Psalms 107–43
Psalm 107:1-43
Psa.107.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הדו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לעולם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חסדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
Parallels
- 1 Chronicles 16:34 (quotation): Liturgical reprise of the same line — 'Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.' (1 Chron 16:34 quotes/echoes this central thanksgiving formula.)
- Psalm 118:1 (verbal): Nearly identical wording: the opening of Psalm 118 repeats 'Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever,' echoing the same refrain of praise.
- Psalm 136:1 (verbal): Shares the same thanksgiving formula and the characteristic refrain 'for his steadfast love endures forever,' which Psalm 136 repeats in every verse.
- Psalm 106:1 (verbal): Closely parallel wording and theme of praise: 'Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever,' reflecting the same liturgical refrain.
Alternative generated candidates
- Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
- Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psa.107.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יאמרו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- גאולי: NOUN,m,pl,constr
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- גאלם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg,3,pl
- מיד: PREP
- צר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 51:11 (verbal): Uses the same idea and phrasing of “the redeemed/ransomed of the LORD” who return with singing—shared language and theme of deliverance and praise.
- Isaiah 35:10 (verbal): Speaks of the ransomed of the LORD coming with joy and singing to Zion; parallels the promise that those redeemed by God will praise and proclaim his salvation.
- Psalm 107:21-22 (structural): Within the same psalm the call is repeated—these verses explicitly urge the redeemed to praise the LORD and give thanks, echoing the imperative of 107:2.
- Psalm 34:22 (verbal): Declares that the LORD redeems the souls of his servants; connects the action of God’s redemption with the identity and response of the redeemed in Psalm 107:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let those whom the LORD has redeemed say so—those he has redeemed from the hand of distress,
- Let the redeemed of the LORD say—those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the foe.
Psa.107.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומארצות: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- קבצם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ממזרח: PREP
- וממערב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,from,m,sg,abs
- מצפון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 43:5-6 (verbal): God promises to bring and gather his people ‘from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south,’ closely mirroring the directional language and the theme of gathering exiles.
- Isaiah 49:12 (verbal): Speaks of people coming ‘from the north and from the west,’ a close verbal parallel in the use of cardinal directions for return/gathering.
- Isaiah 11:12 (thematic): Foretells that the Lord will ‘gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth,’ sharing the broader theme of regathering the scattered from all directions.
- Jeremiah 31:8 (verbal): God declares he will bring them from the north country and gather them from the coasts of the earth—echoing the promise to collect people from various regions.
- Deuteronomy 30:4 (thematic): Promises the LORD will return and gather Israel from all the nations and the farthest parts—a foundational covenantal theme of restoration and regathering found in Psalm 107:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- and gathered them from the lands, from east and west, from north and from the sea.
- He gathered them from the lands, from east and west, from north and the sea.
Psa.107.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- תעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בישימון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מושב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- מצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 15:22 (verbal): After crossing the sea the Israelites 'went three days in the wilderness and found no water'—a closely related wilderness motif and the language of 'found no ...' parallels the helpless wandering of Ps. 107:4.
- Numbers 14:33 (thematic): God pronounces that the people (and their children) 'shall wander in the wilderness forty years'—a direct thematic parallel describing prolonged wandering and lack of settled habitation.
- Hebrews 11:13-16 (thematic): The patriarchs are described as 'strangers and pilgrims' who sought a city whose builder is God—New Testament reflection on the motif of not having a permanent city to dwell in, resonant with Ps. 107:4.
- Luke 9:58 (verbal): Jesus says 'the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,' echoing the image of having no dwelling or settled place and thus connecting to the Psalm’s theme of lacking a city to inhabit.
- 1 Peter 2:11 (thematic): Believers are exhorted to live as 'sojourners and exiles,' a pastoral application of the biblical theme of being without a permanent city—parallel to the Psalm's depiction of wandering without a dwelling-place.
Alternative generated candidates
- They wandered in the wilderness in a desert; they found no way to a city of habitation.
- They wandered in the wilderness, in a wasteland; they found no city to dwell in.
Psa.107.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- רעבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- גם: ADV
- צמאים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- נפשם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- תתעטף: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 16:3 (structural): Israelites in the wilderness complain of hunger—narrative parallel to Ps 107:5’s depiction of people fainting from lack of food.
- Exodus 17:3 (structural): The people’s thirst and murmuring for water in the desert parallels Ps 107:5’s image of souls overwhelmed by hunger and thirst.
- Psalm 63:1 (verbal): “My soul thirsteth for thee” echoes the language of the soul’s thirst in Ps 107:5 (similar verb/imagery of inner thirst).
- Isaiah 41:17 (thematic): Speaks of the poor and needy whose tongue is parched and who seek water—prophetic parallel to the motif of extreme thirst in Ps 107:5.
- Matthew 5:6 (thematic): Uses the paired motif of hunger and thirst (for righteousness)—New Testament metaphorical echo of Ps 107:5’s combined hunger-and-thirst imagery.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
- Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
Psa.107.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצעקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בצר: PREP
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ממצוקותיהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- יצילם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Jonah 2:2 (verbal): Jonah's prayer: 'In my distress I called to the LORD...' mirrors the same verb of calling/crying to Yahweh in distress and deliverance motif.
- Psalm 34:6 (verbal): 'This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles' — closely parallels the language of crying to the LORD in trouble and being saved.
- Psalm 18:6 (verbal): 'In my distress I called upon the LORD... and he heard my voice' — similar first-person wording and theme of calling in distress and divine rescue.
