Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 107

O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good - See the notes at Psalms 106:1.

For his mercy endureth for ever - He is unchanging in his mercy. It is an attribute of his very nature. He is constantly manifesting it. The word rendered “mercy” here, however - חסד chesed - is more general in its signification than our word “mercy.” Our word means “favor shown to the guilty;” the Hebrew word means kindness, goodness, benignity in general. It is this which is celebrated in the psalm before us.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so - They are especially qualified to say so; they have special occasion to say so; they can and will appreciate this trait in His character. The word rendered “redeemed” here - from גאל gā'al - means “delivered, rescued,” without reference to any price paid for the deliverance. It refers here not to a ransom from “sin,” but to deliverance from “danger.” The probable allusion is to the deliverance from the captivity in Babylon. Compare the notes at Isaiah 43:3.

Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy - the power of the enemy. That is, He has saved them from their enemies, and has not suffered them to be destroyed by them. What is said here is true in the most eminent sense of those who are redeemed by the blood of the Son of God, and who are made heirs of salvation. Every consideration makes it proper that they should praise the Lord. Of all on earth, they have most occasion for such praise; of all among people, it may be presumed that they will be best qualified to appreciate the goodness of the Lord.

And gathered them out of the lands - The countries where they were scattered. During the times of the captivity, the people were not all taken to one place, nor did they all abide in one place. In the long exile of seventy years in Babylon, they would naturally have been much scattered in the different provinces; and the attempt to gather them together, and to restore them again to their native land, might have been attended with much difficulty.

From the east ... - From all quarters; from the places where they were scattered abroad. That is, someone taking a position in Babylon would see them dispersed from that location as a center into all the surrounding country.

And from the south - Margin, as in Hebrew, “from the sea.” In general, in the Old Testament, the word “sea” is used for the west, because the western boundary of the land of Palestine was the Mediterranean Sea. . But the supposed position of the speaker here is “Babylon,” and on that account the south might be fitly designated by the word “sea,” as, to the south of Babylon, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean would soon be reached.

They wandered in the wilderness - On their return from Babylon; or, when God was conducting them again to their own land. The word “wilderness” in the Scriptures means a desolate, barren, uninhabited region, usually destitute of trees, of springs, and of water-courses. It does not denote, as it does with us, a region of extensive “forests.” Compare the notes at Matthew 4:1.

In a solitary way - Rather, in a “waste” way; a land that was desolate and uncultivated.

They found no city to dwell in - In their journeyings. This was true of the region between Babylon and Palestine; a wide, barren, desolate waste.

Hungry and thirsty - As they would be, when wandering in such a desert. A more literal and expressive rendering would be, “Hungry - also thirsty.”

Their soul fainted in them - The word used here - עטף ‛ âṭaph - means properly to cover, to clothe, as with a garment (Psalms 73:6); or a field with grain (Psalms 65:13); then, to hide oneself (Job 23:9); then, to cover with darkness (Psalms 77:3;Psalms 102:0, title); thus it denotes the state of mind when darkness seems to be in the way - a way of calamity, trouble, sorrow; of weakness, faintness, feebleness. Here it would seem from the connection to refer to the exhaustion produced by the want of food and drink.