Those
who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in great waters; These see Yahweh’s deeds, and his wonders in the deep. For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up its waves. They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts away because of trouble. They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distress. He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because it is calm, so he brings them to their desired haven.
Psalm 107:23-30
Psalm 107 [20.] He sends his word, and heals them,
and delivers them from their graves.
Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness,
for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!
Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and declare his deeds with singing.
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
who do business in great waters;
These see Yahweh’s deeds,
and his wonders in the deep.
For he commands, and raises the stormy wind,
which lifts up its waves.
They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths.
Their soul melts away because of trouble.
They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man,
and are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble,
and he brings them out of their distress.
He makes the storm a calm,
so that its waves are still.
Psalm 107 [30.] Then they are glad because it is calm,
so he brings them to their desired haven.
Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness,
for his wonderful deeds for the children of men!
Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people,
and praise him in the seat of the elders.
Meaning:
Psalm 107 opens the fifth book of the Psalms with a great song of thanksgiving from "the redeemed", people God has gathered from every direction. It tells four short stories of people in desperate trouble: travellers lost in the desert, prisoners in darkness, fools sick because of their sin, and, in these verses, sailors caught in a storm at sea. Each story turns on a similar refrain; in this one it reads, "Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distress" (compare Psalm 107:6; Psalm 107:19). This fourth picture is the most dramatic, and it is the one the disciples lived through on the Sea of Galilee.
- Israel and the Sea
The Israelites were mostly farmers and shepherds, not a seafaring nation. The Mediterranean coast had few natural harbours, and long-distance trade by sea was largely in the hands of the Phoenicians of Tyre and Sidon. For many Israelites the sea was a place of danger and mystery, a picture of chaos that only God could control. From the beginning of the Bible the waters are under his command (Genesis 1:2), and at the Exodus he divided the sea so his people could pass through (Exodus 14:21-22).
So when the psalmist describes merchants "who do business in great waters", he is showing people far beyond their own strength, where they "see Yahweh’s deeds, and his wonders in the deep".
- The Storm and the Sailors
The description is vivid and true to life. God "commands, and raises the stormy wind". The ship climbs up the face of the waves and plunges into the troughs; the sailors' courage melts; they reel and stagger like drunken men and are "at their wits’ end", literally, all their wisdom is swallowed up. Every skill they had learned is useless.
The psalmist does not hesitate to say that God raised the storm. Nothing in creation is outside his rule, not even the forces that terrify us. That is frightening, but it is also deeply comforting, because the One who sends the wind can also command it to stop.
- From Cry to Calm
When their own resources are gone, the sailors cry to Yahweh. He answers by making the storm a calm and stilling the waves, and he brings them to "their desired haven", the safe port they longed for. The psalm then calls them to praise God for his loving kindness, not privately only, but in the assembly of the people and before the elders.
- Fulfilled on the Sea of Galilee
When a violent storm struck the disciples' boat and Jesus rose and rebuked the wind, "the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:39). The disciples, who knew this psalm, were left asking, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:41). Jesus did exactly what Psalm 107 says Yahweh does. The prophet Jonah's sailors also discovered that only the God of heaven could calm the sea (Jonah 1:4-6).
The Significance of Psalm 107:23-30
- Crying Out When We Are at Our Wits’ End
Many of life's storms leave us exactly where these sailors were, with no wisdom or strength left. That is not the end of hope; it is often the place where real prayer begins. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). Paul urges believers to bring every anxiety to God in prayer, promising that his peace "will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
- Remembering to Give Thanks
The psalm does not end with the calm but with praise. When God brings us through, he wants us to tell others what he has done. Testimony in the assembly strengthens the faith of the whole church, and grateful memory prepares us for the next storm.
Cross-References:
Mark 4:39: "He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm." Jesus does with a word what the psalm says Yahweh does, revealing who he is.
Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." The God who calms the sea is a present help in every kind of trouble.
Philippians 4:6-7: "In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Like the sailors, we are invited to cry out to God, and we receive his peace.
Psalm 30:5: "Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning." After the storm comes gladness, just as the sailors rejoiced when the sea was calm.
Conclusion: Psalm 107:23-30 paints an unforgettable picture of sailors at their wits' end on a stormy sea, crying to the Lord and finding him faithful. The God who raises the wind is the God who stills it, and he brings his people to their desired haven. When Jesus calmed the storm on Galilee he showed that he is that God. Whatever storm we face, we can cry out to him, trust him to bring us through, and then give him thanks before others.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible