The dual role of historiography in psalm 106: Justifying the present distress and demonstrating the individual's potential contribution

In its reference to the people's sins in the wilderness, Psalm 106 connects the episode of the spies to the future exile. This idea, that the exile came as a result of the sins of the ancestors, is not found in the Pentateuch. We do find it in Ezekiel 20, in the prophet's attempt to present the fate of Israel as foretold and deterministic. This paper asks why and in what way the psalmist adopts Ezekiel's idea and terminology. The psalmist cites Ezekiel's words almost entirely, acknowledging that the situation of the exile was predetermined. However, in its new context, this idea is altered as the psalmist highlights the people's ability to influence and ease the severity of their situation.