Psalm 106:38
New International Version
They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.

New Living Translation
They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder.

English Standard Version
they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

Berean Standard Bible
They shed innocent blood—the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

King James Bible
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

New King James Version
And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.

New American Standard Bible
And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was defiled with the blood.

NASB 1995
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.

NASB 1977
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.

Legacy Standard Bible
And they 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.

Amplified Bible
And shed innocent blood, Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with their blood.

Christian Standard Bible
They shed innocent blood — the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; so the land became polluted with blood.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They shed innocent blood— the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; so the land became polluted with blood.

American Standard Version
And shed innocent blood, Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.

Contemporary English Version
and to the gods of Canaan. Then they poured out the blood of these innocent children and made the land filthy.

English Revised Version
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They shed innocent blood, the blood of their own sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land became polluted with blood.

Good News Translation
They killed those innocent children, and the land was defiled by those murders.

International Standard Version
They shed innocent blood— the blood of their sons and daughters— whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, thereby polluting the land with blood.

Majority Standard Bible
They shed innocent blood?the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.

NET Bible
They shed innocent blood--the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted by bloodshed.

New Heart English Bible
They shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted with blood.

Webster's Bible Translation
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

World English Bible
They shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted with blood.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they shed innocent blood—Blood of their sons and of their daughters, "" Whom they have sacrificed to idols of Canaan, "" And the land is profaned with blood.

Young's Literal Translation
And they shed innocent blood -- Blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they have sacrificed to idols of Canaan, And the land is profaned with blood.

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will pour out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters which they sacrificed to the images of Canaan: and the land will be polluted with bloods.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shed innocent blood: the blood of their sons and of their daughters which they sacrificed to the idols of Chanaan. And the land was polluted with blood,

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they shed innocent blood: the blood of their sons and of their daughters, which they sacrificed to the graven images of Canaan. And the land was infected with bloodshed,

New American Bible
Shedding innocent blood, the blood of their own sons and daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, desecrating the land with bloodshed.

New Revised Standard Version
they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was defiled with blood.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Chanaan; and the land was defiled with blood.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Give Thanks to the LORD, for He is Good
37They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. 38They shed innocent blood— the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. 39They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.…

Cross References
Leviticus 18:21
You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

Deuteronomy 12:31
You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

2 Kings 21:6
He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

2 Kings 17:17
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

2 Kings 16:3
Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

Jeremiah 7:31
They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so they could burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I never commanded, nor did it even enter My mind.

Ezekiel 16:20-21
You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough? / You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols.

Ezekiel 23:37
For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire as food for their idols.

2 Chronicles 28:3
Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

Isaiah 57:5
who burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?

Jeremiah 19:4-5
because they have abandoned Me and made this a foreign place. They have burned incense in this place to other gods that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have ever known. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. / They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I never commanded or mentioned, nor did it even enter My mind.

Micah 6:7
Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

1 Corinthians 10:20-21
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. / You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.

Romans 1:28-32
Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. / They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. ...


Treasury of Scripture

And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

shed

Deuteronomy 21:9
So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

2 Kings 21:16
Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

2 Kings 24:4
And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.

the land

Numbers 35:33
So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

Isaiah 1:15
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

Isaiah 26:21
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

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Blood Canaan Daughters Desecrated Idols Images Innocent Offering Polluted Poured Profaned Sacrificed Shed Wrong
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Blood Canaan Daughters Desecrated Idols Images Innocent Offering Polluted Poured Profaned Sacrificed Shed Wrong
Psalm 106
1. The psalmist exhorts to praise God
4. He prays for pardon of sin, as God pardoned the fathers
7. The story of the people's rebellion, and God's mercy
47. He concludes with prayer and praise














They shed innocent blood
This phrase highlights the gravity of the sin committed by the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "innocent" is "naqiy," which implies purity and blamelessness. The shedding of innocent blood is a direct violation of God's commandments, particularly the prohibition against murder. Historically, this refers to the heinous practice of child sacrifice, which was prevalent among the Canaanite tribes. The Israelites, in their disobedience, adopted these detestable practices, thus incurring God's wrath. This phrase serves as a stark reminder of the sanctity of life and the severe consequences of straying from God's laws.

