Psalms 107 Study Notes: Four Rescues and a Call to Thanks
This psalm calls those the LORD has redeemed to thank Him for His goodness and lasting love. Lost travelers, rebel prisoners, sick fools, and storm-tossed sailors each cry to Him and are rescued; He ruins and restores lands, humbles nobles, lifts the needy, and the wise are urged to ponder His love.
General
What reason for thanks does 107:16 give after the prisoners are freed?
Answer: God had shattered the prison's metal gates and bars
When the prisoners called on Him, the LORD led them out of the darkness and broke off their chains (107:13-14). The reason given for their thanks is that He smashed the prison's bronze gates and cut through its iron bars (107:15-16). No prison is too strong for Him. Isaiah uses the same picture of God breaking bronze gates and iron bars (Isaiah 45:2). Isaiah 61:1 describes the LORD's anointed one sent to announce freedom to captives, words Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth and said were fulfilled in Him (Luke 4:21).
- Psalm 107:14-16 (BSB)“He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men. For He has broken down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.”God brings the prisoners out of darkness, breaks their chains, and shatters the prison gates.
- Isaiah 45:2 (BSB)““I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.”God uses the same picture of shattering bronze gates and iron bars when He promises to go before Cyrus.
- Luke 4:21 (BSB)“and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””After reading from Isaiah 61, Jesus declares that this Scripture is fulfilled that day.
- Isaiah 61:1 (BSB)“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,”The one anointed by the LORD is sent to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.
Theological
What ground does 107:16 give for the freed prisoners' thanksgiving?
Answer: God had shattered the prison's metal gates and bars
The prisoners' deliverance (107:13-14) is grounded in God's overwhelming power: He has shattered the bronze gates and severed the iron bars (107:16). The same imagery appears in Isaiah 45:2 for the LORD going before Cyrus. Isaiah 61:1 announces the mission of the one anointed by the LORD, liberty for the captives, a text Jesus read at Nazareth and declared fulfilled in Himself (Luke 4:21).
- Psalm 107:14-16 (BSB)“He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men. For He has broken down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.”God brings the prisoners out of darkness, breaks their chains, and shatters the prison gates.
- Isaiah 45:2 (BSB)““I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.”God uses the same picture of shattering bronze gates and iron bars when He promises to go before Cyrus.
- Luke 4:21 (BSB)“and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””After reading from Isaiah 61, Jesus declares that this Scripture is fulfilled that day.
- Isaiah 61:1 (BSB)“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,”The one anointed by the LORD is sent to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.
General
Whom does God settle in the desert He has watered, according to 107:35-36?
Answer: The people who had been hungry
God can also reverse the reversal. He turns desert into pools and dry land into springs (107:35), and He settles the hungry there so they can build a city to live in (107:36). They plant fields and vineyards, reap a good harvest, and grow in number, with herds that do not dwindle, because He blesses them (107:37-38). This echoes the first rescue scene, where hungry wanderers were led to a city (107:4-7). Isaiah uses the same picture of water breaking out in the wilderness (Isaiah 35:6-7), and Psalm 105 recalls God giving Israel a fruitful land as a gift (Psalm 105:44-45).
- Psalm 107:35-38 (BSB)“He turns a desert into pools of water and a dry land into flowing springs. He causes the hungry to settle there, that they may establish a city in which to dwell. They sow fields and plant vineyards that yield a fruitful harvest. He blesses them, and they multiply greatly; He does not let their herds diminish.”God turns dry land into water and settles the hungry there to build, farm, and flourish.
- Isaiah 35:6-7 (BSB)“Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt where jackals once lay, there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.”Isaiah pictures waters bursting out in the wilderness and parched ground turned into pools.
- Psalm 105:44-45 (BSB)“He gave them the lands of the nations, that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor, that they might keep His statutes and obey His laws. Hallelujah!”God gave Israel a fruitful land they had not worked for.
Theological
Whom does the LORD settle in the transformed wilderness of 107:35-36?
Answer: The people who had been hungry
The judgment of 107:33-34 is mirrored by grace in 107:35-38: God turns desert into pools and settles the hungry there, who found a city, sow fields, plant vineyards, and multiply under His blessing. The vignette recalls the wanderers led to a habitable city (107:4-7). Isaiah 35:6-7 employs the same image of water breaking out in dry country, and Psalm 105:44-45 recalls the land given to Israel as unmerited gift.
- Psalm 107:35-38 (BSB)“He turns a desert into pools of water and a dry land into flowing springs. He causes the hungry to settle there, that they may establish a city in which to dwell. They sow fields and plant vineyards that yield a fruitful harvest. He blesses them, and they multiply greatly; He does not let their herds diminish.”God turns dry land into water and settles the hungry there to build, farm, and flourish.
- Isaiah 35:6-7 (BSB)“Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt where jackals once lay, there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.”Isaiah pictures waters bursting out in the wilderness and parched ground turned into pools.
