New King James Version
Psalms 107:33
33He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry 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 Living Translation (NLT)He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
Context of Psalms 107:33
31Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 32Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders. He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground; 34A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it. 35He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings.
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 17:1And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
- Isaiah 13:19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Isaiah 19:5The waters will fail from the sea, And the river will be wasted and dried up.
- Isaiah 34:9Its streams shall be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch.
- Isaiah 42:15I will lay waste the mountains and hills, And dry up all their vegetation; I will make the rivers coastlands, And I will dry up the pools.
- Isaiah 44:27Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers’;
- Isaiah 50:2Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink because there is no water, And die of thirst.
- Ezekiel 30:12I will make the rivers dry, And sell the land into the hand of the wicked; I will make the land waste, and all that is in it, By the hand of aliens. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
- Joel 1:20The beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up, And fire has devoured the open pastures.
- Nahum 1:4He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, And dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, And the flower of Lebanon wilts.
- Zephaniah 2:9Therefore, as I live,” Says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, And the people of Ammon like Gomorrah— Overrun with weeds and saltpits, And a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, And the remnant of My people shall possess them.”
- 1 Kings 18:5And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock.”
- Jeremiah 14:3Their nobles have sent their lads for water; They went to the cisterns and found no water. They returned with their vessels empty; They were ashamed and confounded And covered their heads.
- Amos 4:7“I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, And where it did not rain the part withered.
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries