory" most naturally points to the LORD, Israel's true boast and honor, rather than to a possession they owned. He had revealed His strength in their rescue, supplied for them, and brought them into covenant relationship. Yet they turned toward a "similitude," an outward likeness fashioned by human hands. The final phrase, "an ox that eateth grass," sharpens the contrast. A grazing creature depends upon the provision of the world God made. Israel gave the devotion due to their Deliverer to an image of a dependent creature.
The chapter repeatedly traces sin to forgotten mercy and refusal to wait for God's counsel. The calf episode stands as a concentrated picture of that pattern. Israel had heard God's words at Sinai and had recently seen His mighty acts, yet visible craftsmanship became more compelling than faithful remembrance. Psalm 106 does not present the image as a harmless aid to devotion. It joins it to worship, forgetfulness, and the grave threat of judgment in verse 23. The psalm also remembers Moses, God's chosen servant, standing before Him for the people. Human rebellion is serious, and the chapter still bears witness to God's covenant mercy and to the ministry of intercession.
Later Scripture recalls this exchange when describing the folly of giving creaturely forms the honor owed to God. The biblical answer is worship directed toward the Creator and Redeemer as He has made Himself known. In the New Testament, Christ is called the image of the invisible God, a description grounded in His unique relation to the Father rather than in a human-made representation. He makes God known through His person, words, works, death, and risen life. Psalm 106:20 therefore directs our attention toward reverent knowledge of God and away from every substitute that reduces His glory to something we can manage, display, or control.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 106:20
“And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”
- Exodus 32:4
“And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.”
- Deuteronomy 9:16
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”
- Romans 1:23
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”
- Colossians 1:15
Where Psalms 106:20 Echoes in Scripture
Romans 1:23 strongly echoes Psalm 106:20 by speaking of a change from the glory of the incorruptible God to images resembling created beings. Paul applies the pattern broadly, showing that Israel's sin at Horeb reveals a human temptation that reaches beyond one generation. The echo preserves the psalm's central contrast between God's glory and the creaturely forms people elevate in worship.
How to Apply Psalms 106:20 Today
This verse invites honest attention to the things that receive our deepest confidence. Idols may take the form of possessions, influence, personal ability, public approval, or a picture of God shaped mainly by our own wishes. Ordinary faithfulness includes remembering the Lord's mercies, giving thanks for His saving help, and allowing His word to correct the images our hearts form. In gathered worship and private prayer, we can ask for a truer reverence: gratitude for the God who acts, humility before His holiness, and patience to receive His counsel rather than demanding something immediate and visible.
Reflection & Prayer
What lesser thing has begun to carry the weight of trust, fear, or praise that belongs to the Lord? Prayer: O God, keep our memory awake to Your mercies. Turn our hearts from every false likeness, and teach us to honor You with grateful, faithful worship. Amen.