1 Give ye thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever.
2 Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the oppressor,
3 And gathered out of the countries, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea.
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way, they found no city of habitation;
5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them:
6 Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble, [and] he delivered them out of their distresses,
7 And he led them forth by a right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
8 Let them give thanks unto Jehovah for his loving-kindness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men;
9 For he hath satisfied the longing soul and filled the hungry soul with good.
10 Such as inhabit darkness and the shadow of death, bound in affliction and iron,
11 Because they had rebelled against the words of ùGod, and had despised the counsel of the Most High; ...
12 And he bowed down their heart with labour; they stumbled, and there was none to help:
13 Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble, [and] he saved them out of their distresses;
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bands in sunder.
15 Let them give thanks unto Jehovah for his loving-kindness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men;
16 For he hath broken the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron.
17 Fools, because of their way of transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted;
18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of food, and they draw near unto the gates of death:
19 Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble, [and] he saveth them out of their distresses;
20 He sendeth his word, and healeth them, and delivereth them from their destructions.
21 Let them give thanks unto Jehovah for his loving-kindness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men,
22 And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works in joyful song.
23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters,
24 These see the works of Jehovah, and his wonders in the deep.
25 For he speaketh, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof:
26 They mount up to the heavens, they go down to the depths; their soul is melted because of trouble;
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and they are at their wits' end:
28 Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses;
29 He maketh the storm a calm, and the waves thereof are still:
30 And they rejoice because they are quiet; and he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks unto Jehovah for his loving-kindness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men;
32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the session of the elders.
33 He maketh rivers into a wilderness, and water-springs into dry ground;
34 A fruitful land into a plain of salt, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
35 He maketh the wilderness into a pool of water, and the dry land into water-springs;
36 And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, and they establish a city of habitation;
37 And sow fields, and plant vineyards, which yield fruits of increase;
38 And he blesseth them, so that they are multiplied greatly; and he suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
39 And they are diminished and brought low, through oppression, adversity, and sorrow:
40 He poureth contempt upon nobles, and causeth them to wander in a pathless waste;
41 But he secureth the needy one on high from affliction, and maketh [him] families like flocks.
42 The upright shall see it, and rejoice; and all unrighteousness shall stop its mouth.
43 Whoso is wise, let him observe these things, and let them understand the loving-kindnesses of Jehovah.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 107
Commentary on Psalms 107 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 107
Ps 107:1-43. Although the general theme of this Psalm may have been suggested by God's special favor to the Israelites in their restoration from captivity, it must be regarded as an instructive celebration of God's praise for His merciful providence to all men in their various emergencies. Of these several are given—captivity and bondage, wanderings by land and sea, and famine; some as evidences of God's displeasure, and all the deliverances as evidence of His goodness and mercy to them who humbly seek Him.
1, 2. This call for thankful praise is the burden or chorus (compare Ps 107:8, 15, &c.).
2. redeemed of the Lord—(compare Isa 35:9, 10).
say—that is, that His mercy, &c.
hand of—or, "power of enemy."
3. gathered—alluding to the dispersion of captives throughout the Babylonian empire.
from the south—literally, "the sea," or, Red Sea (Ps 114:3), which was on the south.
4-7. A graphic picture is given of the sufferings of those who from distant lands returned to Jerusalem; or,
city of habitation—may mean the land of Palestine.
5. fainted—was overwhelmed (Ps 61:3; 77:3).
8, 9. To the chorus is added, as a reason for praise, an example of the extreme distress from which they had been delivered—extreme hunger, the severest privation of a journey in the desert.
10-16. Their sufferings were for their rebellion against (Ps 105:28) the words, or purposes, or promises, of God for their benefit. When humbled they cry to God, who delivers them from bondage, described as a dark dungeon with doors and bars of metal, in which they are bound in iron—that is, chains and fetters.
shadow of death—darkness with danger (Ps 23:4).
16. broken—literally, "shivered" (Isa 45:2).
17-22. Whether the same or not, this exigency illustrates that dispensation of God according to which sin brings its own punishment.
are afflicted—literally, "afflict themselves," that is, bring on disease, denoted by loathing of food, and drawing
18. near unto—literally, "even to"
gates—or, "domains" (Ps 9:13).
20. sent his word—that is, put forth His power.
their destructions—that is, that which threatened them. To the chorus is added the mode of giving thanks, by a sacrifice and joyful singing (Ps 50:14).
23-32. Here are set forth the perils of seafaring, futility of man's, and efficiency of God's, help.
go … sea—alluding to the elevation of the land at the coast.
24. These see … deep—illustrated both by the storm He raises and the calm He makes with a word (Ps 33:9).
25. waves thereof—literally, "His waves" (God's, Ps 42:7).
27. are … end—literally, "all their wisdom swallows up itself," destroys itself by vain and contradictory devices, such as despair induces.
29-32. He maketh … calm—or, "to stand to stillness," or "in quiet." Instead of acts of temple-worship, those of the synagogue are here described, where the people with the
assembly—or session of elders, convened for reading, singing, prayer, and teaching.
33-41. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, &c.—God's providence is illustriously displayed in His influence on two great elements of human prosperity, the earth's productiveness and the powers of government. He punishes the wicked by destroying the sources of fertility, or, in mercy, gives fruitfulness to deserts, which become the homes of a busy and successful agricultural population. By a permitted misrule and tyranny, this scene of prosperity is changed to one of adversity. He rules rulers, setting up one and putting down another.
40. wander … wilderness—reduced to misery (Job 12:24).
42, 43. In this providential government, good men will rejoice, and the cavils of the wicked will be stopped (Job 5:16; Isa 52:15), and all who take right views will appreciate God's unfailing mercy and unbounded love.