What is the meaning of Psalm 106:31?

It was credited

• Psalm 106:31 reaches back to the historical narrative of Numbers 25:7–13. When Phinehas “rose up and intervened,” Scripture records, “the plague was halted”.

• The verb “credited” (cf. Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3) shows God’s unchanging pattern of counting a believer’s faithful act as genuine righteousness.

• Because the text is divinely inspired, we can trust that this crediting was not symbolic or partial; it was a real standing before God, recognized and recorded in His sight.

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to him

• The pronoun points specifically to Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson (Numbers 25:11).

• God singles out individuals who act in faith-filled obedience—just as He did with Noah (Genesis 6:8), Abraham (Nehemiah 9:7–8), and David (Acts 13:22).

• Personal accountability and personal reward stand side by side. Phinehas’s singular zeal halted national judgment, yet the commendation rests on him.

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as righteousness

• The phrase equates Phinehas’s action with the covenantal standard of right standing (Deuteronomy 6:25).

• His decisive intervention aligned perfectly with God’s revealed holiness (Leviticus 10:3), demonstrating that true righteousness is always measured by conformity to God’s character.

• Romans 4:22–24 uses the same language about Abraham, underscoring that God credits righteousness on the basis of faith expressed through obedient action, not human merit.

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for endless generations to come

• Numbers 25:13 promises Phinehas “a covenant of a lasting priesthood.” Psalm 106 highlights that this covenantal blessing echoes through every subsequent generation (Exodus 29:9).

• The permanence reveals God’s faithfulness to perpetuate blessings beyond one lifetime (Psalm 103:17).

• This enduring legacy anticipates Christ, whose priesthood “lives forever” (Hebrews 7:24); Phinehas’s line ultimately points to the eternal High Priest.

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summary

Psalm 106:31 celebrates a historic moment when Phinehas’s zealous obedience was counted as true righteousness, personally bestowed, fully valid before God, and perpetually honored throughout succeeding generations. The verse reminds us that God credits righteousness to those who act in faith, declares that such righteousness is real and lasting, and assures us that His covenant blessings endure forever.