God’s Word Translation
Psalms 107:33
33He changes rivers into a desert, springs into thirsty ground,
Psalms 107:33 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
- New International Version (NIV)He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,
- English Standard Version (ESV)He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,
- New King James Version (NKJV)He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground;
Context of Psalms 107:33
31Let them give thanks to the Lord because of his mercy. He performed his miracles for Adam’s descendants. 32Let them glorify him when the people are gathered for worship. Let them praise him in the company of respected leaders. He changes rivers into a desert, springs into thirsty ground, 34and fertile ground into a layer of salt because of the wickedness of the people living there. 35He changes deserts into lakes and dry ground into springs.
Read all of Psalms 107Psalms 107:33 word by word
יָשֵׂ֣ם נְהָר֣וֹת לְמִדְבָּ֑ר וּמֹצָ֥אֵי מַ֝֗יִם לְצִמָּאֽוֹן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 107:33
- 1 Kings 17:1Elijah, who was from Tishbe but had settled in Gilead, said to Ahab, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord God of Israel whom I serve lives, there will be no dew or rain during the next few years unless I say so.”
- Isaiah 13:19Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the proud beauty of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them.
- Isaiah 19:5The water in the Nile River will be dried up, and the river will be dry and empty.
- Isaiah 34:9Edom’s streams will be turned to tar. Its soil will be turned to burning sulfur. Its land will become blazing tar.
- Isaiah 42:15I will lay waste to mountains and hills. I will dry up all their vegetation. I will turn rivers into islands. I will dry up ponds.
- Isaiah 44:27He says to the deep water, “Dry up.” So I will dry up your rivers.
- Isaiah 50:2Why was no one here when I came? Why was no one here to answer when I called? Am I too weak to reclaim you? Don’t I have the power to rescue you? I dry up the sea with my command, and I turn rivers into deserts. Their fish stink because there is no water, and people die of thirst.
- Ezekiel 30:12I will dry up the Nile River and sell the land to wicked people. I will have foreigners destroy the land and everything in it. I, the Lord, have spoken.
- Joel 1:20Even wild animals long for you. Streams run dry. Fire has burned up the open pastures.
- Nahum 1:4He yells at the sea and makes it dry. He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither. The flowers of Lebanon wither.
- Zephaniah 2:9Therefore, I solemnly swear, as I live,” declares the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, “Moab will become like Sodom, and Ammon will become like Gomorrah: a place of weeds, salt pits, and ruins forever. The faithful few of my people will loot them, and those who are left in my nation will take possession of them.”
- 1 Kings 18:5Ahab told Obadiah, “Let’s go throughout the countryside to every spring and stream. If we can find grass, then we can keep the horses and mules alive and not lose any animals.”
- Jeremiah 14:3Important people send their assistants out for water. They go to the cisterns, but they don’t find any water. They come back with their containers empty. They cover their heads, because they are ashamed and disgraced.
- Amos 4:7I stopped the rain from falling three months before the harvest. I sent rain on one city and not on another. One field had rain. Another field had none and dried up.
Commentaries on Psalms 107:33
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 33He turneth rivers into a wilderness - After having, as above, illustrated the state of the Jews in their captivity, and the deliverance which God wrought for them, he now turns to the general conduct of God in reference to the poor and needy; and his gracious Interpositions in their behalf, the providential supply of their wants, and his opposition to their oppressors. On account of the wickedness of men, he sometimes changes a fruitful land into a…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 33He turneth rivers into a wilderness - He makes great changes in the earth; he shows that he has absolute dominion over it. See the notes at Isaiah 44:26-27. On the word “wilderness,” see the notes at Psalm 107:4. The point here is, that God had such control over nature that he could make the bed of a river dry and barren as the rocky or sandy desert. He could effectually dry up the stream, and make it so dry and parched that nothing would grow but the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 33-43Verses 33-43 What surprising changes are often made in the affairs of men! Let the present desolate state of Judea, and of other countries, explain this. If we look abroad in the world, we see many greatly increase, whose beginning was small. We see many who have thus suddenly risen, as suddenly brought to nothing. Worldly wealth is uncertain; often those who are filled with it, ere they are aware, lose it again. God has many ways of making men poor. The…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 33-35The Lord can choose to make the earth fertile or barren (Psalm 74:15; Isaiah 35:6–7).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33-4133-41. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, &c.--God's providence is illustriously displayed in His influence on two great elements of human prosperity, the earth's productiveness and the powers of government. He punishes the wicked by destroying the sources of fertility, or, in mercy, gives fruitfulness to deserts, which become the homes of a busy and successful agricultural population. By a permitted misrule and tyranny, this scene of prosperity is…Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 107:33
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 107
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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