Psalms 107:36-43

107:36 He allowed the hungry to settle there,

and they established a city in which to live.

107:37 They cultivated ¹  fields,

and planted vineyards,

which yielded a harvest of fruit. ² 

107:38 He blessed ³  them so that they became very numerous.

He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number. ⁴ 

107:39 As for their enemies, ⁵  they decreased in number and were beaten down,

because of painful distress ⁶  and suffering.

107:40 He would pour ⁷  contempt upon princes,

and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road.

107:41 Yet he protected ⁸  the needy from oppression,

and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.

107:42 When the godly see this, they rejoice,

and every sinner ⁹  shuts his mouth.

107:43 Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things!

Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love!

[107:37]  ¹ tn Heb “sowed seed in.”

[107:37]  ² tn Heb “fruit [as] produce.”

[107:38]  ³ 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).

[107:38]  ⁴ 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).

[107:39]  ⁵ 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.

[107:39]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the oppression of calamity.”

[107:40]  ⁷ 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.

[107:41]  ⁸ tn Heb “set on high.”

[107:42]  ⁹ tn Heb “all evil,” which stands metonymically for those who do evil.