- Psalm 107:13 (structural): Refrain within Psalm 107 that repeats the pattern of crying to the LORD in distress and being delivered, showing the psalm's repeated structural formula.
- Psalm 107:19 (structural): Another occurrence of the psalm's refrain: people cry to the LORD in affliction and he saves them, reinforcing the central theme.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distress.
- Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Psa.107.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידריכם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ישרה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ללכת: VERB,qal,inf
- אל: NEG
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מושב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 23:3 (verbal): ‘He leads me in paths of righteousness’ closely parallels ‘led them by a straight way’—both portray God guiding his people along right/safe routes.
- Exodus 15:13 (verbal): ‘In your mercy you have guided the people you have redeemed…to your holy dwelling’ echoes the idea of God guiding redeemed people to a place of habitation.
- Proverbs 4:11 (verbal): ‘I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness’ uses the same lead/way imagery—guidance along a straight/upright path.
- Psalm 78:52–53 (thematic): Describes God bringing Israel out and guiding them in the wilderness ‘like a flock,’ thematically similar to God leading the people to a city/settlement.
Alternative generated candidates
- He led them by a straight way, that they might go to a city where they might dwell.
- He led them by a straight way, to go to a city of habitation.
Psa.107.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יודו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- חסדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- ונפלאותיו: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- לבני: PREP
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 107:15 (verbal): Repetition of the same refrain within Psalm 107—calls for thanking the LORD for his steadfast love and wondrous works.
- Psalm 107:21 (verbal): Another recurrence of the thanksgiving refrain in Psalm 107, echoing the language of thanks for God's steadfast love and deeds for humanity.
- Psalm 107:31 (verbal): Final occurrence of the psalm's refrain, again urging praise for the LORD's steadfast love and marvelous works toward people.
- Psalm 136:1 (thematic): Closely related thanksgiving refrain—'Give thanks to the LORD' and emphasis on the LORD's steadfast love (repeated refrain throughout Psalm 136).
- Psalm 118:1 (thematic): Similar call to give thanks to the LORD with affirmation of his steadfast love; shares the thematic pairing of thanksgiving and God's loyal love.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to humankind.
- Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to the children of mankind.
Psa.107.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- השביע: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- נפש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שקקה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ונפש: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רעבה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- מלא: ADJ,m,sg
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 145:15-16 (verbal): Speaks of God supplying food and satisfying every living thing — closely parallels the language of God filling the hungry and satisfying needs.
- Psalm 103:5 (verbal): Attributes to God the action of satisfying the soul with good things, using similar phrasing about God’s provision and blessing.
- Isaiah 55:1-2 (thematic): Invites the thirsty and hungry to come and receive sustenance from the Lord, echoing the theme of divine provision and satisfaction.
- Matthew 5:6 (thematic): 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied' — applies the Psalm’s promise of satisfaction to spiritual longing.
- John 6:35 (allusion): Jesus as the 'bread of life' who satisfies spiritual hunger recalls the Psalm’s assurance that God fills the hungry, now fulfilled in Christ.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good.
- For he satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with good.
Psa.107.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ישבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- חשך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וצלמות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אסירי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- עני: ADJ,m,sg
- וברזל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 107:14 (verbal): Same psalm repeats and expands the language: 'He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bands asunder'—a direct verbal/structural continuation of Ps 107:10.
- Isaiah 61:1 (thematic): Proclaims liberty to the captives and release for the oppressed—shares the theme of freeing those held in darkness and bondage.
- Acts 16:25-26 (thematic): Paul and Silas, imprisoned and bound in chains, experience miraculous release—echoes Ps 107:10's image of those 'in irons' brought out of darkness.
- Exodus 3:7-8 (thematic): God sees the affliction of his people and vows to bring them out of bondage to freedom—a foundational deliverance motif reflected in Ps 107's language of prisoners and irons.
Alternative generated candidates
- Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,
- Those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in affliction and irons.
Psa.107.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- המרו: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,pl
- אמרי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- אל: NEG
- ועצת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- עליון: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- נאצו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:24-25 (verbal): God laments that his call and counsel were rejected—'I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention,' mirroring 'they rebelled against the words of God' and despising counsel.
- Psalm 81:11 (verbal): 'But my people would not listen to my voice; Israel would have none of me' echoes the idea of refusing God's words and rejecting the Most High's guidance.
- Psalm 2:1-3 (thematic): The kings and peoples taking counsel against the LORD and his Anointed parallels the motif of rebellion against God's word and contempt for the Most High's counsel.
- Acts 7:51 (thematic): Stephen's charge—'You always resist the Holy Spirit'—reflects the same culpability for resisting divine word and counsel as described in Psalm 107:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- because they rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
- For they rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
Psa.107.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויכנע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בעמל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבם: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- כשלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- עזר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 22:11 (verbal): Contains the same complaint—trouble is near and 'there is none to help'—a close verbal parallel to the helplessness in Ps 107:12.
- Psalm 107:13 (structural): Immediate internal counterpart: after describing their fainting and lack of help (v.12), v.13 reports that they cried to the LORD and he delivered them, showing the Psalm's pattern of distress followed by deliverance.
- Job 30:20-21 (thematic): Job laments unanswered cries and abandonment in suffering ('I cry to you, and you do not answer'), echoing the experience of being overwhelmed, stumbling, and without help.
- Isaiah 63:9 (thematic): Describes God's presence with his people in their affliction and his saving action—provides a theological counterpoint to the state of helplessness in Ps 107:12 by emphasizing divine solidarity and deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- So he humbled their heart with labor; they stumbled and there was no one to help.
