Psalms 107:33-35
He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights God's power to radically transform the very sources of life. It's not just about barrenness, but the deliberate turning of life-giving rivers and springs – the very essence of fertility – into deserts and dry ground, showcasing His complete control over creation.
The psalm has shifted from recounting specific instances of God's deliverance to reflecting on His general control over human affairs and the land. This section, starting at verse 33, contrasts God's power to turn fertile lands into deserts with His ability to make deserts bloom, often linking these transformations to the wickedness or righteousness of people. It emphasizes that God can drastically alter the productivity of the land, either through judgment or blessing.
Imagine a land bursting with life, rivers flowing freely, springs bubbling up. Now imagine that same land turned into a dusty, cracked desert.
The psalmist declares that God has the absolute power to transform the most fertile lands into desolate wastelands. This isn't random; it's a deliberate act of His providence.
Divine Control Over Nature
This dramatic reversal can be a consequence of human sin, a way God judges or disciplines a land and its people, rendering it unproductive as a result of their wickedness. Conversely, it can also serve as a stark reminder of His power and our dependence on Him for all sustenance.
Why would God, the giver of life, turn life-giving waters into barren dust? It's not arbitrary, but purposeful.
These dramatic shifts in the land are not mere natural phenomena but are deeply connected to God's interaction with humanity.
Judgment and Discipline
This serves as a powerful warning, encouraging repentance and a return to faithfulness. It underscores that our relationship with God directly impacts the conditions of our lives and our world.
Understand the original words
ra'ah · Hebrew Noun
The ethical state of rebellion against God, moral perversity, or wickedness that disrupts the created order and invites divine judgment.
This verse speaks to God's sovereign power over nature and His ability to bring judgment by turning fertile lands into deserts, or mercy by making deserts bloom, often as a consequence of human wickedness or a sign of divine favor.
c. 1900 BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God's judgment turned the fertile Jordan plain into a salt and barren land, illustrating how divine action can render once-watered ground utterly infertile due to wickedness.
c. 8th-6th century BC
Prophecies against Babylon
Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah foretold the destruction of Babylon, describing how its fertile lands and abundant waters would become a desolate desert as judgment for its pride and sin.
c. 6th century BC
Babylonian Exile
The Jewish people were exiled from their promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to Babylon, a powerful empire but a stark contrast to their homeland and a period of spiritual drought for many.
c. 6th-5th century BC
Return from Exile and Restoration
After the Babylonian exile, many Jews returned to Judah, and with God's help, they began to restore the land, turning desolation back into fruitful fields and establishing communities.
This passage vividly illustrates God's power to transform a fertile, well-watered area into a desolate wasteland as a consequence of sin, mirroring the turning of springs into dry ground.
Jeremiah 50:12-13This prophecy describes Babylon's once-fertile land becoming a parched desert, echoing the imagery of rivers turned into wilderness due to the inhabitants' wickedness.
Isaiah 35:6-7This passage provides a beautiful counterpoint, showing God's power to transform a desert into a place of flowing water and abundant life, highlighting the same theme of land transformation but in a positive, restorative sense.
Job 12:24This verse speaks of God diminishing the land and leading its inhabitants into a trackless desert, which aligns with the theme of God's sovereign power to reduce fertile lands to barrenness.
pulpitPsalms 107:33: "He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;"
Verses 33-42. - Professor Cheyne finds in this passage - which he views as an "appendix" to the psalm - a falling off from the earlier portion of the psalm, and a set of "sentences strung together without much reflection." But to others the transition from special deliverances to God's general dealings with mankind seems an enlargement and an advance in the thought, although the language may be less grap…
clarkePsalms 107:33: "He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;"
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…
This verse highlights God's power to radically transform the very sources of life. It's not just about barrenness, but the deliberate turning of life-giving rivers and springs – the very essence of fertility – into deserts and dry ground, showcasing His complete control over creation.
The psalm has shifted from recounting specific instances of God's deliverance to reflecting on His general control over human affairs and the land. This section, starting at verse 33, contrasts God's power to turn fertile lands into deserts with His ability to make deserts bloom, often linking these transformations to the wickedness or righteousness of people. It emphasizes that God can drastically alter the productivity of the land, either through judgment or blessing.
The psalm has shifted from recounting specific instances of God's deliverance to reflecting on His general control over human affairs and the land. This section, starting at verse 33, contrasts God's power to turn fertile lands into deserts with His ability to make deserts bloom, often linking these transformations to the wickedness or righteousness of people. It emphasizes that God can drastically alter the productivity of the land, either through judgment or blessing.
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1st century AD— this verse
Roman rule and dispersal of Jews
The land of Israel, once a place of divine blessing and fertility, faced cycles of hardship and became a land of desolation under various empires, with many Jews dispersed throughout the Roman world.
c. 1st-2nd century AD
Rise of the Early Church
The gospel spread throughout the Roman world, transforming 'deserts' (non-Jewish lands) into fertile ground for faith, where spiritual springs flowed and new communities flourished.
"He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of…" — This verse highlights God's power to radically transform the very sources of life. It's not just about barrenness, but the deliberate turning of life-giving rivers and springs – the very essence of f…
