Psalm 106-107
New English Translation
Psalm 106[a]
106 Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures.[b]
2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,
or relate all his praiseworthy deeds?[c]
3 How blessed are those who promote justice,
and do what is right all the time.
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people.
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
5 so I may see the prosperity[d] of your chosen ones,
rejoice along with your nation,[e]
and boast along with the people who belong to you.[f]
6 We have sinned like[g] our ancestors;[h]
we have done wrong, we have done evil.
7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds.
They failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,
and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea.[i]
8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation,[j]
that he might reveal his power.
9 He shouted at[k] the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
10 He delivered them from the power[l] of the one who hated them,
and rescued[m] them from the power[n] of the enemy.
11 The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived.[o]
12 They believed his promises;[p]
they sang praises to him.
13 They quickly forgot what he had done;[q]
they did not wait for his instructions.[r]
14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving[s] for meat;[t]
they challenged God[u] in the wastelands.
15 He granted their request,
then struck them with a disease.[v]
16 In the camp they resented[w] Moses,
and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.[x]
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it engulfed[y] the group led by Abiram.[z]
18 Fire burned their group;
the flames scorched the wicked.[aa]
19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,
and worshiped a metal idol.
20 They traded their majestic God[ab]
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They rejected[ac] the God who delivered them,
the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,
22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,
mighty acts[ad] by the Red Sea.
23 He threatened[ae] to destroy them,
but[af] Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him[ag]
and turned back his destructive anger.[ah]
24 They rejected the fruitful land;[ai]
they did not believe his promise.[aj]
25 They grumbled in their tents;[ak]
they did not obey[al] the Lord.
26 So he made a solemn vow[am]
that he would make them die[an] in the wilderness,
27 make their descendants[ao] die[ap] among the nations,
and scatter them among foreign lands.[aq]
28 They worshiped[ar] Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.[as]
29 They made the Lord angry[at] by their actions,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened,[au]
and the plague subsided.
31 This was credited to Phinehas as a righteous act
for all generations to come.[av]
32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered[aw] because of them,
33 for they aroused[ax] his temper,[ay]
and he spoke rashly.[az]
34 They did not destroy the nations,[ba]
as the Lord had commanded them to do.
35 They mixed in with the nations
and learned their ways.[bb]
36 They worshiped[bc] their idols,
which became a snare to them.[bd]
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.[be]
38 They shed innocent blood—
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted by bloodshed.[bf]
39 They were defiled by their deeds,
and unfaithful in their actions.[bg]
40 So the Lord was angry with his people[bh]
and despised the people who belonged to him.[bi]
41 He handed them over to[bj] the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them;
they were subject to their authority.[bk]
43 Many times he delivered[bl] them,
but they had a rebellious attitude,[bm]
and degraded themselves[bn] by their sin.
44 Yet he took notice of their distress,
when he heard their cry for help.
45 He remembered his covenant with them,
and relented[bo] because of his great loyal love.
46 He caused all their conquerors[bp]
to have pity on them.
47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God.
Gather us from among the nations.
Then we will give thanks[bq] to your holy name,
and boast about your praiseworthy deeds.[br]
48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise,[bs]
in the future and forevermore.[bt]
Let all the people say, “We agree![bu] Praise the Lord!”[bv]
Book 5 (Psalms 107-150)
Psalm 107[bw]
107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures.[bx]
2 Let those delivered by the Lord speak out,[by]
those whom he delivered[bz] from the power[ca] of the enemy,
3 and gathered from foreign lands,[cb]
from east and west,
from north and south.
4 They wandered through the wilderness, in a wasteland;[cc]
they found no road to a city in which to live.
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
they fainted from exhaustion.[cd]
6 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
7 He led them on a level road,[ce]
that they might find a city in which to live.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.[cf]
9 For he has satisfied those who thirst,[cg]
and those who hunger he has filled with food.[ch]
10 They sat in utter darkness,[ci]
bound in painful iron chains,[cj]
11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands,[ck]
and rejected the instructions of the Most High.[cl]
12 So he used suffering to humble them;[cm]
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
13 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
14 He brought them out of the utter darkness,[cn]
and tore off their shackles.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.[co]
16 For he shattered the bronze gates,
and hacked through the iron bars.[cp]
17 They acted like fools in their rebellious ways,[cq]
and suffered because of their sins.