- Therefore their heart was crushed with toil; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Psa.107.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויזעקו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בצר: PREP
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ממצקותיהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- יושיעם: VERB,qal,yiqtol,3,m,sg+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ps.107:6 (structural): Refrain repeated earlier in the psalm: 'they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses,' forming a recurring pattern of cry and deliverance.
- Ps.107:19 (verbal): Another occurrence of the same line within the psalm, repeating the exact wording and theme of crying to the LORD and being rescued.
- Ps.34:6 (verbal): Close verbal and thematic parallel: 'This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles,' emphasizing cry to God and deliverance.
- Jonah 2:2 (verbal): Jonah's prayer uses similar language: 'I cried by reason of my affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me,' echoing the motif of crying out in distress and God answering.
- Ps.18:6 (thematic): The psalmist describes calling on the LORD in distress and God hearing him—a parallel theme of petition in trouble and divine rescue.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distress.
- Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distresses.
Psa.107.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יוציאם: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- מחשך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וצלמות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ומוסרותיהם: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ינתק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ps.107.10 (verbal): Same psalm's narrative: the sufferers are described as sitting "in darkness and the shadow of death," the verse that establishes the condition from which v.14 says God brings them out.
- Isa.42.7 (verbal): Isaiah speaks of bringing "prisoners out of the dungeon, those who sit in darkness," a closely parallel expression of rescue from darkness and captivity.
- Jonah 2:2,6 (thematic): Jonah's prayer depicts deliverance from the depths/Sheol and the bars of death; thematically parallels being brought out of darkness and broken bonds.
- Acts 12:7-10 (thematic): Peter's miraculous release—his chains falling off and the prison opened—echoes the motif of God breaking bonds and bringing the captive out of darkness.
- Ps.18:16-19 (thematic): David describes God drawing him out of deep waters and bringing him into a broad place; thematically similar language of divine rescue from deadly peril into freedom.
Alternative generated candidates
- He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bonds asunder.
- He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and he snapped their bonds.
Psa.107.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יודו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- חסדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- ונפלאותיו: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- לבני: PREP
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 107:8 (verbal): Refrain repeated earlier in the psalm: an identical call to thank Yahweh for his steadfast love and wondrous works to mankind.
- Psalm 107:21 (verbal): Another repetition of the same refrain within Psalm 107, linking deliverance motifs with thanksgiving for God's steadfast love and works.
- Psalm 107:31 (verbal): Final recurrence of the refrain in the psalm, structurally framing the various episodes of deliverance with thanksgiving for God's steadfast love and wonders.
- Psalm 136:1 (thematic): General thanksgiving motif: urges giving thanks because God's steadfast love endures forever, echoing the reason for gratitude in Ps 107:15.
- Psalm 118:1 (thematic): A parallel call to give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, reflecting the recurring thanksgiving refrain found in Ps 107:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to humankind.
- Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to the children of mankind.
Psa.107.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- שבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דלתות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נחשת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ובריחי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ברזל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 45:2 (verbal): Uses the same language: God promises to 'break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron'—a near-verbatim echo of Ps 107:16.
- Psalm 107:14 (structural): Within the same psalm the deliverance theme recurs—'He brought them out... and brake their bands in sunder'—paralleling the image of breaking gates and bars.
- Acts 12:6-10 (thematic): Peter's miraculous release from prison (chains falling off, an iron gate opening) echoes the motif of God breaking bars and gates to free the captive.
- Nahum 1:13 (thematic): Speaks of breaking a yoke and bursting bonds—a related image of God dismantling oppression and releasing those held in bondage, thematically similar to Ps 107:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he shattered bronze gates and cut apart iron bars.
- For he shattered bronze gates and cut the bars of iron in two.
Psa.107.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אולים: ADV
- מדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- פשעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3mp
- ומעונתיהם: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- יתענו: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 32:3-4 (thematic): Describes physical and mental distress that comes from unconfessed sin—like Ps.107:17 linking affliction to sinful ways.
- Psalm 38:3-4 (verbal): Explicitly attributes bodily suffering to sin (’because of my sin’), paralleling Ps.107:17’s causal link between iniquity and affliction.
- Proverbs 1:31 (thematic): Speaks of people ‘eating the fruit of their way,’ a proverbially similar expression of suffering as the consequence of one’s wicked conduct.
- Hosea 8:7 (thematic): Portrays the principle of sinners bringing calamity on themselves (‘they sow the wind...’), echoing the idea that sinful ways result in affliction as in Ps.107:17.
Alternative generated candidates
- Fools, because of their sinful ways and their iniquities, suffered affliction.
- Fools because of their sinful ways, afflicted for their iniquities.
Psa.107.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- תתעב: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- נפשם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- ויגיעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עד: PREP
- שערי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- מות: VERB,qal,infabs
Parallels
- Job 7:4 (verbal): Job says, “my soul refuses to touch bread,” closely paralleling Ps 107:18’s “their soul loathed all food” — both portray anorexia/repulsion toward food in extreme distress.
- Psalm 31:10 (thematic): “My life is spent with grief… my bones waste away because of my iniquity” echoes the causal link in Ps 107:18 between affliction/iniquity and physical wasting that brings one near death.
- Psalm 88:3 (thematic): “My soul is full of trouble; my life draws near to Sheol” parallels Ps 107:18’s image of being brought to the gates of death — both stress imminent death amid overwhelming suffering.
- Psalm 107:17 (structural): The immediate preceding verse states the cause — “Fools because of their transgression… are afflicted” — directly framing v.18’s depiction of loathing food and nearing death as consequence of sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- Their soul abhorred all food; they came to the gates of death.
