Psalms 106:37 Meaning and Explanation
“Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Few verses expose the moral seriousness of idolatry as plainly as this one. The psalm does not soften the deed or allow religious language to make it respectable. It confronts the destruction of sons and daughters as a terrible consequence of turning from the LORD who had redeemed and cared for his people.
Israel's idolatry reached the horrific act of offering their own children, a betrayal of God that the psalm describes as sacrifice unto devils.
The Context of Psalms 106:37
Psalm 106 recounts Israel's sins in the land after the people failed to obey the LORD's command concerning the nations. Verse 35 says they learned the nations' works, and verse 36 says they served idols that became a snare. Verse 37 then names child sacrifice, followed in verse 38 by the shedding of innocent blood and the pollution of the land. Verse 39 calls these works defilement and spiritual unfaithfulness. The following verses describe the LORD's wrath and Israel's oppression, yet the psalm later remembers that he regarded their affliction and remembered his covenant.
What Does Psalms 106:37 Mean?
The opening "Yea" presses the account further, showing that idolatry did not remain at the level of images or ceremonies. They "sacrificed their sons and their daughters," language that keeps the victims personally before us. These were children entrusted to their care. The phrase "unto devils" identifies the spiritual horror beneath worship offered to idols. Scripture elsewhere speaks of sacrifices offered to false gods in this way. The verse therefore unveils idolatry as profoundly opposed to the LORD, whose commands guarded life. It also refuses every attempt to call an act holy merely because it is performed in a religious setting.
Verse 37 stands at the climax of a chain in this section: mingling, learning works, serving idols, then sacrifice. Psalm 106 is not offering a detached chronicle of ancient evil. It is a penitential prayer in which the worshiping community says, "We have sinned with our fathers." That confession does not excuse the fathers or make descendants guilty of acts they did not commit. It acknowledges that the same people who praise God's mercy must honestly remember the depth of human rebellion. The chapter also shows why the LORD's judgment is morally serious. His anger arises in response to deeds that destroy the innocent and violate covenant life.
This verse has a strong canonical connection with the LORD's prohibition of giving one's seed to Molech. God had redeemed Israel's firstborn and gave commands that honored the life of their children; he did not authorize their destruction as worship. The later prophets likewise condemn this practice as a betrayal of the covenant. Christ's ministry displays the opposite direction: he receives children, blesses them, and gives himself for others. That connection must preserve the verse's own gravity. The psalm first calls us to name evil truthfully, to honor the vulnerable, and to turn from every loyalty that demands what belongs to God.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 106:37
“And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.”
- Leviticus 18:21
“Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.”
- Deuteronomy 12:31
“Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:”
- Jeremiah 19:4-5
“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”
- Mark 10:13-16
Where Psalms 106:37 Echoes in Scripture
Jeremiah 19:4-5 echoes the evil named here by condemning the shedding of innocent blood and offerings of children to Baal. The prophet says such acts were not commanded by the LORD. That later witness clarifies Psalm 106:37: this was no acceptable form of devotion that had gone too far. It directly violated God's will and profaned the life he had entrusted to Israel.
How to Apply Psalms 106:37 Today
This verse forms reverence for the lives of children and distrust of any cause, desire, institution, or spiritual claim that treats vulnerable people as expendable. In ordinary life, we can let it deepen our care for children in our homes, churches, neighborhoods, and public responsibilities. It also calls us to examine smaller compromises before they become settled patterns. God is never honored by cruelty, exploitation, or the abandonment of those needing protection. Honest confession gives us room to bring distorted loyalties into his light and to seek practices that nurture life, faithfulness, and mercy.
Reflection & Prayer
What loyalties or pressures tempt us to prize success, approval, or control above the protection of the vulnerable? Suggested prayer: "Merciful God, make our hearts faithful to thee. Teach us to honor the lives entrusted to our care and to reject every work that destroys rather than serves."