18 They lost their appetite for all food,[cr]
and they drew near the gates of death.
19 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
20 He sent them an assuring word[cs] and healed them;
he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped.[ct]
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.[cu]
22 Let them present thank offerings,
and loudly proclaim what he has done.[cv]
23 [cw] Some traveled on[cx] the sea in ships,
and carried cargo over the vast waters.[cy]
24 They witnessed the acts of the Lord,
his amazing feats on the deep water.
25 He gave the order for a windstorm,[cz]
and it stirred up the waves of the sea.[da]
26 They[db] reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength[dc] left them[dd] because the danger was so great.[de]
27 They swayed[df] and staggered like drunks,
and all their skill proved ineffective.[dg]
28 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
29 He calmed the storm,[dh]
and the waves[di] grew silent.
30 The sailors[dj] rejoiced because the waves[dk] grew quiet,
and he led them to the harbor[dl] they desired.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.[dm]
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people.
Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside.[dn]
33 He turned[do] streams into a desert,
springs of water into arid land,
34 and a fruitful land into a barren place,[dp]
because of the sin of its inhabitants.
35 As for his people,[dq] he turned[dr] a desert into a pool of water,
and a dry land into springs of water.
36 He allowed the hungry to settle there,
and they established a city in which to live.
37 They cultivated[ds] fields,
and planted vineyards,
which yielded a harvest of fruit.[dt]
38 He blessed[du] them so that they became very numerous.
He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number.[dv]
39 As for their enemies,[dw] they decreased in number and were beaten down,
because of painful distress[dx] and suffering.
40 He would pour[dy] contempt upon princes,
and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road.
41 Yet he protected[dz] the needy from oppression,
and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.
42 When the godly see this, they rejoice,
and every sinner[ea] shuts his mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things.
Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love.
Footnotes
- Psalm 106:1 sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.
- Psalm 106:1 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
- Psalm 106:2 tn Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”
- Psalm 106:5 tn Heb “good.”
- Psalm 106:5 tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”
- Psalm 106:5 tn Heb “with your inheritance.”
- Psalm 106:6 tn Heb “with.”
- Psalm 106:6 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).
- Psalm 106:7 tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.
- Psalm 106:8 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
- Psalm 106:9 tn Or “rebuked.”
- Psalm 106:10 tn Heb “hand.”
- Psalm 106:10 tn Or “redeemed.”
- Psalm 106:10 tn Heb “hand.”
- Psalm 106:11 tn Heb “remained.”
- Psalm 106:12 tn Heb “his words.”
- Psalm 106:13 tn Heb “his works.”
- Psalm 106:13 tn Heb “his counsel.”
- Psalm 106:14 sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.
- Psalm 106:14 tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”
- Psalm 106:14 tn Heb “they tested God.”
- Psalm 106:15 tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”sn Disease. See Num 11:33-34, where this plague is described.
- Psalm 106:16 tn Or “envied.”
- Psalm 106:16 tn Heb “the holy one of the Lord.”
- Psalm 106:17 tn Or “covered.”
- Psalm 106:17 tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
- Psalm 106:18 sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
- Psalm 106:20 tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the Lord states that his people (Israel) exchanged “their glory” (a reference to the Lord) for worthless idols.
- Psalm 106:21 tn Heb “forgot.”
- Psalm 106:22 tn Or “awe-inspiring acts.”
- Psalm 106:23 tn Heb “and he said.”
- Psalm 106:23 tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”
- Psalm 106:23 tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
- Psalm 106:23 tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”sn Verses 19-23 describe the events of Exod 32:1-35.
- Psalm 106:24 tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
- Psalm 106:24 tn Heb “his word.”
- Psalm 106:25 sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
- Psalm 106:25 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”
- Psalm 106:26 tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).
- Psalm 106:26 tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”
- Psalm 106:27 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
- Psalm 106:27 tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”).
- Psalm 106:27 tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Psalm 106:28 tn Heb “joined themselves to.”sn They worshiped Baal of Peor. See Num 25:3, 5. Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal located at Peor.
- Psalm 106:28 tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).
- Psalm 106:29 tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew mss. Perhaps it was accidentally left off, an original וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ (vayyakhʿisuhu) being misread as וַיַּכְעִיסוּ (vayyakhʿisu). In the translation the referent of the pronominal suffix (the Lord) has been specified for clarity to avoid confusion with Baal of Peor (mentioned in the previous verse).