- Psalm 105:44-45 (BSB)“He gave them the lands of the nations, that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor, that they might keep His statutes and obey His laws. Hallelujah!”God gave Israel a fruitful land they had not worked for.
General
True or False: 107:17-18 says the third group suffered through no fault of their own.
Answer: False
This is false. The third group are called fools, and the psalm says their suffering came through their own rebellion and iniquities, meaning their own sins (107:17). They grew so sick that they could not stand food and came near death, pictured as its gates (107:18). In the Bible, a fool is not someone lacking intelligence but someone who despises God's wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7). David likewise connected his own bodily suffering with his sin and folly (Psalm 38:3-5). The psalm does not say all sickness comes from personal sin, but in this scene it does. Even so, when these people called on the LORD, He saved them (107:19).
- Psalm 107:17-18 (BSB)“Fools, in their rebellious ways, and through their iniquities, suffered affliction. They loathed all food and drew near to the gates of death.”The third group suffer because of their own sin, sick to the point of death.
- Psalm 38:3-5 (BSB)“There is no soundness in my body because of Your anger; there is no rest in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds are foul and festering because of my sinful folly.”David links his bodily suffering to his own sin and folly.
- Proverbs 1:7 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”Proverbs defines fools as those who despise wisdom and discipline.
- Psalm 9:13 (BSB)“Be merciful to me, O LORD; see how my enemies afflict me! Lift me up from the gates of death,”David asks God to lift him up from the brink of death, using the same image of death's gates.
Theological
True or False: 107:17-18 presents the third group's suffering as undeserved.
Answer: False
This is false. 107:17 calls them fools and traces their affliction to their own rebellion and iniquities; they could not bear to eat and came close to death's gates (107:18). The fool in wisdom literature is morally, not intellectually, deficient, one who despises wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7), and Psalm 38:3-5 likewise connects bodily affliction with sin and folly. The psalm does not make this a universal rule for all sickness, but here the suffering is self-inflicted. Grace nonetheless answers their cry (107:19).
- Psalm 107:17-18 (BSB)“Fools, in their rebellious ways, and through their iniquities, suffered affliction. They loathed all food and drew near to the gates of death.”The third group suffer because of their own sin, sick to the point of death.
- Psalm 38:3-5 (BSB)“There is no soundness in my body because of Your anger; there is no rest in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds are foul and festering because of my sinful folly.”David links his bodily suffering to his own sin and folly.
- Proverbs 1:7 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”Proverbs defines fools as those who despise wisdom and discipline.
- Psalm 9:13 (BSB)“Be merciful to me, O LORD; see how my enemies afflict me! Lift me up from the gates of death,”David asks God to lift him up from the brink of death, using the same image of death's gates.
General
By what means does 107:20 say God healed the sick?
Answer: He sent out His word, and they were healed
When the sick called on the LORD, He sent out His word, and they were made well; He also snatched them away from the Pit, a picture of the grave (107:20). No medicine or ritual is mentioned; God's spoken command was enough. Scripture elsewhere describes God's word as swift and effective: it runs quickly over the earth (Psalm 147:15) and never returns without accomplishing His purpose (Isaiah 55:11). The centurion in Matthew showed this kind of faith when he told Jesus that a single word from Him would be enough to heal his servant (Matthew 8:8).
- Psalm 107:20 (BSB)“He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the Pit.”God heals the sick and rescues them from death by sending His word.
- Matthew 8:8 (BSB)“The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”The centurion trusts that Jesus need only speak a word for his servant to be healed.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God's word goes out from His mouth and accomplishes what He pleases.
- Psalm 147:15 (BSB)“He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.”God sends His command to the earth, and His word runs swiftly.
Theological
What means of healing does 107:20 attribute to the LORD?
Answer: He sent out His word, and they were healed
107:20 attributes the healing to the LORD's word alone: He sends it forth, restores them, and snatches them away from the Pit, that is, the grave. The divine word is effective in itself, running swiftly (Psalm 147:15) and never coming back empty-handed (Isaiah 55:11). The centurion's confession in Matthew 8:8, that Jesus need only speak and his servant would be healed, attributes to Jesus the same sovereign, effective word the psalm ascribes to the LORD.
- Psalm 107:20 (BSB)“He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the Pit.”God heals the sick and rescues them from death by sending His word.
- Matthew 8:8 (BSB)“The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”The centurion trusts that Jesus need only speak a word for his servant to be healed.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God's word goes out from His mouth and accomplishes what He pleases.
- Psalm 147:15 (BSB)“He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.”God sends His command to the earth, and His word runs swiftly.
General
What does 107:12 say God did to the rebellious prisoners before they called on Him?
