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1Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good,
and his loyal love endures!
2Let those delivered by the Lord speak out,[#tn Or “let the redeemed of the Lord say [so].”]
those whom he delivered from the power of the enemy,
3and gathered from foreign lands,[#tn Heb “from lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.]
from east and west,
from north and south.
4They wandered through the wilderness on a desert road;
they found no city in which to live.
5They were hungry and thirsty;
they fainted from exhaustion.
6They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
7He led them on a level road,[#sn A level road. See Jer 31:9.]
that they might find a city in which to live.
8Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
9For he has satisfied those who thirst,[#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 נֶפֱשׁ רְעֵבָה, nefesh rÿ’evah, “hungry throat”).]
and those who hunger he has filled with food.
10They sat in utter darkness,[#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).]
bound in painful iron chains,
11because they had rebelled against God’s commands,[#tn Heb “the words of God.”]
and rejected the instructions of the sovereign king.
12So he used suffering to humble them;[#tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”]
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
13They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
14He brought them out of the utter darkness,[#tn Heb “darkness and deep darkness.” See the note on the word “darkness” in v. 10.]
and tore off their shackles.
15Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
16For he shattered the bronze gates,
and hacked through the iron bars.
17They acted like fools in their rebellious ways,[#tn Heb “fools [they were] because of the way of their rebellion.”]
and suffered because of their sins.
18They lost their appetite for all food,[#tn Heb “all food their appetite loathed.”]
and they drew near the gates of death.
19They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
20He sent them an assuring word and healed them;[#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).]
he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped.
21Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
22Let them present thank offerings,
and loudly proclaim what he has done!
23Some traveled on the sea in ships,[#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.; #tn Heb “those going down [into].”]
and carried cargo over the vast waters.
24They witnessed the acts of the Lord ,
his amazing feats on the deep water.
25He gave the order for a windstorm,[#tn Heb “he spoke and caused to stand a stormy wind.”]
and it stirred up the waves of the sea.
26They reached up to the sky,[#tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).]
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength left them because the danger was so great.
27They swayed and staggered like a drunk,[#tn Only here does the Hebrew verb חָגַג (khagag; normally meaning “to celebrate”) carry the nuance “to sway.”]
and all their skill proved ineffective.
28They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
29He calmed the storm,[#tn Heb “he raised [the] storm to calm.”]
and the waves grew silent.
30The sailors rejoiced because the waves grew quiet,[#tn Heb “they”; the referent (the sailors) has been specified in the translation for clarity.; #tn Heb “they”; the referent (the waves) has been specified in the translation for clarity.]
and he led them to the harbor they desired.
31Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
32Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people!
Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside!
33He turned streams into a desert,[#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).]
springs of water into arid land,
34and a fruitful land into a barren place,[#tn Heb “a salty land.”]
because of the sin of its inhabitants.
35As for his people, he turned a desert into a pool of water,[#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.; #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.]
and a dry land into springs of water.
36He allowed the hungry to settle there,
and they established a city in which to live.
37They cultivated fields,[#tn Heb “sowed seed in.”]
and planted vineyards,
which yielded a harvest of fruit.
38He blessed them so that they became very numerous.[#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).]
He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number.
39As for their enemies, they decreased in number and were beaten down,[#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.]
because of painful distress and suffering.
40He would pour contempt upon princes,[#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.]
and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road.
41Yet he protected the needy from oppression,[#tn Heb “set on high.”]
and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.
42When the godly see this, they rejoice,
and every sinner shuts his mouth.
43Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things!
Let them consider the Lord ’s acts of loyal love!