Psalms 107
Old Testament · King James Version
Psalm 107 calls the redeemed to thank the Lord for steadfast love and presents four rescue scenes: wanderers in the wilderness, prisoners in darkness, people brought near death by suffering, and sailors overwhelmed by a storm. Each moves through distress, a cry for help, deliverance, and thanksgiving. The closing verses widen the lens to reversals of land, power, poverty, and abundance, ending with an invitation to wisdom.
O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation;
And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.
He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.
He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.
Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.
The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.
Context
Psalm 107 opens Book V of the Psalms. Its repeated refrains create a liturgical pattern of distress, crying out, rescue, and thanksgiving, while the ending asks readers to reflect on the Lord's steadfast love rather than reduce life to simple cause-and-effect rules.
Themes & application
- Steadfast love
- Deliverance
- Thanksgiving
- Prayer in distress
- Healing
- Creation
- Justice
- Wisdom
Name distress honestly, seek help without shame, remember deliverance with gratitude, make thanksgiving public, and resist simplistic claims that every illness, storm, poverty, or environmental hardship directly reveals a person's guilt or God's favor.
Key verses
Thanksgiving is grounded in God's goodness and enduring love.
The first rescue refrain shows sufferers crying out to God in distress.
Healing is described as God's word bringing rescue from destruction.
The storm scene celebrates divine power to bring calm.
The psalm ends by asking the wise to consider the Lord's steadfast love.
Common misreadings of Psalms 107
Misreading: Psalm 107 promises that every crisis ends immediately if someone prays correctly.
In context: The rescue pattern is testimony and worship, not a timetable or technique guaranteeing identical outcomes.
Misreading: Verses 17–20 teach that every illness is punishment for personal sin.
In context: The stanza describes one suffering pattern; it must not be universalized into medical or spiritual blame.
Misreading: Verses 33–35 prove that every drought or environmental disaster is divine punishment.
In context: The language is poetic and theological, not a universal diagnostic formula for modern ecology or disasters.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 35:6–7 — Another biblical image of dry land becoming springs.
- Mark 4:35–41 — A later biblical storm-calming narrative resonating with Psalm 107's sea imagery.
- Jonah 1 — Another biblical account of sailors, storm, fear, and prayer.
Frequently asked questions about Psalms 107
What is the repeated pattern in Psalm 107?
Does Psalm 107 blame sick or poor people for their suffering?
Sources & editorial notes
- Translation
- Commentary anchored in the public-domain Psalm 107 text used by the site (en).
- Authorship
- The psalm does not name an individual author in its heading.
- Editorial process
- Synthesis checked against the repeated rescue refrains and safeguards around illness, disasters, poverty, oppression, ecology, and promises of deliverance.
References
- Psalm 107 — Primary text and literary structure.
- Isaiah 35:6–7 — Dry-land restoration imagery.
- Jonah 1 — Biblical storm and sailor context.
Author: The Lord Will Editorial Team · Reviewed by: Ugo Candido · Updated: 2026-08-21