1071 Give ye thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the oppressor, 3 And gathered out of the countries, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea. 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way, they found no city of habitation; 5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them: 6 Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble, [and] he delivered them out of their distresses, 7 And he led them forth by a right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. 8 Let them give thanks unto Jehovah for his loving-kindness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men; 9 For he hath satisfied the longing soul and filled the hungry soul with good.
10 Such as inhabit darkness and the shadow of death, bound in affliction and iron, 11 Because they had rebelled against the words of God, and had despised the counsel of the Most High; ... 12 And he bowed down their heart with labour; they stumbled, and there was none to help: 13 Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble, [and] he saved them out of their distresses; 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bands in sunder. 15 Let them give thanks unto Jehovah for his loving-kindness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men; 16 For he hath broken the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron.
17 Fools, because of their way of transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted; 18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of food, and they draw near unto the gates of death: 19 Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble, [and] he saveth them out of their distresses; 20 He sendeth his word, and healeth them, and delivereth them from their destructions. 21 Let them give thanks unto Jehovah for his loving-kindness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men, 22 And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works in joyful song.
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Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 107:1-22
Commentary on Psalm 107:1-9
(Read Psalm 107:1-9)
In these verses there is reference to the deliverance from Egypt, and perhaps that from Babylon: but the circumstances of travellers in those countries are also noted. It is scarcely possible to conceive the horrors suffered by the hapless traveller, when crossing the trackless sands, exposed to the burning rays of the sum. The words describe their case whom the Lord has redeemed from the bondage of Satan; who pass through the world as a dangerous and dreary wilderness, often ready to faint through troubles, fears, and temptations. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, after God, and communion with him, shall be filled with the goodness of his house, both in grace and glory.
Commentary on Psalm 107:10-16
(Read Psalm 107:10-16)
This description of prisoners and captives intimates that they are desolate and sorrowful. In the eastern prisons the captives were and are treated with much severity. Afflicting providences must be improved as humbling providences; and we lose the benefit, if our hearts are unhumbled and unbroken under them. This is a shadow of the sinner's deliverance from a far worse confinement. The awakened sinner discovers his guilt and misery. Having struggled in vain for deliverance, he finds there is no help for him but in the mercy and grace of God. His sin is forgiven by a merciful God, and his pardon is accompanied by deliverance from the power of sin and Satan, and by the sanctifying and comforting influences of God the Holy Spirit.
Commentary on Psalm 107:17-22
(Read Psalm 107:17-22)
If we knew no sin, we should know no sickness. Sinners are fools. They hurt their bodily health by intemperance, and endanger their lives by indulging their appetites. This their way is their folly. The weakness of the body is the effect of sickness. It is by the power and mercy of God that we are recovered from sickness, and it is our duty to be thankful. All Christ's miraculous cures were emblems of his healing diseases of the soul. It is also to be applied to the spiritual cures which the Spirit of grace works. He sends his word, and heals souls; convinces, converts them, makes them holy, and all by the word. Even in common cases of recovery from sickness, God in his providence speaks, and it is done; by his word and Spirit the soul is restored to health and holiness.