Psalm 107
Psalm 107 calls the redeemed of the LORD to give thanks and then tells four rescue stories: wanderers lost in the wilderness, prisoners in darkness, the sick near the gates of death, and sailors caught in a storm. Each time they cry to the LORD in their trouble, he delivers them, and the refrain says, Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness.
Psalm 107 (KJV)
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so v. 1-3
1O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
3And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
Lost in the wilderness v. 4-9
4They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
5Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
6Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
7And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
8Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Bound in darkness v. 10-16
10Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
12Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
Near the gates of death v. 17-22
17Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
18Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
19Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
20He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
21Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
22And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Down to the sea in ships v. 23-32
23They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
24These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
25For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
26They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
27They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
28Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
32Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
He turns the land and lifts the poor v. 33-43
33He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
34A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
35He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.
36And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation;
37And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.
38He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
39Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.
40He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.
41Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.
42The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
43Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
What Psalm 107 means
The psalm opens with the familiar call to give thanks because the LORD is good and his mercy endureth for ever. Then it asks for testimony: "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so." Those he has gathered from the east, west, north and south are invited to tell what he has done.
Four pictures follow, and they share a pattern. First the trouble is described. Then "they cried unto the LORD in their trouble," and he delivered them. Then comes the refrain, "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" The repetition is the point: whatever the trouble, the way out is the same.
The troubles are different on purpose. Some wandered hungry and thirsty with no city to live in, and he led them by the right way. Some sat in darkness and iron chains because they rebelled, and he broke their bands. Some were fools, sick because of their sins, who could not eat, and "He sent his word, and healed them." Some went to sea, where the storm left them reeling at their wit's end, and he made the storm a calm and brought them to their desired haven.
The last section steps back to show God's hand over the land itself. He turns rivers into wilderness when people are wicked, and wilderness into springs where the hungry can settle, sow fields and plant vineyards. He pours contempt on princes and lifts the poor. The psalm ends with an invitation to think: whoever is wise will observe these things and understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Background and context
Psalm 107 has no heading and its writer is not named. It opens Book Five of the Psalms (Psalms 107-150), and its first verse echoes the opening of Psalm 106.
Verses 2-3 speak of people gathered out of the lands from every direction, and many readers connect the psalm with the return of God's people from exile, though its four stories are told so that anyone in trouble can find themselves in it.
Key verses
O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Psalm 107:1-2 · KJV
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Psalm 107:20 · KJV
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psalm 107:28-30 · KJV
Cross references
- Psalm 106:1 The psalm before opens with the same words of thanks.Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
- Mark 4:39-41 Jesus rebukes the wind and there is a great calm, as God does for the sailors in verse 29.And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
- Luke 1:53 Mary sings that God hath filled the hungry with good things, like verse 9.He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
- Matthew 4:16 People who sat in darkness and the shadow of death see a great light, echoing verse 10.The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
- Luke 4:18 Jesus is sent to preach deliverance to the captives, like the prisoners freed in verse 14.The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
- Psalm 136:1 Another psalm built on the line his mercy endureth for ever.O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
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Common questions
What is Psalm 107 about?
It is a thanksgiving psalm with four rescue stories: wanderers, prisoners, the sick, and sailors in a storm. Each cries to the LORD in trouble and is delivered, and each is followed by a call to praise him for his goodness.
Where does it say Let the redeemed of the Lord say so?
Psalm 107:2: "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."
Where is They that go down to the sea in ships?
Psalm 107:23-30 describes sailors in a storm who cry to the LORD, and "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still."
Who wrote Psalm 107?
The psalm has no heading, so its writer is not named. It is the first psalm of Book Five of the Psalms.
What does Oh that men would praise the Lord mean?
It is the psalm's refrain, repeated in verses 8, 15, 21 and 31. It is a wish that people would thank God for his goodness after he rescues them.
Large Print Bible Crossword
Verses of Joy & Praise — 50 Scripture Crossword Puzzles for Adults & Seniors
Psalm 107 is a call to praise the LORD for his goodness, and the Large Print Bible Crossword on joy and praise turns verses like it into 50 easy-to-read puzzles.
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