Psalm 107 is a thanksgiving celebrating God's deliverance in four scenarios of distress, establishing Book V's redemptive focus, exemplifying the theological concerns of Book 4. The psalmist employs vivid imagery and direct address to God, establishing the intimate dialogue between worshiper and the divine that characterizes the psalmic tradition. The theological assertions center on God's character as both judge and redeemer, creating a comprehensive vision of divine justice and mercy integrated with human experience. The psalm reflects on both personal circumstance and communal identity, suggesting that individual faith finds validation through shared experience with the covenant community. The liturgical context indicates this psalm's function in worship where personal piety integrates with communal celebration of God's acts and attributes. The concluding movement typically affirms confidence in God's faithfulness, exemplifying the psalmic pattern of transformation through prayer and remembrance of divine acts throughout history.
Psalms 107:40
He pours contempt on princes, and makes them wander in trackless wastes.
Psalms 107:41
But he raises the needy out of affliction, and makes their families like flocks.
Psalms 107:42
The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
Psalms 107:43
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
Psalms 107:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalms 107:2
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble. The 'redeemed'—those whom God has saved—become the subject-speakers of the psalm, invited to testify to their deliverance. The phrase 'redeemed from trouble' suggests that redemption addresses specific crises and deliverances. This verse establishes that personal experience of salvation becomes the basis for corporate testimony and praise.
Psalms 107:3
And gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
Psalms 107:4
Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in.
Psalms 107:5
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
Psalms 107:6
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Psalms 107:7
He led them by a straight way until they reached a city to dwell in.
Psalms 107:8
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
Psalms 107:9
For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
Psalms 107:10
Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in affliction and in irons.
Psalms 107:11
For they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
Psalms 107:12
So their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.
Psalms 107:13
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
Psalms 107:14
He brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds.
Psalms 107:15
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
Psalms 107:16
For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.
Psalms 107:17
Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction.
Psalms 107:18
They loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
Psalms 107:19
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
Psalms 107:20
He sent out his word, and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.
Psalms 107:21
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
Psalms 107:22
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy.
Psalms 107:23
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters.
Psalms 107:24
They saw the deeds of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psalms 107:25
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
Psalms 107:26
They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity.
Psalms 107:27
They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits' end.
Psalms 107:28
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress.
Psalms 107:29
He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were calmed.
Psalms 107:30
Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
Psalms 107:31
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
Psalms 107:32
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
Psalms 107:33
He turns rivers into a desert, and springs of water into thirsty ground.
Psalms 107:34
A fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
Psalms 107:35
But he turns a desert into pools of water, and a parched land into springs of water.
Psalms 107:36
And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in.
Psalms 107:37
They sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.
Psalms 107:38
And he blesses them, and they multiply greatly; and he does not let their cattle decrease.
Psalms 107:39
When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.