Answer: He brought their hearts low through heavy toil
The psalm says God Himself brought the prisoners' hearts low through heavy toil. They fell, and nobody came to their aid (107:12). Only then did they call on the LORD (107:13). God's hand was in their hardship: He used it to bring proud rebels low so that they would turn to Him. The psalmist of Psalm 119 says the same about his own life: before affliction he wandered, but afterward he kept God's word (Psalm 119:67). Hebrews teaches that God disciplines His children for their good (Hebrews 12:10-11), and Jesus' story of the lost son shows hunger bringing a rebel to his senses (Luke 15:17-18).
- Psalm 107:12 (BSB)“He humbled their hearts with hard labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.”God brings the rebels low through hard labor until they have no one to help them.
- Psalm 119:67 (BSB)“Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I keep Your word.”The psalmist confesses that he went astray before affliction, but afterward kept God's word.
- Hebrews 12:10-11 (BSB)“Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”God disciplines His children for their good, and painful discipline later yields righteousness and peace.
- Luke 15:17-18 (BSB)“Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food, but here I am, starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”The lost son in Jesus' parable comes to his senses in hunger and turns back to his father.
Theological
What does 107:12 ascribe to God in the prisoners' affliction?
Answer: He brought their hearts low through heavy toil
107:12 attributes the prisoners' affliction directly to God: He brought their hearts low through heavy toil until they fell with no helper, and only then did they cry to the LORD (107:13). The LORD's sovereign hand stands behind the hardship, not as capricious cruelty but as humbling discipline that drives rebels to Himself. Psalm 119:67 testifies to the same sanctifying use of affliction, Hebrews 12:10-11 describes the Father's discipline yielding righteousness, and Luke 15:17-18 portrays want bringing the prodigal to repentance.
- Psalm 107:12 (BSB)“He humbled their hearts with hard labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.”God brings the rebels low through hard labor until they have no one to help them.
- Psalm 119:67 (BSB)“Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I keep Your word.”The psalmist confesses that he went astray before affliction, but afterward kept God's word.
- Hebrews 12:10-11 (BSB)“Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”God disciplines His children for their good, and painful discipline later yields righteousness and peace.
- Luke 15:17-18 (BSB)“Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food, but here I am, starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”The lost son in Jesus' parable comes to his senses in hunger and turns back to his father.
General
What reason does 107:34 give for God turning fruitful land into salty waste?
Answer: The people living there were wicked
The last part of the psalm moves from four rescue stories to God's rule over the land itself. He can turn rivers and springs into dry ground, and fertile land into useless salt flats (107:33-34). The reason given is moral: the wickedness of those who live there (107:34). Moses had warned Israel that covenant unfaithfulness would leave their land scorched, salty, and barren (Deuteronomy 29:23), and in Isaiah God says He can turn rivers into desert (Isaiah 50:2). The fruitfulness of a land is in God's hand, and He can withdraw it as judgment on sin.
- Psalm 107:33-34 (BSB)“He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers.”God turns fertile land into barren ground, and the psalm gives the reason.
- Deuteronomy 29:23 (BSB)“All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger.”Moses warns that covenant-breaking will leave the land a waste of sulfur and salt.
- Isaiah 50:2 (BSB)“Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.”God declares that He turns rivers into desert.
Theological
What ground does 107:34 give for God's reversal of a fertile land?
Answer: The people living there were wicked
In 107:33-34 the psalm turns from the four vignettes to God's providential rule over land and harvest. He converts rivers and springs to parched soil and fertile land to salt flats, explicitly on account of its inhabitants' wickedness. The curse is covenantal and moral, as Deuteronomy 29:23 threatens a land reduced to sulfur and salt for covenant breaking, and Isaiah 50:2 attributes the drying of rivers to the LORD's rebuke.
- Psalm 107:33-34 (BSB)“He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers.”God turns fertile land into barren ground, and the psalm gives the reason.
- Deuteronomy 29:23 (BSB)“All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger.”Moses warns that covenant-breaking will leave the land a waste of sulfur and salt.
- Isaiah 50:2 (BSB)“Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.”God declares that He turns rivers into desert.
General
What contrast does 107:40-41 draw in how God treats people?
Answer: He shames the powerful and raises the needy
When people are reduced and brought low by oppression and sorrow (107:39), God acts on both sides. He heaps scorn on the nobles, the powerful, and sends them roaming through a pathless waste, while He raises the needy out of affliction and makes their households grow as large as flocks (107:40-41). Part of this wording closely matches Job's description of God's power over rulers (Job 12:21). Hannah praised the LORD for humbling some and lifting up others, lifting the poor and needy from the lowest place to sit with princes (1 Samuel 2:7-8), and Mary praised God for bringing down rulers and exalting the humble (Luke 1:52).
- Psalm 107:40-41 (BSB)“He pours out contempt on the nobles and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. But He lifts the needy from affliction and increases their families like flocks.”God brings contempt on the powerful and lifts the needy out of their affliction.
- 1 Samuel 2:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.”Hannah praises the LORD who humbles and exalts and lifts the needy from the ash heap.
- Luke 1:52 (BSB)“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.”Mary praises God for bringing down rulers and lifting up the humble.
