Psalms 107:33
Psalms 107:33 in Multiple Translations
He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground,
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, And watersprings into a thirsty ground;
He makes rivers into waste places, and springs of water into a dry land;
He dries up rivers and turns the land into a desert; the water springs stop flowing and the earth turns dry and dusty.
He turneth the floodes into a wildernesse, and the springs of waters into drinesse,
He maketh rivers become a wilderness, And fountains of waters become dry land.
He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground,
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into dry ground;
Sometimes Yahweh causes rivers to become dry, with the result that the land becomes a desert, and springs of water become dry land.
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 107:33
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 107:33 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
יָשֵׂ֣ם
נְהָר֣וֹת
לְ/מִדְבָּ֑ר
וּ/מֹצָ֥אֵי
מַ֝֗יִם
לְ/צִמָּאֽוֹן
יָשֵׂ֣ם
sûwm
H7760
to set
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms
נְהָר֣וֹת
nâhâr
H5104
river
N-mp
לְ/מִדְבָּ֑ר
midbâr
H4057
mouth
Prep | N-ms
וּ/מֹצָ֥אֵי
môwtsâʼ
H4161
exit
Conj | N-mp
מַ֝֗יִם
mayim
H4325
Water (Gate)
N-mp
לְ/צִמָּאֽוֹן
tsimmâʼôwn
H6774
parched
Prep | N-ms
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 107:33
יָשֵׂ֣ם
sûwm
H7760
"to set"
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms
This Hebrew word means to put or place something, and is used in many different ways in the Bible, such as to appoint or determine something. It is first used in Genesis to describe God's creation. In the KJV, it is translated as 'appoint' or 'set' in various contexts.
Definition: : make/establish 1) to put, place, set, appoint, make 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on 1a2) to set, direct, direct toward 1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig) 1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix 1a4) to set, station, put, set in place, plant, fix 1a5) to make, make for, transform into, constitute, fashion, work, bring to pass, appoint, give 1b) (Hiphil) to set or make for a sign 1c) (Hophal) to be set
Usage: Occurs in 550 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work. See also: Genesis 2:8; Leviticus 20:5; 1 Samuel 21:13.
נְהָר֣וֹת
nâhâr
H5104
"river"
N-mp
In the Bible, a river symbolizes prosperity, like the Nile or Euphrates, and is often used figuratively. It appears in Genesis and Exodus, describing the life-giving waters of the Promised Land. This word is also used to describe underground streams.
Definition: 1) stream, river 1a) stream, river 1b) (underground) streams Aramaic equivalent: ne.har (נְהַר "river" H5103H)
Usage: Occurs in 108 OT verses. KJV: flood, river. See also: Genesis 2:10; Psalms 93:3; Psalms 24:2.
לְ/מִדְבָּ֑ר
midbâr
H4057
"mouth"
Prep | N-ms
The wilderness refers to a desert or open field, like the one the Israelites wandered in after leaving Egypt. It can also mean a place of solitude or a region without many people. In the Bible, it is often associated with the journey to the Promised Land.
Definition: 1) mouth 1a) mouth (as organ of speech)
Usage: Occurs in 257 OT verses. KJV: desert, south, speech, wilderness. See also: Genesis 14:6; Joshua 5:4; Psalms 29:8.
וּ/מֹצָ֥אֵי
môwtsâʼ
H4161
"exit"
Conj | N-mp
Exit refers to a way out or a place of departure, like a gate or a door. In 1 Samuel 17:52, it describes the Israelites' escape route from the Philistines. This term can also mean the rising of the sun or the source of a river.
Definition: 1) act or place of going out or forth, issue, export, source, spring 1a) a going forth 1a1) rising (sun), going forth of a command 1a2) goings forth, those going forth 1a3) way out, exit 1b) that which goes forth 1b1) utterance 1b2) export 1c) place of going forth 1c1) source or spring (of water) 1c2) place of departure 1c3) east (of sun) 1c4) mine (of silver)
Usage: Occurs in 26 OT verses. KJV: brought out, bud, that which came out, east, going forth, goings out, that which (thing that) is gone out, outgoing, proceeded out, spring, vein, (water-) course (springs). See also: Numbers 30:13; Psalms 75:7; Psalms 19:7.
מַ֝֗יִם
mayim
H4325
"Water (Gate)"
N-mp
This word means water, referring to a liquid or a source of refreshment. It appears in the Bible as a literal and figurative term, including references to wasting or urine. The word is used in various contexts, such as in Genesis and Leviticus.
Definition: This name means water, refreshment
Usage: Occurs in 525 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)). See also: Genesis 1:2; Leviticus 14:9; Joshua 18:15.
לְ/צִמָּאֽוֹן
tsimmâʼôwn
H6774
"parched"
Prep | N-ms
This Hebrew word refers to a dry or thirsty place, like a desert, and is used in the Bible to describe a barren or desolate area, like in Jeremiah 2:6 where it talks about a land of drought and dry ground. It can also symbolize a spiritual dryness or emptiness.
Definition: thirsty ground
Usage: Occurs in 3 OT verses. KJV: drought, dry ground, thirsty land. See also: Deuteronomy 8:15; Psalms 107:33; Isaiah 35:7.
Study Notes — Psalms 107:33
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 107:33 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 107:33
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 107:33
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 107:33
- Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
- Sermons on Psalms 107:33
Context — Thanksgiving for Deliverance
31Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
32Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.
33He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground,
34and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers. 35He turns a desert into pools of water and a dry land into flowing springs.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaiah 50:2 | Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst. |
| 2 | Isaiah 42:15 | I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into dry land and drain the marshes. |
| 3 | Amos 4:7–8 | “I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered. People staggered from city to city for water to drink, but they were not satisfied; yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD. |
| 4 | 1 Kings 17:1–7 | Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!” Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook. Some time later, however, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. |
| 5 | Jeremiah 14:3 | The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads. |
| 6 | Zephaniah 2:9 | Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah— a place of weeds and salt pits, a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of My people will plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.” |
| 7 | Isaiah 13:19–21 | And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there. But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. |
| 8 | Isaiah 34:9–10 | Edom’s streams will be turned to tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch. It will not be quenched—day or night. Its smoke will ascend forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever again pass through it. |
| 9 | Psalms 74:15 | You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. |
| 10 | Isaiah 44:27 | who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’ |
Psalms 107:33 Summary
This verse means that God has the power to change our circumstances, sometimes as a result of our sin or disobedience. He can take away things that bring us life and comfort, like rivers and springs, and replace them with dry and barren things, like deserts and thirsty ground, as mentioned in Psalms 107:34. But even in these difficult circumstances, we can trust that God is still in control, and that He loves us and wants what is best for us, as seen in Psalms 107:31 and Romans 8:28. We can look to Him to bring restoration and hope, just like He promises in Psalms 107:35.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for God to turn rivers into deserts?
This phrase is a metaphor for God's power to change circumstances, often as a result of sin or disobedience, as seen in Psalms 107:34, and also in Isaiah 50:2, where God's power to dry up the sea is mentioned.
Is God being cruel by turning springs of water into thirsty ground?
No, God is a loving God, as seen in Psalms 107:31, but He is also a just God who must deal with sin, as mentioned in Romans 6:23, and sometimes this means allowing consequences for disobedience.
How does this verse relate to my everyday life?
This verse reminds us that our actions have consequences, and God is sovereign over all things, including our circumstances, as mentioned in Proverbs 19:21, and we must trust in His goodness and wisdom, as seen in Romans 8:28.
Can God restore what He has taken away?
Yes, God is a God of restoration, as seen in the very next verse, Psalms 107:35, where He turns a desert into pools of water, and also in Joel 2:25, where He promises to restore the years the locusts have eaten.
Reflection Questions
- What are some areas in my life where I feel like a 'desert' or a 'thirsty ground', and how can I trust God to bring restoration?
- How do I respond when God allows difficult circumstances in my life, and what can I learn from these experiences?
