הֹדוּ לה' כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

The psalm opens with a verse of praise that appears in several other psalms as well: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His kindness is forever.

יֹאמְרוּ גְּאוּלֵי ה' אֲשֶׁר גְּאָלָם מִיַּד צָר

Those who have been redeemed from perilous situations should be especially grateful: Let those the Lord redeemed say it, those He redeemed from the hand of the foe

וּמֵאֲרָצוֹת קִבְּצָם מִמִּזְרָח וּמִמַּעֲרָב מִצָּפוֹן וּמִ יָּם

and whom He gathered in from lands of the east, of the west, of the north, and from the sea. The word yam often refers to the west, but because that direction has already been mentioned in this verse, it is translated here by its literal meaning of “sea.”

תָּעוּ בַמִּדְבָּר בִּישִׁימוֹן דָּרֶךְ עִיר מוֹשָׁב לֹא מָצָאוּ

The psalmist now begins to describe the four groups of people who give thanks to God. The first: They lost their way on a desolate path in the wilderness, not finding an inhabited place.

רְעֵבִים גַּם צְמֵאִים נַפְשָׁם בָּהֶם תִּתְעַטָּף

Hungry and thirsty, being lost in the wilderness, their souls fainting within them,

וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל ה' בַּצַּר לָהֶם מִמְּצוּקוֹתֵיהֶם יַצִּילֵם

they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, while lost in the wilderness; He rescued them from their distress,

וַיַּדְרִיכֵם בְּדֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה לָלֶכֶת אֶל עִיר מוֹשָׁב

and led them on a straight path toward an inhabited place, from where they were able to find their way out of the wilderness.

יוֹדוּ לַה' חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness and His wonders on behalf of man.

כִּי הִשְׂבִּיעַ נֶפֶשׁ שֹׁקֵקָה וְנֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה מִלֵּא טוֹב

For He satisfied the thirsty soul and filled the hungry soul with goodness.

יֹשְׁבֵי חֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת אֲסִירֵי עֳנִי ובַרְזֶל

The psalmist now refers to the second group of people: Prisoners, dwellers in darkness and the shadow of death. Jails were often dark, underground dungeons where prisoners were fettered with affliction and iron, both figuratively fettered by various forms of affliction and actually fettered with iron chains.

כִּי הִמְרוּ אִמְרֵי אֵל וַעֲצַת עֶלְיוֹן נָאָצוּ

The prisoners described here are not necessarily people who were incarcerated unjustly: For they had rebelled against the word of the Almighty, execrating the counsel of the Most High.

וַיַּכְנַע בֶּעָמָל לִבָּם כָּשְׁלוּ וְאֵין עֹזֵר

He subdued their hearts with toil, with forced labor while in captivity; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל ה' בַּצַּר לָהֶם מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם יוֹשִׁיעֵם

They cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He redeemed them from their distress.

יוֹצִיאֵם מֵחֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת ומוֹסְרוֹתֵיהֶם יְנַתֵּק

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and He severed their chains.

יוֹדוּ לַה' חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness and His wonders on behalf of man.

כִּי שִׁבַּר דַּלְתוֹת נְחֹשֶׁת וּבְרִיחֵי בַרְזֶל גִּדֵּעַ

As in the first example, the psalmist concludes this second section with the exact reason why these people should express their gratitude: For He shattered doors of bronze, the mighty doors that sealed the prison, and sundered iron bolts.

אֱוִלִים מִדֶּרֶךְ פִּשְׁעָם וּמֵעֲוֹנֹתֵיהֶם יִתְעַנּוּ

The psalmist goes on to describe the third group of people who should give thanks: Those who have recovered from a serious illness. Here too their illness was often punishment for sins they committed: Fools because of their path of sin were afflicted, and because of their transgressions.

כָּל אֹכֶל תְּתַעֵב נַפְשָׁם וַיַּגִּיעוּ עַד שַׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת

Abhorring all food, lacking an appetite because of their illness, they were in danger of dying; they were at death’s door.

וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל ה' בַּצַּר לָהֶם מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם יוֹשִׁיעֵם

They cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them from their distress.

יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ וְיִרְפָּאֵם וִימַלֵּט מִשְּׁחִיתוֹתָם

He sent His word and healed them, and rescued them from the pit. Sheḥitotam, translated here as “the pit,” literally, “their pit,” can also mean “their perversions.” The term therefore refers both to the pit into which they figuratively fell, meaning their illness, as well as the sinful behavior that brought about their punishment.

יוֹדוּ לַה' חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness and His wonders on behalf of man.

וְיִזְבְּחוּ זִבְחֵי תוֹדָה וִיסַפְּרוּ מַעֲשָׂיו בְּרִנָּה

Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices after their recovery, and tell of His deeds with joyful singing.

יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם בָּאֳנִיּוֹת עֹשֵׂי מְלָאכָה בְּמַיִם רַבִּים

The psalmist turns to the final group of people who should express their gratitude to God: Those going to sea on ships, who do their work in the mighty waters, such as sailors.