- Job 12:21 (BSB)“He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.”Job describes God pouring contempt on nobles in words very close to 107:40.
- Job 12:24 (BSB)“He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.”Job also describes God making leaders wander in a trackless waste, as in 107:40.
Theological
What reversal does 107:40-41 describe?
Answer: He shames the powerful and raises the needy
107:39-41 sets the powerful and the afflicted in opposition: God heaps scorn on nobles and sends them roaming through a pathless waste, while He lifts up the lowly from misery and multiplies their households like flocks. The language of 107:40 closely parallels Job 12:21, 24. This great reversal runs through Scripture, from Hannah's song (1 Samuel 2:7-8) to Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:52), and displays the sovereign God who humbles the proud and exalts the lowly.
- Psalm 107:40-41 (BSB)“He pours out contempt on the nobles and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. But He lifts the needy from affliction and increases their families like flocks.”God brings contempt on the powerful and lifts the needy out of their affliction.
- 1 Samuel 2:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.”Hannah praises the LORD who humbles and exalts and lifts the needy from the ash heap.
- Luke 1:52 (BSB)“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.”Mary praises God for bringing down rulers and lifting up the humble.
- Job 12:21 (BSB)“He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.”Job describes God pouring contempt on nobles in words very close to 107:40.
- Job 12:24 (BSB)“He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.”Job also describes God making leaders wander in a trackless waste, as in 107:40.
General
According to 107:11, why were the prisoners sitting in darkness and chains?
Answer: They had defied God's words and scorned His counsel
The second group sit in deep darkness as prisoners, held captive in chains and suffering (107:10). Unlike the wanderers, the psalm gives a direct cause for their plight: they had rebelled against God's words and scorned the advice of God on high (107:11). Their captivity was the result of their own rebellion. Proverbs warns that those who refuse wisdom's counsel will reap the results of their own choices (Proverbs 1:30-31), and the psalm just before this one tells how Israel was repeatedly set on rebellion (Psalm 106:43). Yet, as the next verses show, even rebels who brought trouble on themselves are not beyond God's rescue when they call on Him.
- Psalm 107:10-11 (BSB)“Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains, because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.”The second group sit bound in darkness, and the psalm states the cause of their captivity.
- Proverbs 1:30-31 (BSB)“They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”Wisdom warns that those who reject her counsel will eat the fruit of their own way.
- Psalm 106:43 (BSB)“Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.”The previous psalm recounts how Israel was repeatedly bent on rebellion and sank in iniquity.
- Psalm 68:6 (BSB)“God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.”God leads prisoners out, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
Theological
What cause does 107:11 assign to the prisoners' bondage?
Answer: They had defied God's words and scorned His counsel
The second vignette assigns a moral cause: the prisoners sit in darkness and misery because they defied God's words and spurned the Most High's advice (107:10-11). Their bondage is the just consequence of rebellion, as Proverbs 1:30-31 warns of those who reject wisdom's counsel and as Psalm 106:43 recounts of Israel's persistent rebellion. Psalm 68:6 draws the same contrast between the freed prisoner and the rebellious. The gospel shape of the vignette is that guilty rebels, not only innocent sufferers, are delivered when they cry to the LORD.
- Psalm 107:10-11 (BSB)“Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains, because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.”The second group sit bound in darkness, and the psalm states the cause of their captivity.
- Proverbs 1:30-31 (BSB)“They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”Wisdom warns that those who reject her counsel will eat the fruit of their own way.
- Psalm 106:43 (BSB)“Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.”The previous psalm recounts how Israel was repeatedly bent on rebellion and sank in iniquity.
- Psalm 68:6 (BSB)“God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.”God leads prisoners out, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
General
Whom does 107:2-3 call on to speak up in thanks?
Answer: Those the LORD rescued and gathered
Verse 2 calls on the redeemed, people the LORD has bought back or rescued, to declare His goodness. The psalm says He freed them from their enemy's power and brought them together from every direction of the compass (107:2-3). Near its close, Psalm 106 prays, asking God to gather His people from the nations (Psalm 106:47); Psalm 107 opens by speaking of people He has gathered. Isaiah records God's promise to bring His people back from east, west, north, and south (Isaiah 43:5-6), and Jesus speaks of people coming from all four directions to the feast of God's kingdom (Luke 13:29).
- Psalm 107:2-3 (BSB)“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.”Those whom the LORD has rescued are called to speak up, having been brought back from every direction.
- Psalm 106:47 (BSB)“Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise.”Near its close, the previous psalm pleads to be gathered from the nations, which 107:2-3 describes as done.
- Isaiah 43:5-6 (BSB)“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—”God promises through Isaiah to bring His people back from east, west, north, and south.
- Luke 13:29 (BSB)“People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”Jesus speaks of people coming from every direction to share in the kingdom of God.
Theological
Whom does 107:2-3 summon to testify to the LORD's goodness?
