Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)
Psalm 107 (NIV)
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this – those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. 8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labour; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. 15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. 17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. 18 They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 20 He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. 21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. 22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. 23 Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. 24 They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep. 25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. 26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits' end. 28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. 31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
33 He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 35 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; 36 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; 38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.
39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; 40 he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. 41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. 42 The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.
43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.
Notes
1. Psalm 107 above is laid out as in NIV with the second phrase of the poetic lines shown by being indented.
2. However, the Hebrew poetic structure is an essential aspect of the psalm as it aids understanding and interpretation. Originally, in a world of primarily aural communication it would have been a memory prompt. It, therefore, needs to be explored further.
3. Each line is in two parts only, with the second part repeating, contrasting or developing the first.
4. This, and further aspects of Hebrew poetic parallelism do not depend on rhythm or rhyme but on ideas. That means the poetic pattern can be readily understood even in translation (Yahweh’s gift to us!)
5. And hereafter, I will use Yahweh, rather than ‘the LORD,’ to refer to God as that is his name as revealed to Moses (Exodus 3:13-15). It is by far the commonest way God is addressed in OT.
6. Here is the layout of the psalm that I think best expresses the psalmist’s intentions.
Psalm 107 (Hebrew poetic structure)
The redeemed give thanks
| Stanza 1 | Communal gratitude. |
| 1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of Yahweh say this – those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. | |
| Stanza 2 | Testimony of those who had been lost and confused. |
| A2 | 4 Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. |
| B2 | 6 Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. |
| C2 | 8 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. |
| Stanza 3 | Testimony of those who had been rebellious criminals. |
| A3 | 10 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labour; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. |
| B3 | 13 Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. |
| C3 | 15 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. |
| Stanza 4 | Testimony of those who had foolishly rebelled and perversely tried to manage their lives without Yahweh. |
| A4 | 17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. 18 They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. |
| B4 | 19 Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 20 He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. |
| C4 | 21 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. 22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. |
| Stanza 5 | Testimony of those who had been self-sufficient adventurers. |
| A5 | 23 Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. 24 They saw the works of Yahweh, his wonderful deeds in the deep. 25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. 26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end. |
| B5 | 28 Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. |
| C5 | 31 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. |
| Stanza 6 | Testimony of those who had lived complacently and wickedly with no preparation for possible calamities. |
| A6 | 33 [For some] He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. |
| B6 | [Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.] 35 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; 36 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; 38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. |
| C6 | [Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,] [Now choose your own words to complete the pattern!] |
| Stanza 7 | Testimony of those who recognised the vagaries of life but knew that Yahweh could be depended on in any eventuality. |
| A7 | 39 Then [in later generations] their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; 40 he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. |
| B7 | [Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.] 41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. 42 The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. |
| C7 | [Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,] [Now choose your own words to complete the pattern!] |
| Stanza 8 | Communal gratitude. |
| 43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of Yahweh. |
7. Stanzas 1 and 8 introduce and conclude this psalm about Yahweh’s love, faithfulness and commitment to his people, who are called the ‘redeemed of Yahweh’ (2). This is a communal rather than a personal psalm of thanksgiving and praise.
8. A broken pattern exists in stanzas 2-7 that is based on three strophes of variable length. Each stanza presents a testimony from a group of the redeemed who have had similar experiences. They all contribute to the community’s thankfulness for Yahweh’s care, forgiveness, protection and guidance.
9. In each stanza the A strophes are 2-5 line resumés of the experiences of the group involved.
10. The B strophes have a set phrase that has only slight variations, ‘Then they cried (out) to Yahweh in their trouble, and he delivered/saved/brought them from/out of their distress.’ However, these are omitted from stanzas 6 and 7. Each strophe, including 6 and 7 then has a variety of illustrations of Yahweh’s response in an extra 1-4 lines.
11. The C strophes have another set phrase with no variations for stanzas 2-5 only: ‘Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.’ That is followed by an individual expansion of the statement of thankfulness, always in a single line. Stanzas 6 and 7 do not have a strophe C.
12. The length of lines, rhythm and rhyme are not significant features of Hebrew poetry. The link is about the idea expressed. It seems to be inconsequential that this takes a variable 2-4 lines.
13. The typical parallelism of Hebrew poetry then features in the specific topics that are covered in each group of strophes (so in this psalm, the strophe number, A1, A2 etc. matches the stanza number).
14. Each of these stanzas appears to be a discrete vignette of a situation in life. Yahweh intervenes and that gives rise to praise and thanksgiving.
15. Stanzas 6 and 7 break this pattern but if the ‘standard’ items are added [in italics in square brackets] they read exactly like stanzas 2-5.
16. Such jarring breaks in the poetic fluency caused by these omissions are not mistranslations, errors, faulty editing or anything like that. It is, I believe, the deliberate choice of the psalmist. As the reader nowadays, or singer/reciter in ancient time, is caught up in the poetic expression of the psalmist’s understanding of how life works out it is as if the psalmist hands the baton on to the singer/reader saying, ‘Have you got it now? What is your response? How would you express your appreciation of Yahweh’s love and commitment to us his followers? Fill in the blanks! Tells us about your experiences.’
17. This is an unusual, perhaps unique structure for a psalm (I have not yet detected it elsewhere) but the structure enhances and develops the words and flow of the psalm so I am working on the understanding that this was the psalmist’s intention.
