Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 107 (MT) / Psalm 106 (LXX) opens Book V of the Psalter with a post-exilic thanksgiving-hymn structured around four deliverance-vignettes: (1) wanderers-in-the-desert (vv. 4–9), (2) prisoners-in-chains (vv. 10–16), (3) sick-near-death (vv. 17–22), (4) sailors-in-storm (vv. 23–32). Each vignette follows the same pattern: distress → 'then they cried to the LORD' → deliverance → 'let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love.' The psalm's storm-at-sea passage (vv. 23–30) — 'they reeled and staggered like drunken men … he made the storm be still' — anticipates Mark 4:39's stilling-of-the-storm.
Notable Variants
107:29 'he made the storm be still … the waves of the sea were hushed' → Mark 4:39 Jesus-stills-the-storm; 107:20 'he sent out his word and healed them' → word-of-healing Christology echo; the four-vignette distress-cry-deliverance-thanks structure.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 107 = LXX Ps 106. 43 verses. Opens Book V (Pss 107–150).
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His faithful love endures forever.
'Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!' tracks MT. The CHESED-ENDURES-FOREVER formula opening Book V.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those He redeemed from the hand of the foe,
'Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he has redeemed from trouble' tracks MT.
and gathered from the lands, from east and from west, from north and from the sea.
'And gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south' tracks MT. FOUR-DIRECTIONS GATHERING. Matthew 8:11 ('many will come from EAST AND WEST, and recline at table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom') extends.
They wandered in the wilderness, on a desert road; they found no city to settle in.
'Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in' tracks MT. FIRST-VIGNETTE begins — wanderers.
Hungry and thirsty, their life was ebbing away.
'Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them' tracks MT.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.
'Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress' tracks MT. THE REFRAIN begins (repeats at vv. 13, 19, 28).
He led them by a straight road to reach a city where they could settle.
'He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in' tracks MT.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His faithful love and His wonders for the children of humanity.
'Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!' tracks MT. THE SECOND REFRAIN (repeats at vv. 15, 21, 31).
For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with good things.
'For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things' tracks MT. FILLS-HUNGRY. Luke 1:53 Magnificat ('he has filled the hungry with good things') echoes.
Those who sat in darkness and deep shadow, prisoners in affliction and chains,
'Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons' tracks MT. SECOND-VIGNETTE — prisoners. 'Shadow of death' (tsalmavet / skia thanatou) — Ps 23:4 vocabulary. Luke 1:79 Benedictus ('to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death') echoes.
because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.
'For they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High' tracks MT.
He humbled their hearts through hard labor; they stumbled, with no one to help.
'So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help' tracks MT.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.
'Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress' tracks MT — REFRAIN.
He brought them out of darkness and deep shadow and tore apart their chains.
'He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart' tracks MT. DARKNESS-TO-LIGHT deliverance. Acts 12:7 ('the chains fell off his hands' — Peter in prison) deploys the same liberation-imagery.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His faithful love and His wonders for the children of humanity.
'Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!' tracks MT — REFRAIN.
For He shattered gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
'For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron' tracks MT. BRONZE-DOORS / IRON-BARS — Isaiah 45:2's 'I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron' (Cyrus prophecy) parallels.
Fools — because of their rebellious ways and because of their iniquities — suffered affliction.
'Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction' tracks MT. THIRD-VIGNETTE — the sick-near-death.
They loathed all food and drew near to the gates of death.
'They loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death' tracks MT. GATES-OF-DEATH. Matthew 16:18 ('the GATES OF HELL shall not prevail against it') echoes.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.
'Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress' tracks MT — REFRAIN.
He sent His word and healed them and rescued them from the pit.
'He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction' tracks MT. 'HE SENT OUT HIS WORD AND HEALED THEM' (apesteilen ton logon autou kai iasato autous). The word-as-healing-agent theology anticipates Matthew 8:8 ('only say the word, and my servant will be healed'), John 1:1's Logos-Christology, and John 1:14's 'the Word became flesh.' The Logos-sent-from-God heals.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His faithful love and His wonders for the children of humanity.
'Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!' tracks MT — REFRAIN.
Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and recount His deeds with shouts of joy.
'And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!' tracks MT. SACRIFICES-OF-THANKSGIVING — the todah-offering. Hebrews 13:15 ('sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess his name') extends.
Those who went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters,
'Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters' tracks MT. FOURTH-VIGNETTE — sailors.
They saw the works of the LORD, His wonders in the deep.
'They saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep' tracks MT.
He spoke and raised a stormy wind that lifted the waves high.
'For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea' tracks MT. STORMY-WIND-RAISED by divine-command.
They rose to the heavens, they plunged to the depths; their courage melted in their peril.
'They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight' tracks MT. MOUNTED-UP / WENT-DOWN — the wave-motion vertical-extremes.
They staggered and swayed like drunkards, and all their skill was swallowed up.
'They reeled and staggered like drunken men, and were at their wits' end' tracks MT. DRUNKEN-STAGGERING sailors — seasickness imagery.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.
'Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress' tracks MT — REFRAIN (fourth time).
He stilled the storm to a whisper, and the waves were hushed.
Masoretic (WLC)
יָקֵם סְעָרָה לִדְמָמָה וַיֶּחֱשׁוּ גַּלֵּיהֶם
He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed
Septuagint (LXX)
καὶ ἐπέταξεν τῇ καταιγίδι καὶ ἔστη εἰς αὔραν καὶ ἐσίγησαν τὰ κύματα αὐτῆς
He commanded the storm, and it became a breeze, and the waves of the sea were silent
MARK 4:39 / MATTHEW 8:26 / LUKE 8:24 CHRISTOLOGICAL FULFILLMENT. Jesus' stilling-of-the-storm on the Sea of Galilee enacts this psalmic-divine-prerogative. Mark 4:39: 'he rebuked the wind and said to the sea: Peace! Be still! And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.' The sigēsan ('they were silent') in the LXX of Ps 107:29 echoes the siōpa, pephimōso ('be silent, be muzzled') that Jesus speaks to the waves. The disciples' response 'who is this, that even wind and sea obey him?' (Mark 4:41) correctly identifies the divine-prerogative the psalm attributes to YHWH — thus establishing the Christological claim implicit in the miracle-narrative.
They were glad when the waters grew calm, and He guided them to their desired harbor.
'Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven' tracks MT.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His faithful love and His wonders for the children of humanity.
'Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!' tracks MT — REFRAIN (fourth time).
Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.
'Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders' tracks MT.
He turns rivers into desert and springs of water into thirsty ground,
'He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground' tracks MT. REVERSAL begins — the final-section gives cosmic-pattern of divine-reversal.
a fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
'A fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants' tracks MT.
He turns desert into pools of water and parched land into springs.
'He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water' tracks MT.
He settles the hungry there, and they establish a city to dwell in.
'And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in' tracks MT.
They sow fields and plant vineyards that yield a fruitful harvest.
'They sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield' tracks MT.
He blesses them and they multiply greatly, and He does not let their livestock diminish.
'By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish' tracks MT.
When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
'When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow' tracks MT.
He pours contempt on nobles and makes them wander in trackless waste.
'He pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes' tracks MT. POURS-CONTEMPT on princes — Magnificat-reversal (Luke 1:52).
But He lifts the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.
'But he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks' tracks MT. RAISES-UP-NEEDY — Magnificat-reversal (Luke 1:52).
The upright see it and rejoice, and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
'The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth' tracks MT.
Whoever is wise, let him observe these things and consider the faithful love of the LORD.
'Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD' tracks MT. WISDOM-CLOSURE — attention-to-the-chesed as wisdom. Hosea 14:10 ('whoever is wise, let him understand these things') parallels.