Answer: Those the LORD rescued and gathered
107:2-3 summons the LORD's redeemed, those He ransomed from the enemy's power and gathered from all four points of the compass, to bear witness. The opening echoes the final petition of Psalm 106:47, where the people ask to be gathered from the nations. The ingathering motif echoes the prophetic promise of Isaiah 43:5-6 and reaches its widest horizon in Luke 13:29, where Jesus pictures people streaming from every direction into God's kingdom.
- Psalm 107:2-3 (BSB)“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.”Those whom the LORD has rescued are called to speak up, having been brought back from every direction.
- Psalm 106:47 (BSB)“Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise.”Near its close, the previous psalm pleads to be gathered from the nations, which 107:2-3 describes as done.
- Isaiah 43:5-6 (BSB)“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—”God promises through Isaiah to bring His people back from east, west, north, and south.
- Luke 13:29 (BSB)“People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”Jesus speaks of people coming from every direction to share in the kingdom of God.
General
True or False: In each of the four rescue scenes of 107:4-32, the people in trouble call on the LORD, and He rescues them.
Answer: True
This is true. Psalm 107 describes four groups: desert wanderers (107:4-9), prisoners (107:10-16), the sick (107:17-22), and sailors caught in a storm (107:23-32). Each scene reaches the same turning point in almost the same words: in their distress they appeal to Him, and He rescues them (107:6, 13, 19, 28). A second repeated line then calls them to thank Him for His love and wonders (107:8, 15, 21, 31). The repetition makes the point that whatever the trouble, the way out is the same: calling on God, who answers. God Himself invites this (Psalm 50:15), and other psalms testify that He hears (Psalm 34:6; Psalm 145:18).
- Psalm 107:6 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.”The first group, lost in the desert, calls on the LORD and is rescued.
- Psalm 107:13 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.”The second group, the prisoners, calls on the LORD and is saved.
- Psalm 107:19 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.”The third group, the sick, calls on the LORD and is saved.
- Psalm 107:28 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.”The fourth group, the sailors, calls on the LORD and is brought out of danger.
- Psalm 50:15 (BSB)“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.””God Himself invites His people to call on Him in trouble and promises to deliver them.
- Psalm 34:6 (BSB)“This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.”David testifies that when a poor man called out, the LORD heard and saved him.
- Psalm 145:18 (BSB)“The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.”The LORD is near to all who call on Him in truth.
Theological
True or False: Each of the four vignettes in 107:4-32 turns on the same refrain, in which the afflicted call on the LORD and He delivers them.
Answer: True
This is true. The four vignettes, wanderers (4-9), prisoners (10-16), the sick (17-22), and sailors (23-32), share a double refrain. The first marks the turning point: in distress they call, and the LORD delivers them (107:6, 13, 19, 28). The second summons them to thank Him for His covenant love and wondrous deeds (107:8, 15, 21, 31). The structure teaches that deliverance in every kind of affliction comes by calling on the LORD, as He Himself commands in Psalm 50:15 and as Psalm 34:6 and Psalm 145:18 affirm.
- Psalm 107:6 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.”The first group, lost in the desert, calls on the LORD and is rescued.
- Psalm 107:13 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.”The second group, the prisoners, calls on the LORD and is saved.
- Psalm 107:19 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.”The third group, the sick, calls on the LORD and is saved.
- Psalm 107:28 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.”The fourth group, the sailors, calls on the LORD and is brought out of danger.
- Psalm 50:15 (BSB)“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.””God Himself invites His people to call on Him in trouble and promises to deliver them.
- Psalm 34:6 (BSB)“This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.”David testifies that when a poor man called out, the LORD heard and saved him.
- Psalm 145:18 (BSB)“The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.”The LORD is near to all who call on Him in truth.
General
After the wanderers are rescued, what reason does 107:9 give for thanking God?
Answer: He gives a full table to the starving
The call to thanks in 107:8 is followed by its reason in 107:9: God gives the parched and the starving all they need and more. This fits the first scene exactly, since the wanderers had been hungry and thirsty (107:5). Mary uses nearly the same words when she praises God for what He is doing in sending the Messiah (Luke 1:53), and Psalm 146:7 praises the LORD for feeding people who lack bread. Jesus goes further and presents Himself as the true food that satisfies the deepest hunger and thirst of all who come to Him and believe (John 6:35).
- Psalm 107:9 (BSB)“For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”The reason for thanks after the first rescue: God satisfies those who hunger and thirst.
- Luke 1:53 (BSB)“He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.”Mary praises God for filling the hungry with good things.
- Psalm 146:7 (BSB)“He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,”Another psalm praises the LORD who gives food to the hungry.
- John 6:35 (BSB)“Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.”Jesus calls Himself the bread of life, the one who satisfies hunger and thirst for good.
Theological
What rationale does 107:9 attach to the first thanksgiving refrain?