the blood of their sons and daughters
This phrase emphasizes the personal and familial nature of the sin. The Hebrew word for "sons" is "ben" and for "daughters" is "bat," both of which denote not just offspring but a continuation of one's lineage and heritage. The sacrifice of one's children to idols was not only a moral atrocity but also a betrayal of the covenantal promise to raise a godly generation. It reflects a deep spiritual corruption where the most vulnerable and cherished members of society were offered up in misguided worship, highlighting the depth of Israel's apostasy.

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan
The act of sacrifice here is described by the Hebrew word "zabach," which means to slaughter or offer up. The "idols of Canaan" refers to the false gods worshiped by the Canaanites, such as Baal and Molech, who demanded human sacrifices. This practice was strictly forbidden by God, as seen in Leviticus 18:21 and Deuteronomy 12:31. The Israelites' participation in such rituals signifies a complete abandonment of their faith in Yahweh and an adoption of pagan customs, leading to spiritual and moral decay.

and the land was polluted with blood
The term "polluted" comes from the Hebrew "tame," meaning to defile or make unclean. The shedding of innocent blood defiled the land, making it unfit for God's presence. This concept is rooted in the belief that the land itself is a sacred gift from God, meant to be a place of holiness and righteousness. The bloodshed brought about a spiritual contamination that required divine judgment and cleansing. This phrase serves as a sobering reminder of the communal and environmental impact of sin, urging believers to uphold justice and purity in their lives.

(38) Innocent blood.--Human sacrifice, and especially that of children, was a Canaanite practice. It seems to have been inherent in Phoenician custom, for Carthage was, two centuries after Christ, notorious for it. (See Sil. Ital., iv. 767.)

Verse 38. - And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters. Infants, who could have committed no actual sin, were the ordinary victims in the Moloch sacrifices (see Jarchi on Jeremiah 7:31; Diod. Sic., 20:14; Dollinger, 'Judenthum und Heidenthum,' 1:427, Engl. trans.). Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan. Bloody offerings of this horrible kind were made, not only to Moloch, but also to Baal (Jeremiah 19:5), to Chemosh (2 Kings 3:27), and perhaps to other deities. And the land was polluted with blood. Contrary to the commandment given in Deuteronomy 35:33, "Ye shall not pollute the laud wherein ye are." The "innocent blood" shed in the land is often declared to have been the especial cause of God's anger against Israel, and of his final casting away of his inheritance (2 Kings 24:4; Isaiah 59:7; Jeremiah 7:6; Jeremiah 22:3, 17, etc.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They shed
וַיִּֽשְׁפְּכ֨וּ (way·yiš·pə·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 8210: To spill forth, to expend, to sprawl out

innocent
נָקִ֡י (nā·qî)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 5355: Clean, free from, exempt

blood—
דָ֪ם (ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

the blood
דַּם־ (dam-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

of their sons
בְּנֵ֘יהֶ֤ם (bə·nê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

and daughters,
וּֽבְנוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם (ū·ḇə·nō·w·ṯê·hem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1323: A daughter

whom
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

they sacrificed
זִ֭בְּחוּ (zib·bə·ḥū)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2076: To slaughter for sacrifice

to the idols
לַעֲצַבֵּ֣י (la·‘ă·ṣab·bê)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6091: An, image

of Canaan,
כְנָ֑עַן (ḵə·nā·‘an)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3667: Canaan -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their land West of the Jordan

and the land
הָ֝אָ֗רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

was polluted
וַתֶּחֱנַ֥ף (wat·te·ḥĕ·nap̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 2610: To be polluted or profane

with blood.
בַּדָּמִֽים׃ (bad·dā·mîm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed


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OT Poetry: Psalm 106:38 They shed innocent blood even the blood (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 106:37
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