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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Psalm 107:33 He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground,</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/psalms/107-33.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/1/19_Psa_107_033.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Psalm 107:33 - Give Thanks to the LORD, for He is Good" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground," /><script type="application/javascript" 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class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/psalms/107.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/psalms/107.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/psalms/107.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/psalms/107.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/psalms/107.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/psalms/107.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/psalms/107.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/psalms/107.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a wilderness, And springs of water into a thirsty ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/psalms/107.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />He changes rivers into a wilderness And springs of water into a thirsty ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/psalms/107.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />He changes rivers into a wilderness, And springs of water into a thirsty ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/psalms/107.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />He makes rivers into a wilderness And springs of water into a thirsty ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/psalms/107.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a wilderness, And springs of water into a thirsty ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/psalms/107.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />He turns rivers into desert, springs into thirsty ground,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/psalms/107.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />He turns rivers into desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/psalms/107.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />He turneth rivers into a wilderness, And watersprings into a thirsty ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/psalms/107.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />If you start doing wrong, the LORD will turn rivers into deserts, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/psalms/107.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and watersprings into a thirsty ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/psalms/107.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />He changes rivers into a desert, springs into thirsty ground,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/psalms/107.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />The LORD made rivers dry up completely and stopped springs from flowing. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/psalms/107.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into dry ground,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/psalms/107.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/psalms/107.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />He turned streams into a desert, springs of water into arid land, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/psalms/107.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/psalms/107.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into dry ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/psalms/107.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground, <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/psalms/107.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />He makes rivers become a wilderness, "" And fountains of waters become dry land.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/psalms/107.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> He maketh rivers become a wilderness, And fountains of waters become dry land.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/psalms/107.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />He will set rivers to a desert, and the findings of waters to thirst;<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/psalms/107.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />He hath turned rivers into a wilderness: and the sources of water into dry ground: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/psalms/107.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br /><V 106:33>He has placed rivers in the desert and sources of water in dry places,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/psalms/107.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />God changed rivers into desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/psalms/107.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/psalms/107.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a wilderness and the water-springs into dry ground,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/psalms/107.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />For he makes the rivers like the wilderness and the springs of water thirsty.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/psalms/107.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />He turneth rivers into a wilderness, And watersprings into a thirsty ground;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/psalms/107.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />He turns rivers into a desert, and streams of water into a dry land;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/psalms/107-33.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nFaD2oDhKPc?start=13801" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/psalms/107.htm">Give Thanks to the LORD, for He is Good</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">32</span>Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders. <span class="reftext">33</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/7760.htm" title="7760: yā·śêm (V-Qal-Imperf.Jus-3ms) -- To put, place, set. Or siym; a primitive root; to put.">He turns</a> <a href="/hebrew/5104.htm" title="5104: nə·hā·rō·wṯ (N-mp) -- A stream, river. From nahar; a stream; figuratively, prosperity.">rivers</a> <a href="/hebrew/4057.htm" title="4057: lə·miḏ·bār (Prep-l:: N-ms) -- A pasture, a desert, speech. From dabar in the sense of driving; a pasture; by implication, a desert; also speech.">into deserts,</a> <a href="/hebrew/4161.htm" title="4161: ū·mō·ṣā·’ê (Conj-w:: N-mpc) -- A place or act of going forth, issue, export, source, spring. ">springs</a> <a href="/hebrew/4325.htm" title="4325: ma·yim (N-mp) -- Waters, water. Dual of a primitive noun; water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen.">of water</a> <a href="/hebrew/6774.htm" title="6774: lə·ṣim·mā·’ō·wn (Prep-l:: N-ms) -- Thirsty ground. From tsame'; a thirsty place, i.e. Desert.">into thirsty ground,</a> </span><span class="reftext">34</span>and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/50-2.htm">Isaiah 50:2</a></span><br />Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/42-15.htm">Isaiah 42:15</a></span><br />I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into dry land and drain the marshes.