- Their appetite loathed every morsel; they drew near to the gates of death.
Psa.107.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויזעקו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בצר: PREP
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ממצקותיהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- יושיעם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+OBJ,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ps.107.13 (structural): Refrain repeated within Psalm 107 (verses 6, 13, 19, 28): near‑verbatim repetition of crying to the LORD in distress and being delivered.
- Ps.34.6 (verbal): Close verbal and thematic parallel: 'This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles'—crying to God and divine rescue.
- Ps.18.6 (verbal): Personal lament formula 'In my distress I called upon the LORD' mirrors the language of crying to the LORD in trouble and seeking deliverance.
- Jonah 2:2 (verbal): Jonah's prayer: 'I called to the LORD out of my distress, and he answered me'—a verbal and thematic echo of calling on God in affliction and being saved.
- Ps.50.15 (thematic): God's summons/promised response: 'Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you'—thematic complement emphasizing calling God in trouble and receiving deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then they cried 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 distresses.
Psa.107.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- דברו: INF,qal,inf+3ms
- וירפאם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+obj3mp
- וימלט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משחיתותם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3mp
Parallels
- Isaiah 55:11 (verbal): God’s word goes out and accomplishes what he wills — parallels the efficacy of ‘sending his word’ to bring healing and deliverance.
- Matthew 8:8-13 (thematic): The centurion’s faith that Jesus need only ‘say the word’ to heal his servant echoes the motif of healing effected by God’s spoken word.
- Exodus 15:26 (allusion): Yahweh identifies himself as the one who heals (“I am the LORD who heals you”), directly connecting God’s saving action with healing.
- Jeremiah 23:29 (verbal): God’s word is depicted as powerful (like fire and a hammer) that breaks and transforms — reinforcing the idea that God’s spoken word effects deliverance and change.
- Hebrews 4:12 (allusion): The ‘living and active’ word of God penetrates and effects inner change, resonating with Psalm 107’s claim that God’s word brings healing and rescue.
Alternative generated candidates
- He sent out his word and healed them; he delivered them from their destructions.
- He sent forth his word and healed them; he delivered them from their destructions.
Psa.107.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יודו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- חסדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- ונפלאותיו: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- לבני: PREP
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 107:8 (structural): Immediate refrain within Psalm 107 with the same call to thank YHWH for his steadfast love and wondrous works—part of the poem's repeated chorus.
- Psalm 107:15 (structural): Another occurrence of the identical refrain in Psalm 107 (repeated motif), stressing thanksgiving for God’s hesed and marvelous deeds.
- Psalm 107:31 (structural): Final repetition of the chorus in Psalm 107, again urging thanks for the LORD’s steadfast love and wondrous works to humanity.
- Psalm 111:4 (verbal): Speaks of God’s 'wondrous works' and remembrance of his deeds—parallels the language and focus on divine acts that prompt praise.
- Psalm 136:1 (thematic): A communal call to give thanks because 'his steadfast love endures forever'—echoes the emphasis on hesed and thanksgiving found in Ps.107:21.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to humankind.
- Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to the children of mankind.
Psa.107.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויזבחו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- זבחי: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- תודה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויספרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מעשיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,sg
- ברנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ps.50:14 (verbal): Uses the same formula 'offer unto God a sacrifice of thanksgiving'—direct verbal parallel to offering thank-offerings.
- Ps.116:17 (verbal): First-person vow 'I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving' echoes the act of giving thanksgiving sacrifices and declaring God's deeds.
- 1 Chron.16:8 (verbal): Commands to 'give thanks... call upon his name, make known his deeds' closely parallel 'sacrifice of thanksgiving' and 'tell of his works with rejoicing.'
- Ps.105:1 (verbal): Similar liturgical summons—'O give thanks unto the LORD... make known his deeds among the people'—a close verbal and thematic match.
- Heb.13:15 (thematic): Speaks of offering 'a sacrifice of praise' and the 'fruit of lips'—New Testament development of thanksgiving-sacrifice and verbal praise present in Ps.107:22.
Alternative generated candidates
- And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
- And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
Psa.107.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יורדי: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,pl
- הים: NOUN,m,sg,abs,def
- באניות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- עשי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- מלאכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- במים: PREP
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Jonah 1:3-5 (thematic): Narrative of sailors and a ship caught in a storm; parallels Psalm 107's depiction of those who go down to the sea and face danger requiring divine intervention.
- Proverbs 30:19 (verbal): Uses the phrase 'the way of a ship in the midst of the sea,' echoing the maritime imagery and wonder of seafaring found in Psalm 107:23.
- Mark 4:35-41 (thematic): Jesus and his disciples in a boat amid a violent storm and subsequent divine calm; thematically parallels the Psalm's motif of seafarers endangered on the deep and delivered by God's power.
- Ezekiel 27:25-26 (thematic): Lament for Tyre depicting merchants, mariners and commerce by sea (including ships of Tarshish); parallels the Psalm's focus on those who make their living on the great waters.
Alternative generated candidates
- Those who go down to the sea in ships, doing business on great waters,
- Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on mighty waters,
Psa.107.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- ראו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- מעשי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ונפלאותיו: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- במצולה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 104:25-26 (thematic): Both passages depict the great sea with ships and sea-creatures, celebrating God’s creative power and wondrous activity in the deep.
- Psalm 89:9 (thematic): Affirms God’s sovereign rule over the swelling sea and its waves, echoing the theme of divine wonders enacted in the deep.