הֵמָּה רָאוּ מַעֲשֵׂי ה' וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו בִּמְצוּלָה

They saw the deeds of the Lord and His wonders in the deep,

וַיֹּאמֶר וַיַּעֲמֵד רוּחַ סְעָרָה וַתְּרוֹמֵם גַּלָּיו

how He spoke and produced a gale of wind, lifting its waves high.

יַעֲלוּ שָׁמַיִם יֵרְדוּ תְהוֹמוֹת נַפְשָׁם בְּרָעָה תִתְמוֹגָג

They rose to the heavens and went down to the depths as their ships were tossed by the waves. Their souls dissolved in misery, both from the discomfort of the rocking ship and from the terror of possibly sinking.

יָחוֹגּוּ וְיָנוּעוּ כַּשִּׁכּוֹר וְכָל חָכְמָתָם תִּתְבַּלָּע

They reeled and staggered back and forth like drunken men, all their skill come to naught. When faced with the overwhelming power of a mighty storm at sea, the sailors’ expertise is of no avail.

וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל ה' בַּצַּר לָהֶם וּמִמְּצוּקֹתֵיהֶם יוֹצִיאֵם

They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.

יָקֵם סְעָרָה לִדְמָמָה וַיֶּחֱשׁוּ גַּלֵּיהֶם

He turned the storm into silence, hushing its waves.

וַיִּשְׂמְחוּ כִי יִשְׁתֹּקוּ וַיַּנְחֵם אֶל מְחוֹז חֶפְצָם

They, the sea travelers, rejoiced because they, the storm’s waves, were quieted. Now they would be able to resume their journey, and He led them to their destination.

יוֹדוּ לַה' חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness and His wonders on behalf of man.

וִירוֹמְמוּהוּ בִּקְהַל עָם וּבְמוֹשַׁב זְקֵנִים יְהַלְלוּהוּ

Let them exalt Him in the congregation of people, and praise Him in the company of the elders of the community.

יָשֵׂם נְהָרוֹת לְמִדְבָּר וּמֹצָאֵי מַיִם לְצִמָּאוֹן

The psalmist now turns his attention from specific instances of peril and deliverance to the more general vicissitudes of life and God’s mastery over nature. There are times when He turns rivers into desert, turning springs of water into parched land,

אֶרֶץ פְּרִי לִמְלֵחָה מֵרָעַת יוֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ

a fruitful land into a salty wasteland. As the underground water supply dries up, the remaining water becomes saline and unfit for drinking and irrigation. God does this as a punishment for the land, because of the evil of those dwelling in it.

יָשֵׂם מִדְבָּר לַאֲגַם מַיִם וְאֶרֶץ צִיָּה לְמֹצָאֵי מָיִם

However, droughts do not last forever, and opposite phenomena also occur: He turns a desert into a lake of water and dry land into springs.

וַיּוֹשֶׁב שָׁם רְעֵבִים וַיְכוֹנְנוּ עִיר מוֹשָׁב

There, in this newly fertile land, He brings hungry people to dwell; they establish an inhabited city.

וַיִּזְרְעוּ שָׂדוֹת וַיִּטְּעוּ כְרָמִים וַיַּעֲשׂוּ פְּרִי תְבוּאָה

There they sow fields and plant vineyards, which bring forth fruits of produce.

וַיְבָרְכֵם וַיִּרְבּוּ מְאֹד וּבְהֶמְתָּם לֹא יַמְעִיט

He blesses them and they multiply greatly; He does not let their cattle dwindle.

וַיִּמְעֲטוּ ויָּשֹׁחוּ מֵעֹצֶר רָעָה וְיָגוֹן

But things can also change for the worse: Then their numbers are diminished and they are brought down with distress, sorrow, and anguish. Bad times cause loss and death, along with misery and sorrow for those who remain.

שֹׁפֵךְ בּוּז עַל נְדִיבִים וַיַּתְעֵם בְּתֹהוּ לֹא דָרֶךְ

In another example of reversal of good fortune, He pours contempt upon the wealthy, taking away their wealth and impoverishing them, and has them lose their way in a pathless wasteland, a metaphor for their inability to extricate themselves from their difficult situation.

וַיְשַׂגֵּב אֶבְיוֹן מֵעוֹנִי וַיָּשֶׂם כַּצֹּאן מִשְׁפָּחוֹת

At the same time, He gives shelter to the needy from affliction. He turns families that had been weak and few in number into clans as numerous as flocks of sheep.

יִרְאוּ יְשָׁרִים וְיִשְׂמחוּ וְכָל עַוְלָה קָפְצָה פִּיהָ

The upright see this and are glad over God’s beneficence and mercy; the mouth of iniquity, of those who ordinarily speak only base and sinful words, is stopped and rendered inactive, as they too join in praising God.

מִי חָכָם וְיִשְׁמָר אֵלֶּה וְיִתְבּוֹנְנוּ חַסְדֵי ה'

In conclusion: He who is wise will heed and give heart to these matters, all these reversals of fortune in life, and ponder the kindness of the Lord, realizing that man’s destiny is completely in God’s hands.