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/50-38.htm">Jeremiah 50:38</a></span><br />A drought is upon her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is a land of graven images, and the people go mad over idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/51-36.htm">Jeremiah 51:36</a></span><br />Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance on your behalf; I will dry up her sea and make her springs run dry.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/12-15.htm">Job 12:15</a></span><br />If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/44-27.htm">Isaiah 44:27</a></span><br />who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/30-12.htm">Ezekiel 30:12</a></span><br />I will make the streams dry up and sell the land to the wicked. By the hands of foreigners I will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it. I, the LORD, have spoken.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/4-7.htm">Amos 4:7-8</a></span><br />“I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered. / People staggered from city to city for water to drink, but they were not satisfied; yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/2-21.htm">2 Kings 2:21-22</a></span><br />and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness.’” / And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/3-17.htm">2 Kings 3:17-20</a></span><br />For the LORD says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with water, and you will drink—you and your cattle and your animals.’ / This is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD, and He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. / And you shall attack every fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field with stones.” ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/16-12.htm">Revelation 16:12</a></span><br />And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/21-19.htm">Matthew 21:19</a></span><br />Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/11-21.htm">Mark 11:21</a></span><br />Peter remembered it and said, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/4-25.htm">Luke 4:25</a></span><br />But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/5-17.htm">James 5:17</a></span><br />Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the springs into dry ground;</p><p class="hdg">turneth</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_kings/17-1.htm">1 Kings 17:1-7</a></b></br> And Elijah the Tishbite, <i>who was</i> of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, <i>As</i> the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/13-19.htm">Isaiah 13:19-21</a></b></br> And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/19-5.htm">Isaiah 19:5-10</a></b></br> And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up… </p><p class="hdg">water-springs</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_kings/18-5.htm">1 Kings 18:5</a></b></br> And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/14-3.htm">Jeremiah 14:3</a></b></br> And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, <i>and</i> found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/amos/4-7.htm">Amos 4:7,8</a></b></br> And also I have withholden the rain from you, when <i>there were</i> yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/psalms/77-10.htm">Changes</a> <a href="/psalms/107-4.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/psalms/106-14.htm">Dry</a> <a href="/psalms/104-10.htm">Flowing</a> <a href="/psalms/104-10.htm">Fountains</a> <a href="/psalms/105-35.htm">Ground</a> <a href="/psalms/107-29.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/psalms/107-29.htm">Maketh</a> <a href="/psalms/107-10.htm">Places</a> <a href="/psalms/98-8.htm">Rivers</a> <a href="/psalms/104-10.htm">Springs</a> <a href="/psalms/107-9.htm">Thirsty</a> <a href="/psalms/107-27.htm">Turned</a> <a href="/psalms/101-4.htm">Turneth</a> <a href="/psalms/18-28.htm">Turns</a> <a href="/psalms/107-4.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/psalms/105-41.htm">Water</a> <a href="/psalms/107-23.htm">Waters</a> <a href="/revelation/7-17.htm">Watersprings</a> <a href="/2_chronicles/32-3.htm">Water-Springs</a> <a href="/psalms/107-4.htm">Wilderness</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Changes</a> <a href="/psalms/107-34.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Dry</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Flowing</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Fountains</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Ground</a> <a href="/psalms/107-34.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Maketh</a> <a href="/psalms/109-10.htm">Places</a> <a href="/psalms/119-136.htm">Rivers</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Springs</a> <a href="/psalms/143-6.htm">Thirsty</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Turned</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Turneth</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Turns</a> <a href="/psalms/107-34.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Water</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Waters</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Watersprings</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Water-Springs</a> <a href="/psalms/107-35.htm">Wilderness</a><div class="vheading2">Psalm 107</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/107-1.htm">The psalmist exhorts the redeemed in praising God to observe his manifold providence</a></span><br><span class="reftext">4. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/107-4.htm">Over travelers</a></span><br><span class="reftext">10. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/107-10.htm">Over captives</a></span><br><span class="reftext">17. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/107-17.htm">Over sick men</a></span><br><span class="reftext">23. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/107-23.htm">Over sailors</a></span><br><span class="reftext">33. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/107-33.htm">And in diverse varieties of life.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; 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In biblical history, rivers are often symbols of life and prosperity, such as the Nile in Egypt or the Jordan in Israel. The transformation of rivers into deserts signifies judgment and the removal of blessings. This can be seen in the context of the plagues of Egypt (<a href="/exodus/7-20.htm">Exodus 7:20-21</a>) where the Nile was turned to blood, symbolizing God's judgment. It also reflects the consequences of disobedience as outlined in <a href="/deuteronomy/28-23.htm">Deuteronomy 28:23-24</a>, where the heavens would become like bronze and the earth like iron, indicating drought and desolation.<p><b>springs of water into thirsty ground</b><br>Springs of water are sources of life and refreshment, often representing spiritual renewal and God's provision (<a href="/isaiah/41-18.htm">Isaiah 41:18</a>). The transformation into thirsty ground suggests a withdrawal of divine favor and sustenance, leading to spiritual and physical barrenness. This imagery is reminiscent of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, where water was a critical need and a test of faith (<a href="/exodus/17.htm">Exodus 17:1-7</a>). It also serves as a warning of the consequences of turning away from God, as seen in <a href="/jeremiah/2-13.htm">Jeremiah 2:13</a>, where God accuses His people of forsaking Him, the "spring of living water," for broken cisterns that cannot hold water. This transformation can be seen as a type of Christ, who offers Himself as the living water (<a href="/john/4-10.htm">John 4:10-14</a>), contrasting the spiritual dryness of life without Him.