Psalms 107:36
in Psalms 107He causes the hungry to settle there, that they may establish a city in which to dwell.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, That they may prepare a city of habitation,
KJV
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation;
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This verse in Psalms 107
Commentary
12 notes on this verseAnd He settled there the hungry, and they established a city for habitation, the church. There He sowed fields according to the fallen seed into good and rich land yielding a hundredfold, and planted vineyards. For the vines are the disciples of the Lord, who also bore fruit of birth. And He blessed them and they multiplied greatly. But the Lord, who saves both humans and animals, did not deem the smallest among them to be insignificant; for it is written: "And He did not diminish their cattle."
This site's exposition
He turns rivers into deserts
on Psalms 107:33-38
He turns rivers into deserts and fruitful land into fields of salt, and verse 34 gives the reason, the wickedness of the people. Verse 35 turns it the other way, with pools of water where the desert was, and the hungry settle there. He blesses them, and they multiply.
This site's exposition
a city in which to dwell
A city in which to dwell repeats the words of verse 4, where the wanderers found no such city. The wanderers were led to one in verse 7, and here the hungry build one. Hungry also recalls verse 9.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"He made the wilderness to be a standing water, and the dry ground to be outgoings of waters" (ver. 35). "And He caused the hungry to dwell there" (ver. 36). Because to Him it was said, "Thou art a Priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedec." For thou seekest a sacrifice among the Jews; thou hast none after the order of Aaron. Thou seekest it after the order of Melchizedec; thou findest it not among them, but through the whole world it is celebrated in the Church. "From the rising of the sun to the setting thereof the name of the Lord is praised."
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell,.... In those fruitful places which they find agreeable to them, and so fix upon them as the places of their abode, and build houses, and dwell there; having all the conveniences of life, which they wanted elsewhere: so such as hunger and thirst after righteousness make to such places where the waters are, the word is preached, and ordinances administered; and here they take up their dwelling, their bread being given them, and their waters sure unto them.
When we are in any of these or the like distresses it will be comfortable to sing this psalm, with application; but, if we be not, others are, and have been, of whose deliverances it becomes us to give God the glory, for we are members one of another. Exhortation to Celebrate God's Praises. 1 O give thanks unto the L ORD , for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Those that were hungry are made to dwell in fruitful lands; there they take root, and gain a settlement, and prepare a city for habitation for themselves and theirs after them.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, where none could dwell before. They will appreciate the change and prize his grace; as the barrenness of the land caused their hunger so will its fertility banish it for ever, and they will settle down a happy and thankful people to bless God for every handful of corn which the land yields to them. None are so ready to return a revenue of praise to God for great mercies as those who have known the lack of them.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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 changed to one of adversity.
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, where none could dwell before. They will appreciate the change and prize his grace; as the barrenness of the land caused their hunger so will its fertility banish it for ever, and they will settle down a happy and thankful people to bless God for every handful of corn which the land yields to them. None are so ready to return a revenue of praise to God for great mercies as those who have known the lack of them. Hungry souls make sweet music when the Lord fills them with his gracious gifts. Are we hungry? Or are we satisfied with the husks of this poor, swinish world? That they may prepare a city for habitation. When the earth is watered and men cultivate it, cities spring up and teem with inhabitants; when grace abounds where sin formerly reigned, hearts find peace and dwell in God's love as in a strong city. The church is built up where once all was a waste when the Lord causes the broad rivers and streams of gospel grace to flow forth.
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell - All this seems to apply admirably to the first colonists of any place. They flee from a land of want, an ingrata terra that did not repay their toil, and they seek the wilderness where the land wants only cultivation to make it produce all the necessaries of life. He, by his providence, so guides their steps as to lead them to rivers which they can navigate, and from which they can procure plenty of fish, and shows them wells or springs which they have not digged. The hungry dwell there; and jointly agree, for convenience and defense, to build them a city for habitation. They sow the fields which they have cleared; and plant vineyards, and orchards which yield them in creasing fruits, Psa 107:37, and he multiplies their cattle greatly, and does not suffer them to decrease, Psa 107:38. What a fine picture is this of the first peopling and planting of America, and of the multiplication and extension of that people; of the Divine blessing on their industry, and the general and astonishing prosperity of their country! May they never again know what is spoken in the following verse:
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And there he maketh the hungry to dwell - Those who were in want; those who would have perished. It is not necessary to refer this to any particular case. It is a general statement, pertaining to changes which God makes upon the earth, as great as if he “should” thus convert a desert into a fruitful field - a barren waste into a land abounding in springs of water; as if he should conduct there a company of famished men, and provide for them food in abundance. That they may prepare a city for habitation - A permanent dwelling-place for man.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיּ֣וֹשֶׁב | vaiyooshev | and he caused to dwell | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| שָׁ֣ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| רְעֵבִ֑ים | reevim | hungry [people] | H7457 → | 20 times |
| וַ֝יְכוֹנְנ֗וּ | vaykhonu | and they established | H3559 → | 217 times |
| עִ֣יר | ʾir | a city of | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| מוֹשָֽׁב׃ | moshav | dwelling | H4186 → | 44 times |
וַיּ֣וֹשֶׁבand he caused to dwell
vaiyooshevH3427 →1079 times
שָׁ֣םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
רְעֵבִ֑יםhungry [people]
reevimH7457 →20 times
וַ֝יְכוֹנְנ֗וּand they established
vaykhonuH3559 →217 times
עִ֣ירa city of
ʾirH5892 →1090 times
מוֹשָֽׁב׃dwelling
moshavH4186 →44 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 17:26From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:7–8
Remember the days of old; consider the years long past. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will inform you.
- Genesis 3:20
And Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all the living.
- Malachi 2:10
Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why then do we break faith with one another so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?
- Romans 5:12–19
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.
- 1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
- Deuteronomy 32:7–8
Through
Luke 1:53He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
it leads to
- Psalms 107:8–9
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
- Psalms 107:8–9
Through
Psalms 146:7He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,
it leads to
- Psalms 103:6
The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
- Psalms 68:6
God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
- Psalms 103:6
Where this verse is studied
About Psalms
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 107; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 28:212-15.