- In what ways can I be obedient to God's commands, so that I can avoid the consequences of sin, as mentioned in Psalms 107:34?
- How can I trust in God's sovereignty, even when I don't understand the circumstances He has allowed in my life?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 107:33
He turneth rivers into a wilderness,.... A country abounding with rivers, as the country round about Sodom and the land of Canaan were, Genesis 13:10. Such an one is sometimes, by the just judgment of God, turned into a desert.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
Rivers; either, 1. Properly so called; which he can divert or dry up when he pleaseth, as sometimes he hath done. Or rather, 2. Those grounds which are well watered, and therefore very fruitful, as the next verse explains this. And so the water-springs, here and , and the standing water, Psalms 107 35, are taken. Into a wilderness; into a dry ground, as it follows, which is like a parched and barren wilderness.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
Psalms 107:33 He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;Ver. 33. He turneth rivers into a wilderness] Hitherto the psalmist hath set forth God’ s good providence in delivering men from several deaths and dangers; now he declareth the same in his just and powerful transmutations in nature, while according to the good pleasure of his will he changeth men’ s condition, either from good to evil, or from evil to good, beyond all expectation; it is even he that doeth it, whatsoever a company of dizzy headed men dream to the contrary, as one phraseth it. It is God who drieth up those rivers, whereby the land was made fat and fertile, Isaiah 41:17.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
(33) The change in character and style of the psalm at this point is so marked as to suggest an addition by another hand. It is not only that the artistic form is dropped, and the series of vivid pictures, each closed by a refrain, succeeded by changed aspects of thought, but the language becomes harsher, and the poet, if the same, suddenly proclaims that he has exhausted his imagination.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
Verse 33. He 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 desert. See the general state of Egypt in the present time: once a fertile land; now an arid, sandy wilderness. Again, by his blessing on honest industry, he has changed deserts into highly fertile ground. And, as for the wickedness of their inhabitants, many lands are cursed and rendered barren; so, when a people acknowledge him in all their ways, he blesses their toil, gives them rain and fruitful seasons, and fills their hearts with joy and gladness.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 107:33
33–43. The style of the Psalm changes, and its subject becomes more general. The refrain disappears, and instead of examples of God’s goodness in delivering various classes of men, we have proofs of His providential government of the world in the vicissitudes of countries and peoples.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 107:33
He 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 Psalms 107:4.
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 107:33
33-42. These verses comprehend the last two strophes, the first ending with Psalms 107:38, and the latter with Psalms 107:42. The whole comprises a description of what God can do in his sovereign grace and judgment with a nation.
Sermons on Psalms 107:33
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
Giving Thanks to the Lord Part 2 by Chuck Smith | In this sermon, Pastor Chuck Smith recounts the story of Paul's journey on a ship in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship was caught in a severe storm, and the crew did everything they |
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Dry Land by Glenn Meldrum | In this sermon, the preacher describes the reality of the brokenness and sinfulness in society. He talks about the various problems that exist in people's lives, such as domestic v |
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God's Agency in War by A.W. Pink | A.W. Pink emphasizes God's sovereignty and agency in the affairs of nations, particularly in times of war and judgment. He argues that just as God punished nations in the Old Testa |
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The Wilderness Wanderer by J.C. Philpot | J.C. Philpot preaches on Psalms 107, describing it as an epitome of Christian experience, highlighting the journey of wilderness wanderers who find themselves in a desolate world, |
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A Prophecy for Russia and America by David Wilkerson | In this sermon, the preacher expresses frustration and anger towards the wickedness in the world, particularly highlighting a case where a young man who had beaten up an elderly ma |
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Carry His Burden by Dennis Kinlaw | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of having a burden for the world that is without God. He encourages the audience to bear the burden and care for others, belie |
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God Is Willing to Save Wicked, Hardened Sinners! by David Wilkerson | David Wilkerson emphasizes God's unwavering willingness and power to save even the most hardened sinners, as seen in the plight of Judah who doubted His ability to redeem them from |