Psalms 106:26 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Therefore he lifted up his hand— Lifting the hand was the usual form of swearing. As the history observes, that upon their refusing to take possession of the Promised Land, God swore that themselves should perish in the wilderness, but their children should be quietly settled in the possession of it, one is tempted to translate the passage thus: "God swore that he would give them their portion in the wilderness, and that he would give their children their inheritance among the nations of Canaan; but themselves he would scatter up and down the countries they wandered through." Mudge.