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PSALM 107

1. O, give thanks to jehovah, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever.
2. Thus let the redeemed of jehovah say, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
3. And gathered together out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4. They wandered in the wilderness, in a desolate way, they found no city of habitation.
5. Hungry and thirsty, their souls fainted within them.
6. Then they cried to jehovah in their straight; he delivered them out of their distresses.
7. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
8. Let them praise jehovah for his goodness, for his wonderful works to the sons of man!
9. For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness;
10. Such as sit in darkness and the shadow of death, bound in affliction and iron.
11. Because they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the most high,
12. Therefore he brought down their heart with trouble; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13. Then they cried to jehovah in their straight, he saved them out of their distresses;
14. He brought them forth out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds to pieces.
15. Let them praise jehovah for his goodness, and his wonderful works to the sons of man;
16. For he has broken in pieces the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron to pieces.
17. Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted;
18. Their soul abhorred all food, and they drew near to the gates of death;
19. Then they cried to jehovah in their straight, he saved them out of their distresses.
20. He sent his Word and healed them, and delivered them from their pits.
21. Let them praise jehovah for his goodness, and his wonderful works to the sons of man;
22. Yea, let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with a song!
23. They who go down to the sea in ships, that do business upon the mighty waters;
24. They behold the works of jehovah, and his wonders in the deep;
25. For he commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves thereof.
26. They ascend to the heavens, they go down to the depths, their soul is melted because of trouble;
27. They reel and stagger like a drunken man, and all their wisdom is swallowed up;
28. Then they cry to jehovah in their straight, and he brings them out of their distresses.
29. He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30. Then are they glad because they are still, and he guides them to the haven which they desired.
31. Let them praise jehovah for his goodness, and his wonderful works to the sons of man;
32. Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people, let them praise him in the assembly of the elders!
33. He turns rivers into a wilderness, springs of water into a parched land.
34. A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who dwell therein.
35. He turns the wilderness into a lake of waters, and dry land into springs of water.
36. And there he makes the hungry to dwell, that they may erect a city of habitation;
37. And sow fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.
38. He blesses them, so that they multiply greatly, and he suffers not their cattle to decrease.
39. Again they are reduced and brought low through the oppression of wickedness and sorrow.
40. He pours contempt upon princes, and causes them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.
41. But the poor he sets on high from affliction, and makes families like a flock.
42. The upright shall behold and rejoice, and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
43. They who are wise will observe these things, yea, they shall understand the mercies of jehovah!

Verses 2, 3, 4. Thus let the redeemed of jehovah say, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary; and gathered together out of the lands from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way, they found no city of habitation. Speaking of those who are in ignorance of good and truth; from the east and from the west denotes those who are in ignorance of good, from the north and from the south denotes those who are in ignorance of truth; of those who are in ignorance of good it is said, that they wandered in a wilderness, and of those who are in ignorance of truth that they wandered in a desolate way; and concerning the ignorance of both, it is said that they found no city of habitation, that city denotes doctrine of truth may be seen, AC 402, and that habitation is predicated of good, see AC 2268. AC 3708.

These words are spoken in general of the redeemed, specifically of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, and by them are described the temptations of those who are regenerated by the lord; by the city of habitation which they did not find is signified the doctrine of life, which with man makes the church; and whereas the church is formed with man by a life according to doctrine, through the enduring of temptations, it is said that jehovah led them forth by a right way, that they might go to a city of habitation; the want of truth even to despair, and still the desire thereof, is signified by being hungry and thirsty, and their soul fainting in the way. AE 730.

Verse 9. For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Denoting those who desire knowledges. AC 1460.

Verses 10, 14. Shadow of death; see Psalm 23:4, 5, Exposition.

Verse 18. Gates of death; see Psalm 9:13, 14. Exposition.

Verse 20. He sent his word and healed them, and delivered them from their pits. That the Word in the supreme sense is the lord as to Divine truth, or, what is the same thing, that the Word is the Divine truth proceeding from the lord, is manifest from this passage. AC 9987.

That pits denote falses of doctrine, and falses of evil, see Psalm 57:4, Exposition.

Verses 23, 24. They who go down to the sea in ships, that do business upon the mighty waters. They behold the works of jehovah, and his wonders in the deep. In this passage also ships denote knowledges and doctrinals, and therefore it is said, they who go down to the sea in ships see the works of jehovah, and his wonders in the deep, for such things are seen by those who are in knowledges and doctrinals derived from the Word. AC 6385.

Verses 33, 34. He turns rivers into a wilderness, springs of water into a parched land; a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who dwell therein. By the rivers which are turned into a wilderness, is signified intelligence from the understanding of truth, and also of the Word as to its interior sense, devastated by falses from evil, rivers denoting such things as are of intelligence, and a wilderness where those things are not, but instead thereof falses from evil. By the springs of waters which are turned into a parched land, is signified that the ultimate things of the understanding, which are called the knowledges of truth and good, are without all light and spiritual affection of truth, waters denoting truths, parched land the deprivation thereof by reason of there being no light and affection, and the springs denoting the ultimates thereof, such as are the truths of the literal sense of the Word. By the fruitful land which shall be turned into barrenness or saltness, is signified the good of love and of life deeply vastated by falses, barrenness or saltness denoting the devastation of truth by falses, and whereas all devastation by falses is from evil of the life, it is therefore added, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. AE 730.

Verses 35, 36. He turns the wilderness into a lake of waters, and dry land into springs of water, and there he makes the hungry to dwell, that they may erect a city of habitation. In this passage the illustration of the gentiles is treated of; by making the wilderness a lake of waters are signified similar things as above; and there he makes the hungry to dwell, signifies for those who desire truths, these being understood by the hungry in the Word; that they may erect a city of habitation, signifies that from those truths they may make for themselves doctrine of life, a city denoting doctrine, and to inhabit denoting to live. AE 730.

Verses 36, 37, 38. And sow fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase, etc. The subject treated of in the whole of this Psalm is concerning the coming of the lord and redemption by him; that then they will have truths, by which the church will be planted amongst them, is signified by their sowing fields and planting vineyards; that thence they will have the good things of the church, and thereby an increase of truths, is signified that, they will produce fruit, that jehovah will bless them, no that they will be multiplied greatly; that in such case all good affections of the natural man will remain with them, is signified by their cattle not being diminished; that those affections otherwise will perish by evils, is signified by their being diminished and bowed down by the oppression of wickedness, AE 650.