Psalms107

Psalm 107 is a call to give thanks unto the LORD for His enduring mercy and wonderful works. It illustrates God's deliverance of various groups in distress: wanderers, prisoners, the sick, and mariners, all of whom cried out to Him in their trouble. The psalm repeatedly urges men to praise God for His goodness and power, concluding with a reflection on His sovereignty over nature and nations.

Call to Praise the Redeeming Lord

Give thanks to ADONAI; for he is good, for his grace continues forever.

Let those redeemed by ADONAI say it, those he redeemed from the power of the foe.

He gathered them from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea.

First Example: Wanderers in the Desert

They wandered in the desert, on paths through the wastes, without finding any inhabited city.

They were hungry and thirsty, their life was ebbing away.

In their trouble they cried to ADONAI, and he rescued them from their distress.

He led them by a direct path to a city where they could live.

Let them give thanks to ADONAI for his grace, for his wonders bestowed on humanity!

For he has satisfied the hungry, filled the starving with good.

Second Example: Prisoners of Rebellion

Some lived in darkness, in death-dark gloom, bound in misery and iron chains,

because they defied God's word, scorned the counsel of the Most High.

So he humbled their hearts by hard labor; when they stumbled, no one came to their aid.

In their trouble they cried to ADONAI, and he rescued them from their distress.

He led them from darkness, from death-dark gloom, shattering their chains.

Let them give thanks to ADONAI for his grace, for his wonders bestowed on humanity!

For he shattered bronze doors and cut through iron bars.

Third Example: The Sick and Afflicted

There were foolish people who suffered affliction because of their crimes and sins;

they couldn't stand to eat anything; they were near the gates of death.

In their trouble they cried to ADONAI, and he rescued them from their distress;

he sent his word and healed them, he delivered them from destruction.

Let them give thanks to ADONAI for his grace, for his wonders bestowed on humanity!

Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and proclaim his great deeds with songs of joy.

Fourth Example: Those in Peril at Sea

Those who go down to the sea in ships, plying their trade on the great ocean,

saw the works of ADONAI, his wonders in the deep.

For at his word the storm-wind arose, lifting up towering waves.

The sailors were raised up to the sky, then plunged into the depths. At the danger, their courage failed them,

they reeled and staggered like drunk men, and all their skill was swallowed up.

In their trouble they cried to ADONAI, and he rescued them from their distress.

He silenced the storm and stilled its waves,

and they rejoiced as the sea grew calm. Then he brought them safely to their desired port.

Let them give thanks to ADONAI for his grace, for his wonders bestowed on humanity!

Let them extol him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the leaders' council.

God's Sovereignty Over Nature and Society

He turns rivers into desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,

productive land into salt flats, because the people living there are so wicked.

But he also turns desert into pools of water, dry land into flowing springs;

there he gives the hungry a home, and they build a city to live in;

there they sow fields and plant vineyards, which yield an abundant harvest.

He blesses them, their numbers grow, and he doesn't let their livestock decrease.

When their numbers fall, and they grow weak, because of oppression, disaster and sorrow,

he pours contempt on princes and leaves them to wander in trackless wastes.

But the needy he raises up from their distress and increases their families like sheep.

When the upright see this, they rejoice; while the wicked are reduced to silence.

Let whoever is wise observe these things and consider ADONAI's loving deeds.

Study Notes for Psalms 107

Verse 1

This psalm opens with a foundational liturgical call to worship, emphasizing the Lord's enduring loyal love (Hebrew: *hesed*), a covenant concept central to Israel’s identity.

Verse 2

The 'redeemed' refers primarily to Israel, gathered from the Diaspora after the Exile, reflecting the scope of God’s redemptive power across all directions.

Verse 4

The first scenario reflects the ancient motif of the Exodus wilderness experience, but also symbolizes any period of profound disorientation, lack of provision, and vulnerability in life.

Verse 8

This verse introduces the first of four identical refrains (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31), providing the structural backbone of the psalm and serving as a universal invitation to gratitude.

Verse 10

This case describes those suffering the consequences of moral failure, where 'darkness and the shadow of death' signify not only physical prison but also spiritual despair and judgment.

Verse 11

Unlike the desert wanderers (who suffered physical distress), the affliction of the prisoners is explicitly attributed to their active disobedience and contempt for God's divine guidance.

Verse 17

This section addresses those whose affliction and near-death experience are described as the direct result of their own 'transgression' and folly (*'ewilim*), emphasizing self-inflicted suffering.

Verse 20

The healing agent is God's 'word' (davar), highlighting that divine restoration is not merely physical intervention but a creative, authoritative declaration that conquers destruction.

Verse 23

This final scenario depicts the ultimate experience of human helplessness before the overwhelming power of nature, common among ancient peoples who viewed the deep waters as chaos.

Verse 27

The imagery of staggering and being 'at their wits’ end' dramatically illustrates the utter loss of human control, emphasizing that salvation must come entirely from an external, sovereign source.

Verse 28

In all four scenarios (vv. 6, 13, 19, 28), the consistent path to deliverance is the desperate, collective cry to the Lord in their trouble, demonstrating the efficacy of prayer.

Verse 33

The psalm shifts from specific rescue accounts to a meditation on God’s total control over the natural world, showing He uses environmental change (drought or fertility) as instruments of judgment or blessing.

Verse 35

This reversal of conditions (turning wilderness into water) highlights God’s power to create stability and provision for the poor and hungry, demonstrating His faithfulness to the marginalized.

Verse 40

God’s judgment often involves reversing the status of the powerful, humiliating proud rulers ('princes') and leaving them disoriented, mirroring the distress of the original wilderness wanderers (v. 4).

Verse 43

This concluding wisdom challenge calls the reader to apply theological reflection, linking the observation of God's historical and environmental acts directly to understanding His enduring *hesed* (lovingkindness).

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Psalms107

Call to Praise the Redeeming Lord

First Example: Wanderers in the Desert

Second Example: Prisoners of Rebellion

Third Example: The Sick and Afflicted

Fourth Example: Those in Peril at Sea

God's Sovereignty Over Nature and Society

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