- Psalm 106:30 sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.
- Psalm 106:31 tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.” The verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon”) is collocated with צְדָקָה (tsedaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God credits Abram’s faith as righteousness.
- Psalm 106:32 tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
- Psalm 106:33 tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.
- Psalm 106:33 tn Heb “his spirit.”
- Psalm 106:33 tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.
- Psalm 106:34 tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
- Psalm 106:35 tn Heb “their deeds.”
- Psalm 106:36 tn Or “served.”
- Psalm 106:36 sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
- Psalm 106:37 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
- Psalm 106:38 sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
- Psalm 106:39 tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the Lord (see Ps 73:27).
- Psalm 106:40 tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against his people.”
- Psalm 106:40 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
- Psalm 106:41 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
- Psalm 106:42 tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
- Psalm 106:43 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
- Psalm 106:43 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
- Psalm 106:43 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
- Psalm 106:45 tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
- Psalm 106:46 tn Or “captors.”
- Psalm 106:47 tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
- Psalm 106:47 tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
- Psalm 106:48 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
- Psalm 106:48 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
- Psalm 106:48 tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן,ʾamen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
- Psalm 106:48 sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).
- Psalm 107:1 sn Psalm 107. The psalmist praises God for his kindness to his exiled people.
- Psalm 107:1 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
- Psalm 107:2 tn Or “let the redeemed of the Lord say [so].”
- Psalm 107:2 tn Or “redeemed.”
- Psalm 107:2 tn Heb “hand.”
- Psalm 107:3 tn Heb “from lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Psalm 107:4 tc The MT divides the verse so the line ends “on a wasteland of a road.” The LXX divides the line before “road” as in the translation.
- Psalm 107:5 tn Heb “and their soul in them fainted.”
- Psalm 107:7 sn A level road. See Jer 31:9.
- Psalm 107:8 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.”
- Psalm 107:9 tn Heb “[the] longing throat.” The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), which frequently refers to one’s very being or soul, here probably refers to one’s parched “throat” (note the parallelism with נֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה, nefesh reʿevah, “hungry throat”).
- Psalm 107:9 tn Heb “and [the] hungry throat he has filled [with] good.”
- Psalm 107:10 tn Heb “those who sat in darkness and deep darkness.” Synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of “darkness” experienced by the exiles. The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet, “deep darkness”) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל + מָוֶת [tsel + mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other authorities prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 107:10 the word refers metonymically to a dungeon, which in turn metaphorically depicts the place of Israel’s exile (see vv. 2-3).
- Psalm 107:10 tn Heb “those bound in suffering and iron.” “Suffering and iron” is a hendiadys (like English “good and angry”), where both words contribute to one idea. In this case the first word characterizes the second; the iron (chains) contribute to the prisoners’ pain and suffering.
- Psalm 107:11 tn Heb “the words of God.”
- Psalm 107:11 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
- Psalm 107:12 tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”
- Psalm 107:14 tn Heb “darkness and deep darkness.” See the note on the word “darkness” in v. 10.
- Psalm 107:15 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
- Psalm 107:16 sn The language of v. 16 recalls Isa 45:2.
- Psalm 107:17 tn Heb “fools [they were] because of the way of their rebellion.”
- Psalm 107:18 tn Heb “all food their appetite loathed.”
- Psalm 107:20 tn Heb “he sent his word.” This probably refers to an oracle of assurance which announced his intention to intervene (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 59).
- Psalm 107:20 tn Heb “he rescued from their traps.” The Hebrew word שְׁחִית (shekhit, “trap”) occurs only here and in Lam 4:20, where it refers to a trap or pit in which one is captured. Because of the rarity of the term and the absence of an object with the verb “rescued,” some prefer to emend the text of Ps 107:20, reading מִשַּׁחַת חַיָּתָם (mishakhat khayyatam, “[he rescued] their lives from the pit”). Note also NIV “from the grave,” which interprets the “pit” as Sheol or the grave.
- Psalm 107:21 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
- Psalm 107:22 tn Heb “and let them proclaim his works with a ringing cry.”
- Psalm 107:23 sn Verses 23-30, which depict the Lord rescuing sailors from a storm at sea, do not seem to describe the exiles’ situation, unless the word picture is metaphorical. Perhaps the psalmist here broadens his scope and offers an example of God’s kindness to the needy beyond the covenant community.