Answer: He gives a full table to the starving
After the wanderers' rescue, the thanksgiving refrain is followed by a clause giving its ground (107:9): God fully supplies the parched and the starving. The clause answers the need described in 107:5. Mary's song takes up the same language for God's saving work in the Messiah (Luke 1:53), Psalm 146:7 celebrates the LORD who feeds the hungry, and Jesus presents Himself as the true bread who satisfies all who come and believe (John 6:35).
- Psalm 107:9 (BSB)“For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”The reason for thanks after the first rescue: God satisfies those who hunger and thirst.
- Luke 1:53 (BSB)“He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.”Mary praises God for filling the hungry with good things.
- Psalm 146:7 (BSB)“He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,”Another psalm praises the LORD who gives food to the hungry.
- John 6:35 (BSB)“Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.”Jesus calls Himself the bread of life, the one who satisfies hunger and thirst for good.
General
According to 107:25, where did the sailors' storm come from?
Answer: It came when the LORD spoke and stirred it up
The fourth group are merchant sailors. Out on the great waters they saw the LORD's works (107:23-24), and the psalm says plainly that at His word a storm arose and heaved up the sea (107:25). The storm was not chance, and it was not caused by some other power; God commanded it. The same thing happens in the book of Jonah, where the LORD hurls a great wind on the sea (Jonah 1:4). God rules even the raging sea (Psalm 89:9), because whatever He commands comes to pass (Psalm 33:9). The God who sends the storm is also the one the sailors call on, and the one who calms it.
- Psalm 107:25 (BSB)“For He spoke and raised a tempest that lifted the waves of the sea.”The sailors' storm is attributed directly to God's command.
- Jonah 1:4 (BSB)“Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart.”The LORD hurls a great wind on the sea that threatens Jonah's ship.
- Psalm 89:9 (BSB)“You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them.”God rules the raging sea and stills its waves.
- Psalm 33:9 (BSB)“For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.”God speaks and it happens; He commands and it stands firm.
Theological
What does 107:25 identify as the cause of the sailors' tempest?
Answer: It came when the LORD spoke and stirred it up
The fourth vignette attributes the tempest to the LORD without qualification: at His word the storm wind arose and heaved up the sea (107:25). The calamity is not chance or the work of a rival power but an act of God's sovereign word, just as the LORD hurled the great wind in Jonah 1:4. Psalm 89:9 confesses His rule over the raging sea, and Psalm 33:9 His effectual command. The same sovereign LORD who sends the storm is the one to whom the sailors cry and who stills it.
- Psalm 107:25 (BSB)“For He spoke and raised a tempest that lifted the waves of the sea.”The sailors' storm is attributed directly to God's command.
- Jonah 1:4 (BSB)“Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart.”The LORD hurls a great wind on the sea that threatens Jonah's ship.
- Psalm 89:9 (BSB)“You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them.”God rules the raging sea and stills its waves.
- Psalm 33:9 (BSB)“For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.”God speaks and it happens; He commands and it stands firm.
General
What happened after the terrified sailors called on the LORD in 107:28-30?
Answer: He hushed the storm and guided them to port
In the storm the sailors were tossed high and low, lost their nerve, and staggered like drunk men; all their seamanship was useless (107:26-27). When they called on the LORD, He rescued them: He hushed the gale until it was barely a murmur and quieted the waves, and He led them, glad for the stillness, to the port they longed for (107:28-30). Psalm 65:7 likewise praises God for stilling the roaring seas, and in Jonah, when the sea went quiet, the sailors feared the LORD and brought Him a sacrifice (Jonah 1:15-16). The Gospels do not quote this psalm, but they record Jesus doing what the psalm says the LORD does: He rebuked the gale and the waves into perfect calm, and His frightened disciples asked who He could be, since the elements themselves obey Him (Mark 4:39-41).
- Psalm 107:26-30 (BSB)“They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths; their courage melted in their anguish. They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their skill was useless. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed. They rejoiced in the silence, and He guided them to the harbor they desired.”The sailors lose all courage and skill in the storm; after they call on the LORD, He calms the sea and brings them to port.
- Mark 4:39-41 (BSB)“Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””Jesus rebukes the wind and sea into perfect calm, and the disciples ask who He is.
- Psalm 65:7 (BSB)“You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.”God stills the roaring of the seas and the pounding of their waves.
- Jonah 1:15-16 (BSB)“Then they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm. Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him.”When the sea grows calm, the sailors fear the LORD and offer Him a sacrifice.
Theological
What is the LORD's response to the sailors' cry in 107:28-30?
Answer: He hushed the storm and guided them to port
Stripped of courage and skill (107:26-27), the sailors call for help, and the LORD reduces the gale to a murmur, quiets the waves, and guides them to their desired haven (107:28-30). Psalm 65:7 ascribes the same stilling of the seas to God, and in Jonah 1:15-16 the calmed sea leads the sailors to fear the LORD and sacrifice to Him. Though the Gospels do not cite Psalm 107, Mark 4:39-41 records Jesus rebuking wind and sea into calm, a work the psalm ascribes to the LORD; His disciples are left asking who this is whom the elements themselves obey.
- Psalm 107:26-30 (BSB)“They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths; their courage melted in their anguish. They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their skill was useless. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed. They rejoiced in the silence, and He guided them to the harbor they desired.”The sailors lose all courage and skill in the storm; after they call on the LORD, He calms the sea and brings them to port.
- Mark 4:39-41 (BSB)“Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””Jesus rebukes the wind and sea into perfect calm, and the disciples ask who He is.
- Psalm 65:7 (BSB)“You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.”God stills the roaring of the seas and the pounding of their waves.
- Jonah 1:15-16 (BSB)“Then they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm. Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him.”When the sea grows calm, the sailors fear the LORD and offer Him a sacrifice.
General
What reason does 107:1 give for thanking the LORD?
Answer: He is good and His love lasts forever
Psalm 107 opens Book Five, the last of the five collections into which the Psalms are divided. Its first verse calls for thanks and gives two reasons joined together: the LORD is good, and His loving devotion (His loyal, covenant-keeping love) never runs out (107:1). The same opening line appears at the start of Psalm 106 and Psalm 118 (Psalm 106:1; Psalm 118:1), so it works like a familiar summons to worship. Everything else in Psalm 107 illustrates this one claim: story after story shows that God's goodness and faithful love keep reaching people in trouble. Lamentations rests on the same truth, that the LORD's loving devotion and mercies do not fail (Lamentations 3:22-23).
- Psalm 107:1 (BSB)“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”The opening call to thanksgiving, which also begins Book Five of the Psalms.
- Psalm 106:1 (BSB)“Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”The psalm just before this one opens with the same call and the same reason, showing it was a standard summons to praise.
- Psalm 118:1 (BSB)“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”Psalm 118 begins with the identical call, grounding thanks in God's goodness and lasting love.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”Lamentations likewise rests hope on the LORD's loving devotion and mercies that never fail.
Theological
On what twofold ground does 107:1, the opening of Book Five, call Israel to thanksgiving?
Answer: He is good and His love lasts forever
Standing at the head of Book Five, 107:1 grounds thanksgiving in the LORD's goodness and in His loving devotion, His covenant love, which endures without end. The line is a liturgical formula shared with Psalm 106:1 and Psalm 118:1, and the rest of Psalm 107 functions as an extended demonstration of it: each rescue narrative displays the goodness and unfailing covenant love announced here. Lamentations 3:22-23 likewise locates Israel's survival in the LORD's loving devotion and ever-new mercies.
- Psalm 107:1 (BSB)“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”The opening call to thanksgiving, which also begins Book Five of the Psalms.
- Psalm 106:1 (BSB)“Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”The psalm just before this one opens with the same call and the same reason, showing it was a standard summons to praise.
- Psalm 118:1 (BSB)“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”Psalm 118 begins with the identical call, grounding thanks in God's goodness and lasting love.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”Lamentations likewise rests hope on the LORD's loving devotion and mercies that never fail.
General
Besides thanking God privately, what do 107:22 and 107:32 call the rescued to do?
Answer: Offer thank offerings and praise Him publicly
Thanks in Psalm 107 is not only a private feeling. After the healing of the sick, the psalm calls them to bring thank offerings, sacrifices given in gratitude under the law of Moses, and to tell what God has done with joy (107:22). After the sailors' rescue, it calls them to exalt Him before the gathered people and the elders (107:32). God asked His people to bring such thank offerings (Psalm 50:14), and another psalmist vows to offer his in front of all God's people (Psalm 116:17-18). Hebrews carries the idea forward: through Jesus, believers offer God a continual sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15).
- Psalm 107:22 (BSB)“Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing.”The healed are called to offer thank offerings and joyfully tell what God has done.
- Psalm 107:32 (BSB)“Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.”The rescued sailors are called to praise God publicly before the people and the elders.
- Psalm 50:14 (BSB)“Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High.”God calls His people to bring Him thank offerings and keep their vows.
- Psalm 116:17-18 (BSB)“I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,”The psalmist vows to offer a thanksgiving sacrifice in the presence of all God's people.
- Hebrews 13:15 (BSB)“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.”Believers are to offer God a continual sacrifice of praise through Jesus.
Theological
Beyond private gratitude, what public response do 107:22 and 107:32 call for?
Answer: Offer thank offerings and praise Him publicly
Psalm 107 envisions thanksgiving as a public, covenantal act. The healed are to offer thank offerings and recount God's works with joy (107:22), and the rescued sailors are to extol Him before the congregation and the elders (107:32). Psalm 50:14 commends the thank offering, and Psalm 116:17-18 pairs it with vows paid before all the people. Under the new covenant, Hebrews 13:15 calls believers to offer through Christ a continual sacrifice of praise.
- Psalm 107:22 (BSB)“Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing.”The healed are called to offer thank offerings and joyfully tell what God has done.
