Psalm 107

Psalm 107 is the 107th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 106. In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". It is the first psalm of Book 5 of the Hebrew psalter. Alexander Kirkpatrick notes that this psalm and the previous one, Psalm 106, "are closely connected together", arguing that "the division of the fourth and fifth books does not correspond to any difference of source or character, as is the case in the other books". Psalm 107 is a song of thanksgiving to God, who has been merciful to his people and gathered all who were lost. It is beloved of mariners due to its reference to ships and the sea (v. 23).

Psalm 107 is used in both Jewish and Christian liturgies. It has been paraphrased in hymns, and set to music, including George Dyson's Choral Symphony and Mendelssohn's '' Lobgesang''.

Structure

Psalm 107 is divided into 43 verses and is one of the longer psalms in the Bible. In the Revised Standard Version (RSV), it is split into seven sections, each section having a related but distinct theme. The first section, the shortest, comprises verses 1–3, a "general introduction";Kirkpatrick, A. (1906)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
on Psalm 107, accessed 11 May 2022 the second, verses 4–9; the third, verses 10–16; the fourth, verses 17–22; the fifth, verses 23–32; the sixth, verses 33–38; and the seventh and final, verses 39–43. An interesting feature of Psalm 107 commonly found in the poetic books of the Bible is its overall regularity. The line lengths are different, but the size of the original sectional divisions is pleasingly even. The theme of the psalm moves forward from section to section. In the Masoretic Hebrew text, there are seven inverted nuns (׆).

The words ''Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!'' appear as a refrain in verses 8, 15, 21 and 31.

Dating

The Psalms date from anywhere between the 15th - 13th century BC and 400 BC. Although the exact timing of the writing of Psalm 107 is uncertain, it was most likely written during a time of increased union among the Jewish people during the reign of King David (1010-970 BC).

General theme

Overall, Psalm 107 is considered one of Israel's historical psalms, along with Psalm 106 and many of the royal psalms, among others. The overall outline of the historical psalms is to tell a story of a God who accomplishes "wonderful works" (verse 8), although the Israelites, His chosen people, have proved faithless. In the psalmist's assessment, acts of infidelity often seem to correspond to an eventual awe-inspiring work of mercy from the Lord. The psalm also includes several more specific themes which emphasize the general tone of praise and thanksgiving for the God of Israel.

Directional theme

In the introduction, the first section of Psalm 107, the Lord is said to gather "the redeemed ... from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south" (v. 2, 3). Following this, the next four sections address individuals who "wandered in desert wastes", "sat in darkness and gloom", "were sick through their sinful ways", and "went down to the sea in ships" (v. 4, 10, 17, 23). Each of these locational descriptors corresponds to a cardinal direction as mentioned in the third verse of the psalm. The desert wastes mentioned in the second section of the psalm seem to indicate a "great, eastern desert" that might be beat down upon by the sun, which rises in the east. Likewise, in the opposing, western direction, where the sun sets, the Israelites are said to sit "in darkness and gloom" (v. 10). The correlation depicted in this section between darkness and helplessness - apart from the aid of the Lord - harkens back to Old Testament descriptions of Abraham (Genesis 15:12). Throughout early Hebrew history, north was thought to be the direction most associated with evil and iniquity, thus adding emphasis to the direction of north's correspondence to the fourth stanza, beginning with "some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction" (v. 17). And finally, in the orientation of the region that Israel occupied at the time of Psalm 107, to the south lay the sea, directly paralleling the beginning of the fifth section, "some went down to the sea in ships" (v. 23).

Message

Psalm 107 is, above all, a hymn commemorating the power of God. Despite the transgressions of the Israelites, the Lord forgives them. The psalm elaborates on this theme, going on to say that the Lord "turns a desert into pools of water ... and there he lets the hungry dwell" (v. 35, 36). This description of miracles as performed by the Lord reinforces the imagery of "wonderful works" mentioned earlier in the psalm (v. 8). The works of the Lord, however, are mentioned in many psalms; what makes Psalm 107 somewhat unusual is its depiction of the works of the Lord as explication for the people. The psalm is a hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord "for the purpose of making he Lord’s worksknown to humankind, so that they too can join in the praise of he Lord. This concept seems to indicate that David has written a sort of circulatory hymn thanking the Lord for enabling the Israelites to thank the Lord. These concordant themes of enlightenment and gratitude reinforce each other throughout the psalm, and, indeed, throughout the rest of the fifth book of psalms, of which Psalm 107 is the opening hymn.

Kirkpatrick argues that "the men" called upon to rejoice by verses 8, 15, 21 and 31 are not people in general but specifically those whose deliverance has previously been described (those who "wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way", verse 4, etc.)

Relevance in the New Testament

As with much of the Old Testament, many Christians understand Psalm 107 to foreshadow an event recorded in the New Testament. A famous account of the life of Christ from chapter four of Mark's Gospel follows the fifth section of Psalm 107, which describes the plight and eventual rescue of those on the sea. In Mark's biography of Jesus, while he and his disciples are on Lake Galilee in a boat, a storm swells. Jesus calms the storm by saying, "Peace! Be still!" (). In the same way, Psalm 107 describes the Israelites at sea when a storm arises. The waves "mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths", (v. 26) and the Lord then "makes still" (v. 29) the storm. The language of both passages is similar, supporting the mirrored imagery and situation that the stories share. The divine being who calms the storm is also the same according to the Christian tradition: the Lord, whether Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, is one being. Verse 9 is quoted in Mary's song of praise, the Magnificat, in Luke

Significance in tradition

Psalm 107 forms the opening piece of the modern liturgy for Israel Independence Day found in Religious-Zionist Jewish prayer books. It is also used within the Roman Catholic faith as a part of the Mass. In the Roman Catholic Mass, selections from Psalm 107 are read on various occasions throughout the year, with the most common occurrence being during the hymn between the first and second readings. It is often quoted at events involving the navy and seafarers, such as the launching of ships.

Musical settings

Verse 1 of Psalm 107 is the text for a round in German, " Danket, danket dem Herrn", with traditional music from the 18th century. The psalm inspired William Whiting's hymn " Eternal Father, Strong to Save".

Heinrich Schütz composed a four-part setting to a metric German text, "Danket dem Herren, unserm Gott", SVW 205, for the 1628 Becker Psalter. George Dyson chose verses from the psalm as the text for his Choral Symphony, "Psalm CVII". Verses were used as the text of movement 3 of Mendelssohn's '' Lobgesang''.

Text

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic text come from different textual traditions.A 1917 translation directly from Hebrew to English by the Jewish Publication Society can be foun
here
o
here
and an 1844 translation directly from the Septuagint by L. C. L. Brenton can be foun
here
Both translations are in the public domain. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 106.

Notes

References

External links

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* Text of Psalm 107 according to th
1928 Psalter


text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org

Bless the LORD, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name!
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops


introduction and text, biblestudytools.com

Psalm 107 – Learning from God’s Deliverance to Returning Captives
enduringword.com

Psalm 107 / O give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, for his steadfast love endures for ever.
Church of England

Psalm 107
at biblegateway.com

Hymns for Psalm 107
hymnary.org

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