Psa 107:4-22 | NET2full | STEP | They wandered through the wilderness , in a wasteland ; they found no road to a city in which to live .

‏ Psalms 107:4-22

4 They wandered through the wilderness, in a wasteland; ^{▼▼tc The MT divides the verse so the line ends “on a wasteland of a road.” The LXX divides the line before “road” as in the translation.}
they found no road to a city in which to live.
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
they fainted from exhaustion. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and their soul in them fainted.”}
6 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
7 He led them on a level road ^{▼▼sn A level road. See Jer 31:9.}
that they might find a city in which to live.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love
and for the amazing things he has done for people. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.”}
9 For 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 נֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה, nefesh reʿevah, “hungry throat”).}
and those who hunger he has filled with food. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and [the] hungry throat he has filled [with] good.”}
10 They 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 ^{▼▼tn Heb “those bound in suffering and iron.” “Suffering and iron” is a hendiadys (like English “good and angry”), where both words contribute to one idea. In this case the first word characterizes the second; the iron (chains) contribute to the prisoners’ pain and suffering.}
11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands ^{▼▼tn Heb “the words of God.”}
and rejected the instructions of the Most High. ^{▼▼sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.}
12 So he used suffering to humble them; ^{▼▼tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”}
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
13 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
14 He 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.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love
and for the amazing things he has done for people. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.}
16 For he shattered the bronze gates
and hacked through the iron bars. ^{▼▼sn The language of v. 16 recalls Isa 45:2.}
17 They 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.
18 They lost their appetite for all food, ^{▼▼tn Heb “all food their appetite loathed.”}
and they drew near the gates of death.
19 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
20 He sent them an assuring word ^{▼▼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).} and healed them;
he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped. ^{▼▼tn Heb “he rescued from their traps.” The Hebrew word שְׁחִית (shekhit, “trap”) occurs only here and in Lam 4:20, where it refers to a trap or pit in which one is captured. Because of the rarity of the term and the absence of an object with the verb “rescued,” some prefer to emend the text of Ps 107:20, reading מִשַּׁחַת חַיָּתָם (mishakhat khayyatam, “[he rescued] their lives from the pit”). Note also NIV “from the grave,” which interprets the “pit” as Sheol or the grave.}
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love
and for the amazing things he has done for people. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.}
22 Let them present thank offerings,
and loudly proclaim what he has done. ^{▼▼tn Heb “and let them proclaim his works with a ringing cry.”}