- Job 38:8-11 (allusion): God’s control over the sea—shutting it with doors and setting limits—parallels the motif of the Lord’s mighty works in the depths.
- Jonah 1:4-16 (thematic): The sailors’ encounter with a violent sea-storm and their appeal to the LORD reflects human witnesses of God’s power and wonders manifested at sea.
- Exodus 14:21-31 (structural): The Red Sea deliverance is a paradigmatic demonstration of the LORD’s mighty works in the deep, a major Old Testament instance of God’s wonders at sea.
Alternative generated candidates
- they have seen the works of the LORD and his wonders in the deep.
- they have seen the works of the LORD and his wonders in the deep.
Psa.107.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויעמד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- סערה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותרומם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- גליו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,ms
Parallels
- Jonah 1:4 (verbal): God (the LORD) sends/raises a great wind and a mighty tempest at sea — closely parallels the wording of God speaking and a storm arising that lifts the waves.
- Exodus 14:21 (thematic): God uses a strong wind to control the sea (causing the waters to part) — similar theme of divine command over wind and the sea's movement.
- Mark 4:37-39 (thematic): A sudden violent storm at sea and the divine authority over wind and waves (Jesus calms the sea) — New Testament parallel to the motif of storms and divine control.
- Psalm 89:9 (verbal): Speaks of God ruling the raging sea and when its waves arise — language and theme closely match the image of God’s sovereign action over winds and waves.
- Job 38:8-11 (allusion): God’s rhetorical speech about shutting up and setting limits on the sea demonstrates divine sovereignty over the waters, echoing the Psalm’s theme of God commanding the sea/wind.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he commanded and raised up a stormy wind, which lifted up its waves.
- He spoke, and a storm wind arose, lifting up its waves.
Psa.107.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יעלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ירדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- תהומות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נפשם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- ברעה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תתמוגג: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Jonah 2:3 (verbal): Jonah uses similar language of being hurled into the depths and overwhelmed by the sea’s billows—parallel imagery of ascent/ descent and being engulfed by the waters.
- Psalm 69:2 (thematic): Speaks of sinking into deep waters and the soul being overwhelmed; echoes the motif of peril at sea and the distress of the soul in Ps.107:26.
- Matthew 8:24-25 (thematic): The disciples’ fear amid a violent storm on the sea parallels the psalm’s depiction of humans driven to terror when waves rise to the heavens and descend to the depths.
- Job 38:8-11 (structural): God’s speech about setting bounds on the sea and restraining its waters contrasts and responds to the chaotic sea-imagery in Ps.107:26, framing the distressing picture within divine sovereignty.
Alternative generated candidates
- They mounted up to heaven and sank down to the depths; their courage melted away in their disaster.
- They rose to the heavens and sank to the depths; their courage melted away in their peril.
Psa.107.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יחוגו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וינועו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כשכור: PREP+ADJ,m,sg
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- חכמתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,pl
- תתבלע: VERB,niphal,impf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 24:20 (verbal): Uses the same simile of reeling 'like a drunkard'—the image of staggering/to-and-fro motion applied to the earth, echoing the drunken-stagger motif in Ps 107:27.
- Proverbs 23:29-35 (verbal): Describes the staggering and stumbling of the drunkard ('they reel at the last like a drunkard'), closely paralleling the language and theme of loss of control in Ps 107:27.
- Isaiah 28:7 (verbal): Speaks of priests and prophets who 'stagger' or are led astray through wine—same imagery of intoxication causing instability and impaired judgment found in Ps 107:27.
- Jonah 1:5 (thematic): Narrates sailors terrified and overwhelmed by a storm, throwing cargo and crying out—themewise parallel to Ps 107:23–32 (including v.27), which portrays mariners reeling and at their wits' end in a storm.
Alternative generated candidates
- They reeled and staggered like drunkards; all their skill availed them nothing.
- They reeled and staggered like drunkards; all their skill was swallowed up.
Psa.107.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצעקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בצר: PREP
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וממצוקתיהם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- יוציאם: VERB,hiphil,imperfect,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 107:6 (verbal): Immediate refrain within the same psalm: 'ויצעקו אל־יהוה בצר להם ומימצוקתם הוציאם' — same wording and promise of deliverance.
- Psalm 107:13 (verbal): Another recurrence of the refrain in the psalm: the sick or oppressed 'cried unto the LORD in their trouble' and he 'saved them out of their distresses' — structural/choral repetition.
- Psalm 107:19 (verbal): Third occurrence of the refrain in Psalm 107, again using the same verb and promise of divine rescue when they 'cried to the LORD in their trouble.'
- Jonah 2:2 (thematic): Jonah’s prayer: 'I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction' — closely parallels the motif of crying to God in distress and receiving deliverance.
- Psalm 118:5 (verbal): 'I called upon the LORD in distress; the LORD answered me' — similar language and theological theme of calling on God in trouble and being delivered.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
- Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and from their distresses he brought them out.
Psa.107.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יקם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- סערה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לדממה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויחשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- גליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
Parallels
- Psalm 65:7 (verbal): Attributes to God the silencing of the roaring seas and the noise of their waves, using language closely related to calming the waters.
- Psalm 89:9 (verbal): Speaks of God's rule over the sea and his power to still its swelling waves, echoing the theme of divine control over the sea.
- Nahum 1:4 (thematic): Describes God rebuking the sea and drying up rivers—another depiction of Yahweh’s sovereign mastery over chaotic waters.
- Mark 4:39 (allusion): Jesus rebukes the wind and the sea—'Peace, be still'—which evokes the biblical tradition (as in Ps 107:29) of God silencing storms.
