As the Jews return from exile in Babylon, they give thanks to God. This longish thanksgiving psalm portrays the refugees in four ways, as thirsty wanderers, released prisoners, rebellious and broken fools, and sailors on a rough sea. Each of these four scenes ends with a two verse coda of thanksgiving.
Psalm 107:1-3, The Redeemed speak out!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say this--
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
The psalm begins with hō·w·ḏū, a Hebrew word meaning to "give thanks" or "throw down confession." The root word is yadah, to "acclaim" or "throw down".
A version of this thanksgiving chorus will repeat four more times in this psalm.
The people are gathered from the four corners of the earth so it is natural to assume that this was a thanksgiving psalm during the Second Temple period.
Kidner points out that Psalm 106:47 ends with a request that God "gather" the nations. Since this psalm gives thanks for that action, it is possible that Psalms 105, 106 and 107 form a trilogy, written by the same authors at the same time.
Psalm 107:4-7, Wanderers
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
Act 1, verses 4-9, portray the refugees as dying wanderers in the desert.
Psalm 107:8-9, God satisfies the wanderers
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
Each of our four parts ends with a two verse refrain instructing the people to give thanks. Here the wanderers give thanks as their hunger and thirst is satisfied.
The first word of verse 8, like verse 1, is yō·w·ḏū, again with the root yadah., to "acclaim" or "throw down" praise.
The two lines of verse 9 remind me of Mary's song in Luke 1:46-55, especially verse 53.
Psalm 107:10-14, Prisoners
Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
for they had rebelled against the words of God
and despised the counsel of the Most High.
So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom
and broke away their chains.
Act 2, verses 10-16, portrays the refugees as former prisoners, buried deep in a dark dungeon, clad in iron chains, now set free.
Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, echoes the first few lines of this stanza in his prophecy of Luke 1:79. See also the proclamation of Jesus in Luke 4:18-19.
Psalm 107:15-16, Breaking iron bars
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.
Here the thanksgiving is for breaking the bonds of the prison.
Psalm 107:17-20, Fools
Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He sent forth his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.
Act 3, verses 17-22, describes the refugees as confused and foolish people, injured by their own brokenness. They cannot even eat (possibly, says Alter, due to having been starved in the dungeons.) In this state, they are on the verge of death.
Psalm 107:21-22, Songs of joy
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
The formerly rebellious fools give thanks by describing God's deeds, by making thanksgiving sacrifices and singing of God's work. As Alter points out, these last acts are probably part of temple worship and so this may be written in Jerusalem after the second temple was built (or as it is being completed.)
The fourth act, and the conclusion, take up the last half of this psalm. We will continue studying this psalm in the next blogpost.
First published October 13, 2025; updated October 13, 2025
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