John Calvin Commentary Psalms 106:26

"Therefore he sware unto them, That he would overthrow them in the wilderness," — Psalms 106:26 (ASV)

And he lifted up. He describes another example of God's vengeance, the memory of which should have been deeply embedded in their hearts, so that, cherishing a constant fear of Him, they might watch over themselves with the greatest care. Since no good resulted from all this, it is clear that the madness of that people was incurable.

At that time God restrained His anger, in that He did not scatter their offspring throughout various parts of the earth. However, His threat itself should have been enough to subdue their pride, if they had not been incorrigible.

To lift up the hand in this passage can have two meanings. In Scripture, God is frequently said to lift up His hand to inflict punishment. But since it is generally acknowledged that the prophet is here speaking of swearing, I readily agree with this view.

The practice of lifting up the hand—as if they were calling God down from heaven—was a solemn and customary rite among them when taking an oath. Consequently, it is not strictly applicable to God, whose sublimity transcends all things, and who, as the apostle says, cannot swear by a greater than himself (Hebrews 6:13). When this expression is used for God, therefore, it must be understood that its usage is borrowed from common human customs.

If the Holy Land had not been preserved for the people through the prayers of Moses, their dispersion would indeed have been terrible.