- Matthew 8:26 (allusion): The parallel Synoptic account where Jesus calms the storm, reinforcing the continuity between the Psalms’ depiction of God calming the sea and Jesus’ authority over nature.
Alternative generated candidates
- He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
- He made the storm a calm and hushed the roar of the waves.
Psa.107.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישמחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- כי: CONJ
- ישתקו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וינחם: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- מחוז: NOUN,m,sg,const
- חפצם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+suff3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 107:29 (structural): Immediate context: the preceding verse describes God calming the storm (‘He made the storm a calm’), directly leading into verse 30’s rejoicing and arrival at the desired haven.
- Jonah 1:15-16 (thematic): After Jonah is thrown into the sea the storm ceases (‘the sea ceased from her raging’) and the sailors are relieved and offer sacrifices—parallel theme of calming waters and deliverance.
- Mark 4:39 (verbal): Jesus rebukes the wind and sea (‘Peace, be still’), and the waters become calm—a direct verbal/action parallel to God quieting the sea and bringing people to safety.
- Matthew 8:26 (verbal): Synoptic parallel to Mark: Jesus calms the storm and reproves the disciples’ fear, linking the miracle of quieting the sea with deliverance to safety, echoing Psalm 107’s motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then they were glad because they were quieted; and he brought them to their desired haven.
- Then they were glad because it was quiet, and he brought them to the harbor they desired.
Psa.107.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יודו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- חסדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- ונפלאותיו: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- לבני: PREP
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 107:8 (structural): Identical refrain earlier in the same psalm: a call to thank YHWH for his chesed and wondrous works to 'the children of man' (repeated liturgical line).
- Psalm 107:15 (structural): Another occurrence of the same thanksgiving refrain within Psalm 107, reinforcing the psalm's cyclical pattern of deliverance and praise.
- Psalm 107:21 (structural): A third instance of the exact refrain in Psalm 107, showing the verse is part of a repeated communal response of gratitude for God's steadfast love and deeds.
- Psalm 136:4 (verbal): Links the language of 'wonders' and 'steadfast love' (chesed); Psalm 136 pairs God's wondrous acts with the recurring liturgical line 'for his steadfast love endures forever.'
- Psalm 118:1 (thematic): Shares the basic thanksgiving motif and reason—'Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever'—echoing the call to praise God for his enduring chesed found in Psalm 107:31.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to humankind.
- Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to the children of mankind.
Psa.107.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירממוהו: VERB,piel,impf,3,m,pl
- בקהל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עם: PREP
- ובמושב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זקנים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- יהללוהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 22:22 (verbal): Uses the same idea and wording of praising/declaring God 'in the congregation'—'I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you,' closely paralleling Ps 107:32's call to exalt/praise in the assembly.
- Psalm 35:18 (verbal): Explicitly states praise 'in the great congregation' ('I will give you thanks in the great congregation'), echoing Ps 107:32's emphasis on public, communal praise.
- Psalm 149:1 (thematic): Calls for corporate praise—'Sing to the LORD a new song; his praise in the assembly of the faithful'—matching Ps 107:32's theme of lifting up and praising God within the people’s assembly.
- Hebrews 2:12 (allusion): New Testament citation of Psalm 22:22 ('I will declare your name to my brothers...'), reflecting the same motif of publicly praising God within the gathered community that Ps 107:32 expresses.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them extol him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
- They extol him in the assembly; they praise him in the council of the elders.
Psa.107.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ישם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- נהרות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- למדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומצאי: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לצמאון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ps.107:35 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same psalm: verse 33 describes rivers turned to desert, while v.35 depicts the reverse (desert turned to pools) — highlighting God's power to bring both judgment and restoration.
- Isa.41:18 (verbal): Uses comparable imagery of rivers, springs and the wilderness ('I will open rivers ... make the wilderness a pool of water'), echoing the motif of God changing water and land.
- Amos 4:7-8 (thematic): Describes God’s withholding of rain and selective watering—making some fields wither—which parallels the theme of divine control over rivers/springs as a means of judgment.
- Deut.28:24 (thematic): Part of the covenant curses: God will turn the rain of the land to dust, rendering the land barren — a legal/ covenantal parallel to rivers and springs being turned to desert.
- Ps.104:10-11 (thematic): Celebrates God’s provision by sending springs into the valleys and feeding rivers — a complementary image stressing the same divine sovereignty over waters and the landscape.
Alternative generated candidates
- He turns rivers into a desert and springs of water into thirsty ground;
- He turns rivers into a wilderness and springs of water into thirsty land.
Psa.107.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- פרי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- למלחה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מרעת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- ישבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 29:22-23 (verbal): Speaks of land turned into brimstone and salt because of the people's wickedness — closely parallels the image of fruitful land made into a salt waste for its inhabitants.
- Genesis 19:24-26 (allusion): The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (and Lot’s wife becoming a pillar of salt) exemplifies the theme of land turned to salt as divine judgment on wicked inhabitants.
- Isaiah 24:5-6 (thematic): Describes the earth being defiled by its people so that curse and desolation follow — thematically parallels the connection between human sin and the land’s devastation.
- Ezekiel 36:34-35 (structural): Contrasts desolation and restoration of the land: while Psalm 107 records God making fruitful land a waste, Ezekiel promises reversal (desolate land made like Eden), highlighting the same motif of land transformed in response to Israel’s condition.
Alternative generated candidates
- a fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who dwell there.
