God abhors the destruction of the innocent, for it shatters the very heart of community.
“And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with the blood.” (v.38)
In this verse, the psalmist mourns the grievous sins of the Israelites, describing how they shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters by offering them up in sacrifice to pagan deities. Such practices were thoroughly condemned throughout Scripture, reflecting the LORD’s deep abhorrence of violence against the defenseless. Solomon’s wisdom literature portrays shedding innocent blood as an inversion of God’s design for humanity—an act of violence that severs fellowship and desecrates life. This betrayal of God’s ways underlines how the people were led astray into idolatrous rituals, thereby corrupting the very moral fabric of their nation.
These sons and daughters were sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, referring to the land located west of the Jordan River, which included modern Lebanon and parts of Syria. Historically, Canaan’s inhabitants engaged in rampant moral depravity—including child sacrifice, sexual immorality, and worship of false gods. When the Israelites adopted these same wicked practices, they forsook their covenant with the LORD, embracing a heinous form of worship that went directly against God’s commands (Leviticus 18:21).
Because of these abominations, the land was polluted with the blood. Scripture repeatedly affirms that innocent blood defiles the land, disrupting both societal harmony and Israel’s relationship to their holy God. Where the people were meant to uphold justice and righteousness, they instead brought devastation upon themselves by following the destructive customs of the nations around them. Psalm 106:38 serves as a solemn reminder that every life is precious and that worshiping the LORD demands steadfast reverence for His holiness, expressed in how we treat one another.
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Psalms 106:38 meaning
“And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with the blood.” (v.38)
In this verse, the psalmist mourns the grievous sins of the Israelites, describing how they shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters by offering them up in sacrifice to pagan deities. Such practices were thoroughly condemned throughout Scripture, reflecting the LORD’s deep abhorrence of violence against the defenseless. Solomon’s wisdom literature portrays shedding innocent blood as an inversion of God’s design for humanity—an act of violence that severs fellowship and desecrates life. This betrayal of God’s ways underlines how the people were led astray into idolatrous rituals, thereby corrupting the very moral fabric of their nation.
These sons and daughters were sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, referring to the land located west of the Jordan River, which included modern Lebanon and parts of Syria. Historically, Canaan’s inhabitants engaged in rampant moral depravity—including child sacrifice, sexual immorality, and worship of false gods. When the Israelites adopted these same wicked practices, they forsook their covenant with the LORD, embracing a heinous form of worship that went directly against God’s commands (Leviticus 18:21).
Because of these abominations, the land was polluted with the blood. Scripture repeatedly affirms that innocent blood defiles the land, disrupting both societal harmony and Israel’s relationship to their holy God. Where the people were meant to uphold justice and righteousness, they instead brought devastation upon themselves by following the destructive customs of the nations around them. Psalm 106:38 serves as a solemn reminder that every life is precious and that worshiping the LORD demands steadfast reverence for His holiness, expressed in how we treat one another.