- Psalm 107:23 tn Heb “those going down [into].”
- Psalm 107:23 tn Heb “doers of work on the mighty waters.”
- Psalm 107:25 tn Heb “he spoke and caused to stand a stormy wind.”
- Psalm 107:25 tn Heb “and it stirred up its [i.e., the sea’s, see v. 23] waves.”
- Psalm 107:26 tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).
- Psalm 107:26 tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
- Psalm 107:26 tn Or “melted.”
- Psalm 107:26 tn Heb “from danger.”
- Psalm 107:27 tn Only here does the Hebrew verb חָגַג (khagag; normally meaning “to celebrate”) carry the nuance “to sway.”
- Psalm 107:27 tn The Hitpael of בָּלַע (balaʿ) occurs only here in the OT. Traditionally the form is derived from the verbal root בלע (“to swallow”), but HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע understands a homonym here with the meaning “to be confused.”
- Psalm 107:29 tn Heb “he raised [the] storm to calm.”
- Psalm 107:29 tn Heb “their waves.” The antecedent of the third masculine plural pronominal suffix is not readily apparent, unless it refers back to “waters” in v. 23.
- Psalm 107:30 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the sailors) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Psalm 107:30 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the waves) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Psalm 107:30 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT.
- Psalm 107:31 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
- Psalm 107:32 tn Heb “in the seat of the elders.”
- Psalm 107:33 tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narrational. (The use of prefixed forms with vav [ו] consecutive in vv. 36-37 favor this.) The psalmist may return to the theme of God’s intervention for the exiles (see vv. 4-22, especially vv. 4-9). However, many regard vv. 33-41 as a hymnic description which generalizes about God’s activities among men. In this case it would be preferable to use the English present tense throughout (cf. NEB, NRSV).
- Psalm 107:34 tn Heb “a salty land.”
- Psalm 107:35 tn The words “As for his people” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. The psalmist contrasts God’s judgment on his enemies with his blessing of his people. See the note on the word “enemies” in v. 39 for further discussion.
- Psalm 107:35 tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narrational. See the note on the word “turned” in v. 33.
- Psalm 107:37 tn Heb “sowed seed in.”
- Psalm 107:37 tn Heb “fruit [as] produce.”
- Psalm 107:38 tn “Bless” here carries the nuance “endue with sexual potency, make fertile.” See Gen 1:28, where the statement “he blessed them” directly precedes the command “be fruitful and populate the earth” (see also 1:22). The verb “bless” carries this same nuance in Gen 17:16 (where God’s blessing of Sarai imparts to her the capacity to bear a child); 48:16 (where God’s blessing of Joseph’s sons is closely associated with their having numerous descendants); and Deut 7:13 (where God’s blessing is associated with fertility in general, including numerous descendants). See also Gen 49:25 (where Jacob uses the noun derivative in referring to “blessings of the breast and womb,” an obvious reference to fertility) and Gen 27:27 (where the verb is used of a field to which God has given the capacity to produce vegetation).
- Psalm 107:38 tn The verbal form in this line appears to be an imperfect, which may be taken as customary (drawing attention to typical action in a past time frame) or as generalizing (in which case one should use the English present tense, understanding a move from narrative to present reality).
- Psalm 107:39 tn The words “As for their enemies” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. Without such clarification, one might think that v. 39 refers to those just mentioned in v. 38 as objects of divine blessing, which would contradict the point just emphasized by the psalmist. The structure of vv. 33-42 is paneled (A-B-A-B). In vv. 33-34 the psalmist describes God’s judgment upon his enemies (perhaps those who had enslaved his people). In vv. 35-38 he contrasts this judgment with the divine blessing poured out on God’s people. (See the note on the word “people” in v. 35.) In vv. 39-40 he contrasts this blessing with the judgment experienced by enemies, before returning in vv. 41-42 to the blessing experienced by God’s people.
- Psalm 107:39 tn Heb “from the oppression of calamity.”
- Psalm 107:40 tn The active participle is understood as past durative here, drawing attention to typical action in a past time frame. However, it could be taken as generalizing (in which case one should translate using the English present tense), in which case the psalmist moves from narrative to present reality. Perhaps the participial form appears because the statement is lifted from Job 12:21.
- Psalm 107:41 tn Heb “set on high.”
- Psalm 107:42 tn Heb “all evil,” which stands metonymically for those who do evil.
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