Psalm 107 22

Psalm 107:22 kjv

And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Psalm 107:22 nkjv

Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.

Psalm 107:22 niv

Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

Psalm 107:22 esv

And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

Psalm 107:22 nlt

Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

Psalm 107 verses

Psalm 107 22 Meaning

Psalm 107:22 calls those who have experienced God's delivering power to respond with a two-fold act of devotion: first, to present thank offerings, signifying their deep gratitude and commitment; and second, to publicly declare His magnificent deeds with joyful shouts, ensuring His redemptive acts are remembered and proclaimed among the community and beyond. It highlights a cycle of divine deliverance eliciting a grateful human response, both personal and communal.

Psalm 107 22 Context

Psalm 107 stands as a powerful call to praise and give thanks to the Lord for His enduring steadfast love (hesed) and wondrous works (niphla'ot). It meticulously outlines four scenarios where God delivers people from dire straits: wandering in the desert (vs. 4-9), imprisonment (vs. 10-16), severe illness caused by foolishness (vs. 17-22), and tempestuous storms at sea (vs. 23-32). In each section, the pattern is consistent: the people cry out in distress, God hears and delivers them, and then a refrain repeats, urging them to "give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!" (vs. 8, 15, 21, 31).

Verse 22 is part of the third narrative (vs. 17-22), which specifically describes those who suffered due to their own sin and rebellion. When their affliction brought them to the brink of death, they "cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress" (v. 19). Therefore, the call to "sacrifice thank offerings and proclaim His works with shouts of joy" in verse 22 is a direct, imperative response to God's merciful deliverance from the consequences of their foolishness. Historically and culturally, the thank offering (todah) was a specific type of peace offering in ancient Israel, typically a communal meal shared with priests and the worshiper's family and friends. It was a tangible, visible expression of gratitude to God for a specific deliverance or blessing, setting it apart from regular or sin offerings. This act was also a public proclamation of God's faithfulness within the Israelite community, serving as an anti-polemic against contemporary Canaanite fertility cults or other idolatrous practices where people would sacrifice to false gods or credit mere chance for their well-being. This Psalm insists that it is YHWH alone who delivers and to Him alone all thanks and praise are due.

Psalm 107 22 Word analysis

• Let them sacrifice (וְיִזְבְּחוּ - v'yizbechu):
  • Root: זָבַח (zabach), meaning "to slaughter for sacrifice," "to sacrifice."
  • This is an imperative or jussive form, indicating a command or strong exhortation. It is a divine instruction or an earnest plea from the psalmist for the delivered to act.
  • Significance: It implies a required and voluntary act of worship in response to God's deliverance, shifting focus from merely receiving aid to active participation in honoring the Giver.
• thank offerings (זִבְחֵי תוֹדָה - zivchei todah):
  • Zivchei: Plural construct form of זֶבַח (zevach), meaning "sacrifices of."
  • Todah: תּוֹדָה (todah), specifically "thankfulness," "thanksgiving," "a hymn of praise," or "a thank offering."
  • Significance: Not just any sacrifice, but one specifically motivated by gratitude for a specific act of deliverance. This type of offering (Lev 7:12-15) involved communal celebration, turning private thanksgiving into a shared declaration of God's goodness, fostering community and collective memory of His works. It emphasizes heart-felt praise over ritual formality alone.
• and proclaim (וִיסַפְּרוּ - viyisap'ru):
  • Root: סָפַר (saphar), meaning "to count," "to tell," "to recount," "to declare." In the Piel stem here, it means to "tell accurately," "narrate," or "proclaim."
  • Significance: This goes beyond a simple mention; it suggests a detailed, explicit narration or testimony of God's deeds. It's about storytelling—sharing personal and communal experiences of divine intervention to inspire faith and worship in others.
• his works (מַעֲשָׂיו - ma'asav):
  • Root: עָשָׂה ('asah), meaning "to do," "to make," "to perform." Ma'asim refers to "deeds," "actions," "works."
  • Significance: Refers to God's powerful, miraculous, and loving interventions described in the preceding verses and throughout the Psalm. These are concrete, historical acts of deliverance, not abstract concepts, which provide the basis for thanksgiving and proclamation.
• with shouts of joy (בְּרִנָּה - b'rinnah):
  • Be: preposition "with," "in."
  • Rinnah: רִנָּה (rinnah), meaning "a ringing cry," "shout of joy," "exultation," "song of joy," "cry of triumph."
  • Significance: Indicates the emotional and audible component of the proclamation. It's not a quiet, private recounting but a boisterous, public, and enthusiastic expression of delight and triumph over the distress from which God saved them. This communal sound reinforces the joy and gratitude for God's powerful deliverance.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Let them sacrifice thank offerings": This phrase emphasizes the ritual, tangible expression of gratitude. The zevah todah was more than a formal act; it was a communal fellowship meal following a personal vow or in celebration of deliverance, reinforcing the shared nature of God's goodness and encouraging corporate memory. This ritual served to solidify the theological truth that true gratitude involves dedicating something of oneself back to God.
• "and proclaim his works with shouts of joy": This part stresses the verbal, public, and joyous declaration of God's mighty acts. The parallel structure with "sacrifice" indicates that proclaiming God's works is as essential a response as the physical offering. "Shouts of joy" elevate the proclamation from mere reporting to fervent testimony, drawing others into worship and ensuring the divine deeds are heard and recognized widely. This reflects the deeply communicative nature of Israelite faith – sharing testimonies to build faith and demonstrate God's active involvement in the lives of His people.

Psalm 107 22 Bonus section

The Hebrew term for "works," ma'asim, is often used in the Old Testament to describe not merely general activities but specifically the significant and often miraculous interventions of God in human history and individual lives. This emphasizes that the basis for their thanks and proclamation is God's concrete and identifiable acts of salvation. This verse, within the larger Psalm 107, foreshadows a New Testament understanding of thanksgiving. While animal sacrifices ceased with Christ's ultimate sacrifice, the essence of the "sacrifice of thanksgiving" and the "proclaiming of works" finds fulfillment in the New Covenant through spiritual sacrifices: offering our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1), continual sacrifices of praise through our lips (Heb 13:15), and the sharing of our testimony (Rev 12:11) — all done with joy as a witness to God's saving grace through Jesus Christ.

Psalm 107 22 Commentary

Psalm 107:22 encapsulates the proper human response to divine grace, particularly after deliverance from a state of deep distress. It moves beyond a mere inner feeling of gratitude to prescribe two distinct yet interconnected outward expressions: the sacrificial act and the verbal proclamation. The thank offering, or todah sacrifice, was a physical embodiment of a covenantal relationship where gratitude was tangible and communal, signifying a return to fellowship and recognition of God's salvific act. It implies a willing expenditure on the part of the redeemed to acknowledge their debt of grace. Concurrently, the imperative to "proclaim His works with shouts of joy" underscores the public, vocal, and enthusiastic nature of their witness. This is not a whisper of thanks but a resounding declaration meant to resonate through the community, inspiring others and cementing God's fame. This dual action prevents mere ritualism (sacrifice without heartfelt joy) or abstract acknowledgment (joy without committed action), highlighting a holistic response where one's innermost gratitude manifests in visible, audible acts of worship and evangelism. The verse calls the redeemed to be living advertisements of God's hesed and niphla'ot, thereby perpetuating the narrative of His steadfast love.