18. Related to this is the question of how and why the psalm came into being. The more I study the psalms the more I notice clues that suggest that they were frequently written by people of faith living out their faith in the practical realities of life. I suspect that few of the psalmists were ‘professional’ poets writing on behalf of the national priestly leadership based in the Temple in Jerusalem, or its precursors before Solomon built the Temple.
19. Psalm 107 seems to be set in the era after the return from captivity in Babylon (stanza 1) that is reported in Ezra 1-2 and 8:1-32. By then the Jews who had escaped to Egypt (Jeremiah 42:1-43:7) and perhaps to other countries too that are not recorded in Scripture, having heard of the return were moved to join them – from the south and west as well as the north and east (verse 3).
20. Hebrew society was very family and clan orientated so we can assume that people returned to and settled in their ancestral villages and towns as described in Ezra 3:1 and Nehemiah 7:4, 73, 11:1.
21. Imagine an ancient Hebrew village community gathering for worship, teaching and fellowship. They would sing this psalm, starting communally with stanza 1. Perhaps individuals would then respond to the invitation, ‘let the redeemed of Yahweh say…’ by singing one or more of stanzas 2 to 5. Perhaps too, the set phrases were sung communally while the rest were solos. That could then introduce a time of personal testimony when members of the group recounted their own story of Yahweh’s blessing and rescue from times of trouble, disaster or sinfulness modelling their contribution on stanzas 6 and 7. Finally, all would join in the concluding thanksgiving song in stanza 8.
22. I appreciate this is not the usual understanding of this psalm. Invariably, in commentaries, the psalm is thought to be a presentation of Israel’s celebration of the nations return from exile in Babylon with the four vignettes in stanzas 2-5 being understood as ‘four different ways of depicting the plight from which the nation had been delivered,’[1] though that does not explain the rest of the psalm nor throw any light on why these particular metaphors were chosen.
23. That may well be the case for a later understanding of the psalm but it seems somewhat forced. I think the stanzas are more likely to represent the very real experiences and sufferings of individuals and groups.
24. Apart from this internal evidence from the psalm there are some relevant general issues to take into account.
25. For example, although the Old Testament narrative tends to focus on sin and failure, at least until the Babylonian captivity, there are some hints that there were a number who were godly and were committed followers of Yahweh. For example see 1 Kings 18: 3-4, 12-13; 19:18.
26. Then, there has to be an explanation for how and why the scrolls that contained the OT scriptures, which would deteriorate and disintegrate after a few decades, were copied with meticulous accuracy time after time, were passed around and preserved for many hundreds of years so were available in Jesus’ day and were highly valued by the early church even as the church spread far beyond the borders of the land and nation of Israel.
27. And many psalms express a personal and deep faith and commitment to God’s word. Surely that implies the Scriptures were widely available to read, study and memorise? If they were replicated among hundreds of believers and were passed on through the generations that could explain how such stunning poetry and passionate expressions were preserved for our continuing benefit.
28. I postulate that in every generation there were groups of people who were faithful to Yahweh and his revelations in Torah, who expressed their faith in the activities of daily life and were faithful in organising and participating in communal worship. And they recorded and shared with other groups their songs, some of which have been preserved by God’s grace in Scripture for the blessing and encouragement of future generations – including us!
29. Although much of Psalm 107 is about the waywardness of God’s people and the calamities they experienced, it starts and finishes with Yahweh and his love: ‘his love endures forever (stanza 1) and ‘the great love of Yahweh’ (stanza 8). Yahweh is mentioned throughout the psalm, 12 times in all plus another four in the ‘omitted’ lines. Yahweh is the focus and not the people’s troubles. There are no complaints, so this is not a lament where the focus is on loss and grief. Psalm 107 is a psalm of thanksgiving and praise and a celebration of Yahweh’s love and care of his people.
30. Note that the bad experiences were all in the past. Everyone was now in a place of peace and security. Their troubles were over – and it seems there was no sign of the next (inevitable) bout of distressing circumstances.
31. In terms of the Journey of Grief that describes the process of recovery and healing following trauma caused by major losses and suffering, Psalm 107 is set in the Village of New Beginnings.[2] The participants have integrated their experiences into their lives, they are in a place of peace and comfort so are able to reflect on their journey, seeing it in the light of Yahweh’s loving compassion and care.
Schematic representation of the Journey of Grief from a crisis event involving significant loss to a place of recovery and a new start. (Ref 2)
32. This psalm therefore speaks into limited circumstances. It has some similarities to Psalm 147 – ‘Yahweh’s love, care and commitment’ that seems to be the reflections of the national community who had resettled in Israel after the captivity in Babylon. Compare it too, to Psalm 91 – ‘Dwelling in Yahweh,’ that speaks of an individual’s experience of surviving a lifetime of trauma. For the role of praise and worship while in the throes of trouble consider Psalm 11 – ‘Preventing Trauma by focussing on Yahweh’ and Psalm 13 – ‘Persevere in Faith.’
33. There is more to explore, I suspect, in the details of the testimonies but I am leaving that for later investigation.
Endnotes
[1] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150 (Aylesbury: IVP Academic, 2008), p. 418.
[2] Dana Ergenbright and others, Healing the Wounds of Trauma: How the Church Can Help, revised edn (Philadelphia: SIL International and American Bible Society, 2021) pp. 37-41.
Written: 1 February 2021
Published: 12 April 2023
Updated: 12 May 2023