Psalm 107 features a good deal of repetition. You’ll remember that identifying repetition is important for us as interpreters. It can help us to understand the structure of a poem as well as show us what the author wanted to emphasize.
Anyone who reads the psalm several times looking for repetition will recognize that there are repeated lines in the middle of the chapter. Below is the entire psalm, with these lines color-coded by repetition of theme.
1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields
and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.
39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
I have found this kind of color-coding helpful in my own study. The repetition shows that while there is minor differences in detail, the themes are the same in each scenario. Each shows a group of people in a particular location/circumstance (blue), describes the nature and/or cause of their trouble (green), recalls their cry to the Lord and His answer (red), details the specific nature of their deliverance (brown), and calls them to thank the Lord for His steadfast love (purple). The broad idea is that people who are afflicted by their own sin and circumstances and who call on the Lord are delivered and should give thanks to Him for His steadfast love.
It's also obvious that these repetitions exclude the beginning and ending of the psalm. Therefore it may be that we have an introduction and conclusion.
How does the content of the introductory verses relate to these scenarios? Similarly, the opening line calls the people to thank God for His steadfast love. Vv2-3 identify these people as those “whom he has redeemed from trouble,” language very similar to that of the four following scenarios.
Also, he identifies them as those “gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.” If we are familiar with the storyline of the Old Testament, this language will jump out to us. Part of God’s judgment on His people was to exile them from the promised land and scatter them throughout the nations (Deut 4:27; Jer 9:16). Yet, He promised to gather them back from those nations (Deut 30:3; Jer 29:14; Eze 11:17), even specifically mentioning bringing them from all four corners of the earth (Isa 11:12; 43:5-6).
It seems then that those called to thank the Lord in the opening verses are those mentioned in the following scenarios. A closer look at the scenarios reveals phrases that sound much like the suffering of those enduring exile. The introduction and the scenarios together in a sense call the reader to remember their own story of redemption and thank God for His steadfast love.
How does the content of the concluding section relate to the preceding sections? It seems to be a recapitulation of God’s work in bringing judgment upon those unfaithful to Him, showing them compassion, judging their oppressors, and delivering them from affliction. Essentially, it is a poetic telling of the exile and return. The final verse once again calls the reader’s attention to the steadfast love of the LORD.
So the introduction, main body (scenarios), and conclusion: (1) call attention to the steadfast love of Yahweh as demonstrated by deliverance of sinners; and (2) call for thanksgiving for these things.
So if our goal is to complete the author’s imagined statement of intent…
“I, the psalmist, wrote this poem so that...all those redeemed from sin and affliction will give thanks to Yahweh for His steadfast love shown to them.”
Of course, Christological pointers and implications abound in this psalm. Can you read through the psalm again and see connections to the Gospel of Mark? (Examples: vv4-5, 9, cf Mark 6:31-43; vv10-11, 14, cf Mark 5:1-20; vv23-30, cf Mark 4:35-41) Jesus is the God whose steadfast love means redemption from affliction. He deserves our thanksgiving.
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