- A fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
Psa.107.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ישם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מדבר: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- לאגם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ציה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- למצאי: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 41:18 (verbal): Nearly identical wording: God promises to open rivers in the desert and make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water—direct verbal parallel.
- Isaiah 35:6-7 (verbal): Speaks of the parched ground becoming a pool and the thirsty land springs of water; shares the same imagery of desert transformed into sources of water.
- Psalm 104:10-11 (thematic): Describes God sending springs into the valleys to give drink to beasts and satisfy the earth—similar theme of God providing water and renewing dry places.
- Ezekiel 36:34-35 (thematic): God transforms desolate land into cultivated, fruitful land so that nations will know His action—parallel theme of divine restoration of barren places.
- Deuteronomy 8:7-9 (thematic): The Promised Land is described as a country of brooks, fountains and springs—ancient Near Eastern motif of God giving water to transform and bless land.
Alternative generated candidates
- He turns a wilderness into pools of water and dry land into water-springs;
- He turns a desert into pools of water and dry land into springs.
Psa.107.36 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויושב: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- רעבים: ADJ,m,pl
- ויכוננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מושב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ps.68:6 (verbal): Shares near-identical language and motif—God 'sets the solitary in families'/'brings out the bound'—a direct verbal parallel in describing God's provision and placement of the needy into community.
- Ps.146:9 (thematic): Both passages highlight God's care for vulnerable people (the stranger, orphan, widow, hungry) and his role in securing dwellings and well‑being for them.
- Luke 1:53 (verbal): The Magnificat's line about filling the hungry with good things echoes the Psalm's theme of God providing for and establishing the needy.
- Isa.61:4 (thematic): Isaiah's promise to rebuild ruins and restore cities parallels Psalm 107's image of God establishing dwellings and providing habitation for those in distress.
- Gen.41:56-57 (thematic): Joseph's administration during famine—storing grain, providing food, and thus sustaining/settling populations—parallels the Psalm's depiction of God supplying the hungry and securing a place to live.
Alternative generated candidates
- and there he makes the hungry to dwell, and they establish a city to live in.
- There he causes the hungry to dwell, and he establishes a city to be inhabited.
Psa.107.37 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויזרעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- שדות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויטעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כרמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- פרי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- תבואה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 65:21-22 (verbal): Uses the same imagery of planting vineyards and enjoying their fruit as a sign of settled prosperity—'they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit,' echoing Ps 107:37's sowing, planting, and harvest.
- Jeremiah 31:5 (verbal): Speaks of restoration in agricultural terms—'they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine'—paralleling the motif of cultivating land and reaping its produce in Ps 107:37.
- Psalm 104:14-15 (thematic): Describes God's provision for cultivation—he causes plants to grow, gives wine and grain—thematically matching Ps 107:37's focus on sowing, planting, and fruitful harvest as divine blessing.
- Deuteronomy 28:8-12 (thematic): Part of the covenantal blessing that promises agricultural fertility, abundant grain, and prosperity to the obedient land—paralleling Ps 107:37's depiction of fruitful sowing and vineyards as signs of blessing.
- Ezekiel 36:34-36 (allusion): Promises that desolate land will be tilled, planted, and inhabited, with vineyards and gardens yielding produce—a restoration motif closely related to the productive imagery of Ps 107:37.
Alternative generated candidates
- They sow fields and plant vineyards, and bring forth a fruitful yield.
- They sow fields, plant vineyards, and yield a fruitful harvest.
Psa.107.38 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויברכם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- וירבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מאד: ADV
- ובהמתם: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ימעיט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 7:13 (thematic): Promises of divine blessing and multiplication—God will love, bless and multiply Israel (parallel theme of God blessing and causing increase).
- Deuteronomy 28:4 (verbal): Speaks of blessing on the 'fruit of your cattle' (חֵ֖מַת בְּהֵמָתְכֶ֑ם), echoing the Ps.107 claim that their livestock did not diminish—shared language of agricultural/livestock increase as God’s blessing.
- Job 42:12 (thematic): After restoration the LORD blessed Job’s later days with abundant livestock and possessions—an explicit narrative parallel where divine blessing results in multiplication of animals.
- Psalm 104:14 (thematic): Describes God making the grass grow for the cattle and providing sustenance—connects to Psalm 107’s focus on God’s care that preserves and increases livestock.
Alternative generated candidates
- He blesses them, so that they multiply greatly; and their cattle do not decrease.
- He blesses them, and they multiply greatly; their cattle do not decrease.
Psa.107.39 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וימעטו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl
- וישחו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl
- מעצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויגון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 107:10 (structural): Same psalm: describes the condition of those living in darkness and chains—parallel language of being humbled, oppressed, and afflicted.
- Isaiah 53:3 (allusion): 'A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief'—echoes the theme of deep suffering and sorrow reflected in Psalm 107:39.
- Lamentations 3:1 (thematic): 'I am the man who has seen affliction'—Lamentations' meditation on sustained suffering parallels the psalm's depiction of humiliation and grief.
- Psalm 34:19 (thematic): 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous'—shares the theme that the godly endure oppression and sorrow, a motif central to Psalm 107's lament-and-deliverance structure.
- Job 30:26 (verbal): 'My inward parts are in turmoil... days of affliction come to meet me'—language of ongoing distress and being brought low closely parallels the wording and mood of Psalm 107:39.
Alternative generated candidates
- But when they are diminished and brought low through oppression and sorrow,
- But they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.
Psa.107.40 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שפך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בוז: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- נדיבים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויתעם: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,sg
- בתהו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Job 12:21 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language about God pouring contempt on princes and weakening the mighty; a close verbal parallel about divine humiliation of rulers.
- Isaiah 40:23 (verbal): Speaks of God bringing princes to nothing and reducing rulers to emptiness—same theme and similar wording of God’s reversal of the mighty.
- 1 Samuel 2:7-8 (thematic): Contrasts God’s action of humbling the proud and exalting the lowly: God makes poor and rich and lifts the needy to sit with princes (theme of divine reversal of status).
- Daniel 4:17 (thematic): Declares the Most High ‘removes kings and sets up’ whom he wills—theme of God ruling over and humbling human princes, exemplified in Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation.
Alternative generated candidates
- he pours contempt on nobles and makes them wander in a pathless waste.
- He pours contempt upon princes and leads them astray in trackless waste.
Psa.107.41 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישגב: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אביון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעוני: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- וישם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כצאן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משפחות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 113:7-8 (verbal): Both speak of God raising the poor/from the dust and lifting the needy—language of divine reversal and exaltation similar to 'lifts the poor out of their affliction.'
- Psalm 68:6 (verbal): Uses the image of God 'setting the solitary in families,' echoing Ps 107:41's idea of transforming the destitute into settled, multiplied households ('like flocks').
- Job 5:11 (verbal): Speaks of God exalting the lowly and delivering those in distress—parallel language of raising the poor out of trouble and promoting them.
- Luke 1:52-53 (thematic): Mary's Magnificat echoes the theme of divine reversal—humbling the mighty, exalting the lowly, and filling the hungry—paralleling Psalm 107's rescue of the poor and provision for families.
- James 2:5 (thematic): Affirms God's preferential concern for the poor (made heirs of the kingdom), reflecting the psalm's theme that God lifts and blesses the needy and their households.
Alternative generated candidates
- He lifts up the needy out of affliction and makes them families like a flock.
- He lifts up the poor out of misery and makes them like flocks of sheep.
Psa.107.42 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ישרים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- וישמחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- עולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קפצה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- פיה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,f
Parallels
- Psalm 32:11 (verbal): Nearly identical exhortation: 'Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous; shout for joy, all you upright in heart' — echoes the call for the righteous to rejoice and the upright to exult.
- Psalm 64:10 (thematic): Commands the righteous to rejoice and calls all the upright in heart to glory — similar theme of communal rejoicing and vindication of the upright.
- Psalm 97:11 (verbal): 'Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart' — shares the phrasing 'gladness/joy for the upright in heart,' closely matching the sentiment of rejoicing.
- Psalm 33:1 (thematic): 'Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous' — a parallel exhortation for the righteous to express joy and praise, matching the verse's call to rejoicing and exultation.
Alternative generated candidates
- The upright shall see it and be glad; and all who are right in heart will glory.
- The upright see it and rejoice; and all the wicked close their mouths.
Psa.107.43 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- חכם: ADJ,m,sg
- וישמר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- ויתבוננו: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,pl
- חסדי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 9:10 (thematic): Links the beginning of wisdom with knowledge/understanding of the Lord—parallels Ps 107:43’s claim that the wise will discern God’s ways (here, his loyalty/chesed).
- Psalm 111:10 (thematic): Declares the fear of the LORD as the start of wisdom and that keeping his precepts brings understanding, echoing Ps 107:43’s association of wisdom/observation with insight into the LORD’s steadfast love.
- Jeremiah 9:24 (allusion): God says that true boast should be in understanding and knowing him, adding that he is the LORD who practices steadfast love—very close to Ps 107:43’s linking of discernment with knowledge of God’s chesed.
- Proverbs 2:5 (thematic): Promises that seeking wisdom leads to understanding the fear of the LORD and knowledge of God, paralleling Ps 107:43’s idea that the wise will perceive and comprehend the LORD’s loyal love.
- Psalm 107:8 (verbal): Internal parallel in the same psalm that explicitly invokes ‘the LORD’s steadfast love’ (חסדי יהוה) and thanksgiving—Ps 107:43 functions as a concluding call to recognize that very chesed.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who is wise and will heed these things? who will discern the steadfast love of the LORD?
- Who is wise? Let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the foe,
and gathered from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way; they found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distresses.
He led them forth by a straight way, to go to a city of habitation.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to the children of men.
For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with good.
Those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,
because they rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High,
therefore he bowed their heart with toil; they stumbled, and there was none to help.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to the children of men.
For he shattered bronze gates and cut in two the iron bars.
Fools because of their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distresses.
He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their ruin.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to the children of men. And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds with rejoicing.
Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters,
they have seen the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
He commanded and raised a stormy wind, which lifted up its waves.
They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their peril.
They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, and were at their wits' end.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distresses.
He made the storm a calm, and the waves were hushed.
Then were they glad because the sea was quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love, and for his wondrous works to the children of men.
Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
He turns rivers into a wilderness, and springs of water into dry ground;
a fruitful land into a salt waste, for the wickedness of those who dwell therein.
He turns the wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into springs of water;
and there he makes the hungry to sit, and they build a city to dwell in.
They sow fields and plant vineyards, and bring forth a fruitful yield.
He blesses them, and they multiply greatly; and their cattle do not decrease. But they are diminished and brought low through oppression, calamity, and mourning.
He pours contempt upon the mighty, and leads them into a trackless waste. But he lifts up the poor from affliction and makes them like a flock of sheep.
The righteous see it and are glad; and all the wicked shall shut their mouths.
Who is wise? Let him heed these things; and who is understanding? Let him consider the steadfast love of the LORD.