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God (He)</a></b><br>The verse speaks of God's sovereign power and authority over creation. He is the one who transforms the natural world according to His will.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/r/rivers_and_springs.htm">Rivers and Springs</a></b><br>These represent sources of life and sustenance. In the ancient Near East, rivers and springs were crucial for survival, agriculture, and prosperity.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/d/deserts_and_thirsty_ground.htm">Deserts and Thirsty Ground</a></b><br>These symbolize barrenness and desolation. In the biblical context, deserts often represent places of testing, judgment, or divine discipline.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_over_creation.htm">God's Sovereignty Over Creation</a></b><br>God has the ultimate authority over the natural world. He can transform the environment as a demonstration of His power and purpose.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/spiritual_implications_of_physical_transformations.htm">Spiritual Implications of Physical Transformations</a></b><br>Just as God can turn rivers into deserts, He can also transform the spiritual state of individuals and nations. This serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_call_to_trust_in_god's_provision.htm">The Call to Trust in God's Provision</a></b><br>In times of spiritual dryness or desolation, believers are encouraged to trust in God's ability to provide and restore. He can turn barren places into sources of life.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/j/judgment_and_restoration.htm">Judgment and Restoration</a></b><br>The transformation of rivers into deserts can symbolize divine judgment, but it also points to the possibility of restoration when there is repentance and a return to God.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_psalm_107.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Psalm 107</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/proof_of_divine_judgment_turning_lands_barren.htm">Psalm 107:33–34 – Is there archaeological or geological proof that fertile lands were turned into deserts or rivers dried up purely as an act of divine judgment? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/psalm_87_7__how_are_all_'springs'_in_zion.htm">Psalm 87:7 - In what sense are all 'springs' in Zion, given that historically rivers and water sources are not exclusive to Jerusalem?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/evidence_for_desert_wandering_in_history.htm">Psalm 107:4-5 - Is there any concrete historical or archaeological evidence for wandering in desert wastes with no city to dwell in?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_there_proof_of_water_from_a_rock.htm">Psalm 105:41 depicts water miraculously gushing from a rock. Is there any geological or historical proof for such an event?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/psalms/107.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(33) The change in character and style of the psalm at this point is so marked as to suggest an addition by another hand. It is not only that the artistic form is dropped, and the series of vivid pictures, each closed by a refrain, succeeded by changed aspects of thought, but the language becomes harsher, and the poet, if the same, suddenly proclaims that he has exhausted his imagination.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/psalms/107.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 33-42.</span> - 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 graphic and more commonplace than in the former portion of the composition. <span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 33.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">He turneth rivers into a wilderness</span>. God can, and does, by the operation of his providence, turn lands naturally fertile - lands abounding with streams - into arid wastes, either by such a physical catastrophe as that which blasted the cities of the plain (<a href="/genesis/19-24.htm">Genesis 19:24, 25</a>), or by such moral changes as have turned Babylonia from a garden into a desert, a miserable howling wilderness (comp. <a href="/isaiah/13-15.htm">Isaiah 13:15-22</a>; <a href="/isaiah/50-2.htm">Isaiah 50:2</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/50-13.htm">Jeremiah 50:13-15, 38-40</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/51-13.htm">Jeremiah 51:13, 37-43</a>, etc.). <span class="cmt_word">And the water springs into dry ground</span>. The phrase is varied, but the meaning is the same. God has full control over nature, and can either take back his blessings, or render them of no avail. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/psalms/107-33.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">He turns</span><br /><span class="heb">יָשֵׂ֣ם</span> <span class="translit">(yā·śêm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7760.htm">Strong's 7760: </a> </span><span class="str2">Put -- to put, place, set</span><br /><br /><span class="word">rivers</span><br /><span class="heb">נְהָר֣וֹת</span> <span class="translit">(nə·hā·rō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5104.htm">Strong's 5104: </a> </span><span class="str2">A stream, prosperity</span><br /><br /><span class="word">into deserts,</span><br /><span class="heb">לְמִדְבָּ֑ר</span> <span class="translit">(lə·miḏ·bār)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4057.htm">Strong's 4057: </a> </span><span class="str2">A pasture, a desert, speech</span><br /><br /><span class="word">springs</span><br /><span class="heb">וּמֹצָ֥אֵי</span> <span class="translit">(ū·mō·ṣā·’ê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4161.htm">Strong's 4161: </a> </span><span class="str2">A place or act of going forth, issue, export, source, spring</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of water</span><br /><span class="heb">מַ֝֗יִם</span> <span class="translit">(ma·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4325.htm">Strong's 4325: </a> </span><span class="str2">Water, juice, urine, semen</span><br /><br /><span class="word">into thirsty ground,</span><br /><span class="heb">לְצִמָּאֽוֹן׃</span> <span class="translit">(lə·ṣim·mā·’ō·wn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6774.htm">Strong's 6774: </a> </span><span class="str2">A thirsty place, desert</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/psalms/107-33.htm">OT Poetry: Psalm 107:33 He turns rivers into a desert water (Psalm Ps Psa.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/psalms/107-32.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Psalm 107:32"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Psalm 107:32" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/psalms/107-34.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Psalm 107:34"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Psalm 107:34" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>