- Psalm 107:32 (BSB)“Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.”The rescued sailors are called to praise God publicly before the people and the elders.
- Psalm 50:14 (BSB)“Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High.”God calls His people to bring Him thank offerings and keep their vows.
- Psalm 116:17-18 (BSB)“I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,”The psalmist vows to offer a thanksgiving sacrifice in the presence of all God's people.
- Hebrews 13:15 (BSB)“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.”Believers are to offer God a continual sacrifice of praise through Jesus.
General
What did the LORD do for the lost desert wanderers in 107:4-7?
Answer: He guided them by a direct route to a home
The first group are wanderers lost in the wilderness. They could find no road to any inhabited place, and they were weak from hunger and thirst (107:4-5). When they called on the LORD, He rescued them and led them directly to a town where they could settle (107:6-7). The picture recalls how God led Israel through the wilderness and fed them when they were hungry (Deuteronomy 8:2-3), and matches His promise to guide the helpless on paths they could not find themselves (Isaiah 42:16). The lost do not find their own way; God leads them.
- Psalm 107:4-7 (BSB)“Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no path to a city in which to dwell. They were hungry and thirsty; their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He led them on a straight path to reach a city where they could live.”The first rescued group: hungry wanderers in the desert whom the LORD leads to a place to live.
- Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (BSB)“Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments. He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”Moses reminds Israel that the LORD led them through the wilderness and fed them when they were hungry.
- Isaiah 42:16 (BSB)“I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.”God promises to lead the blind on paths they do not know and make rough places level.
Theological
How does the LORD answer the desert wanderers in 107:4-7?
Answer: He guided them by a direct route to a home
The first vignette portrays people lost in the wilderness, unable to find an inhabited city and fainting from hunger and thirst (107:4-5). Upon their cry the LORD delivers them and leads them by a direct route to an inhabited town (107:6-7). The imagery evokes Israel's wilderness journey, in which the LORD led and fed His people (Deuteronomy 8:2-3), and anticipates the promise of Isaiah 42:16 that God Himself guides the helpless on unfamiliar ways.
- Psalm 107:4-7 (BSB)“Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no path to a city in which to dwell. They were hungry and thirsty; their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He led them on a straight path to reach a city where they could live.”The first rescued group: hungry wanderers in the desert whom the LORD leads to a place to live.
- Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (BSB)“Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments. He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”Moses reminds Israel that the LORD led them through the wilderness and fed them when they were hungry.
- Isaiah 42:16 (BSB)“I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.”God promises to lead the blind on paths they do not know and make rough places level.
General
How does Psalm 107 close in 107:43?
Answer: A call for the wise to ponder the LORD's love
When the upright see what God does, they rejoice, and wickedness is left with nothing to say (107:42). The psalm then ends like a lesson from wisdom literature, the part of the Bible that teaches how to live wisely: whoever is wise should take these things to heart and reflect on the LORD's loving devotion (107:43). The whole psalm, with its four rescues and its reversals, is meant to be studied, not just sung. Hosea's book ends with a similar call for the wise to understand the LORD's ways (Hosea 14:9), and Eliphaz in Job speaks of injustice falling silent when God helps the poor (Job 5:16). Paul, reflecting on God's ways, breaks into praise at the depth of His wisdom (Romans 11:33).
- Psalm 107:42-43 (BSB)“The upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth. Let him who is wise pay heed to these things and consider the loving devotion of the LORD.”The upright rejoice, evil is silenced, and the wise are urged to reflect on the LORD's loving devotion.
- Hosea 14:9 (BSB)“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them.”Hosea likewise closes by calling the wise to understand the LORD's ways.
- Job 5:16 (BSB)“So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.”Eliphaz says that when God helps the poor, injustice has nothing left to say.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul marvels at the depth of God's wisdom and the mystery of His ways.
Theological
What closing call to wisdom does 107:43 draw from the whole psalm?
Answer: A call for the wise to ponder the LORD's love
The upright rejoice and iniquity is silenced (107:42), and the psalm closes with a wisdom exhortation: let the wise take all this to heart and ponder the LORD's loving devotion (107:43). The four deliverances and the providential reversals of 107:33-41 are thus offered as material for reflection on God's covenant love. Hosea 14:9 ends its book with a similar summons to the wise, Job 5:16 speaks of injustice shutting its mouth, and Romans 11:33 models the doxological response to contemplating God's ways.
- Psalm 107:42-43 (BSB)“The upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth. Let him who is wise pay heed to these things and consider the loving devotion of the LORD.”The upright rejoice, evil is silenced, and the wise are urged to reflect on the LORD's loving devotion.
- Hosea 14:9 (BSB)“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them.”Hosea likewise closes by calling the wise to understand the LORD's ways.
- Job 5:16 (BSB)“So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.”Eliphaz says that when God helps the poor, injustice has nothing left to say.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul marvels at the depth of God's wisdom and the mystery of His ways.