Psalm 105:28 describes one of the plagues God sent on Egypt: a darkness so thick it could be felt. The second half of the verse adds that the Egyptians did not resist God’s word, a detail that shows how completely his command was carried out. The psalmist is recounting Israel’s history, reminding the people of Israel how God acted on their behalf when Pharaoh refused to let them go.
He sent darkness, and made it dark. They didn’t rebel against his words.
Psalm 105:28 (WEB)
What Psalm 105:28 Means
The first clause, “He sent darkness, and made it dark,” presents the darkness as something God directed. It was not a natural eclipse or a passing storm. The writer makes the point that the whole sequence of plagues, including this one, happened by God’s deliberate action, and the nation of Egypt was powerless to stop it.
The second clause, “They didn’t rebel against his words,” is easy to pass over, but it matters. It describes the Egyptians as people who, in this moment, did not defy what God had spoken through Moses and Aaron. The plagues were not random misfortune. They were a response to a clear word, and the verse notes that the word was obeyed in the sense that it was carried out fully.
What the verse does not do is offer a general promise that God always sends darkness on his enemies, or that every hardship is a judgment. It is a historical summary within a hymn of praise, meant to show God’s faithfulness to Israel. It describes God’s power over creation and over human rulers, not a formula for how he treats individuals today.
The Context of Psalm 105:28
Psalm 105 is a hymn of thanksgiving that retells the history of Israel, from the covenant with Abraham through the exodus and into the wilderness. Psalms like this one were sung in worship, and the psalmist uses the story to call the people to remember what God has done and to trust him. The author is not named in the text, and the psalm is traditionally attributed to David, though scholars generally date it later.
The surrounding verses, 25 through 31, form one continuous account of the plagues in Egypt. Verse 25 describes God turning the Egyptians against his people, and verses 26 and 27 introduce Moses and Aaron and their signs. Verses 29 through 31 continue with the water turned to blood, the frogs, and the flies and lice. Read in that sequence, the darkness in verse 28 is one link in a chain of escalating judgments, which is why the verse reads as part of a larger demonstration of God’s authority.
Key Phrases in Psalm 105:28
Exodus 10:21
The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.”
(WEB)
This is the account of the darkness plague in Exodus, the historical event that Psalm 105:28 summarizes. Reading the fuller story helps you see the scale and the duration of the darkness, and how Pharaoh’s stubbornness led to it.
Psalm 105:1
Give thanks to the LORD! Call on his name! Make his doings known among the peoples.
(WEB)
This opening call to give thanks frames the whole psalm. It explains why the psalmist recounts the plagues at all: to call the people to praise God and make his deeds known among the nations.
A Short Prayer From Psalm 105:28
Lord, you are the one who commands even the darkness, and nothing in creation is outside your authority. When I face seasons that feel heavy and hard to see through, help me remember that you have not lost control. Give me the trust that Israel was called to, the confidence that you keep your word from one generation to the next. Shape my heart to listen when you speak, and let me walk in your light even when the way ahead is dim. Amen.
