Psalm 107 34

Psalm 107:34 kjv

A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

Psalm 107:34 nkjv

A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

Psalm 107:34 niv

and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

Psalm 107:34 esv

a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.

Psalm 107:34 nlt

He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
because of the wickedness of those who live there.

Psalm 107 verses

Psalm 107 34 Meaning

Psalm 107:34 proclaims that a productive and fertile land can be transformed into a barren salt waste due to the wickedness of its inhabitants. This verse underscores God's sovereignty over creation and His justice, indicating that divine judgment can manifest through changes in the natural environment. The prosperity or desolation of a region is intrinsically linked to the moral and spiritual state of its people, highlighting the principle of divine consequence for persistent evil.

Psalm 107 34 Context

Psalm 107 is a wisdom psalm and a hymn of thanksgiving, celebrating Yahweh's steadfast love (חֶסֶד, hesed) and delivering power. It recounts various scenarios of distress—travelers lost in the wilderness, prisoners in chains, those suffering from illness, and sailors facing storms—and describes how the Lord delivered them in response to their cries. Following these narratives of divine rescue, the psalm shifts to a broader contemplation of God's transformative power over societies and natural landscapes. Verses 33-43 speak of God's altering the natural order, turning rivers into deserts and fruitful land into barren waste (v. 33-34), and conversely, transforming deserts into pools and parched land into springs (v. 35). This section explains why such radical changes occur, linking them directly to the wickedness or righteousness of the people inhabiting the land. Thus, Psalm 107:34 serves as a cautionary principle, showing that God's power extends to blessing and judgment, reflecting the moral state of humanity. It echoes covenantal curses from texts like Leviticus and Deuteronomy, where the prosperity of the land of Israel was directly tied to the obedience of the people.

Psalm 107 34 Word analysis

• He turns (יָשִׁם - yashim): The root שִׁים (sim) means to put, place, appoint, set. Here, it signifies God's direct, sovereign action in changing the state of the land. It is an intentional and powerful divine act, not a mere natural process.
• fruitful land (אֶרֶץ פְּרִי - erets priy):
  • fruitful (פְּרִי - priy): Literally "fruit," "produce." Implies fertility, abundance, and productive yield, suggesting a land blessed with agricultural bounty. In broader biblical terms, it often symbolizes prosperity and blessing.
  • land (אֶרֶץ - erets): Can refer generally to the earth, a specific country (e.g., Israel), or a region. Here, it denotes a geographical area capable of sustaining life through its natural resources. The emphasis is on its potential for sustenance and flourishing.
• into salt waste (לִמְלֵחָה - lim'lechah):
  • to (לְ - le): Preposition indicating transformation or destination.
  • salt waste (מְלֵחָה - m'lechah): Derived from מֶלַח (melach), meaning "salt." A "salt waste" refers to saline land, rendering it infertile and desolate. Such land cannot sustain crops and represents irreversible barrenness. It carries connotations of destruction and judgment, as seen in the desolation of Sodom (Gen 19) or areas cursed by salt (Deut 29:23).
• for the wickedness (מֵרָעַת - mer`at):
  • for/from (מִן - min): A preposition indicating cause, reason, or origin.
  • wickedness (רָעָה - ra`ah): Meaning evil, wickedness, moral depravity, sin. This is the direct causal link for the land's transformation. It refers to a pervasive moral corruption and rebellion against God's laws, extending beyond individual acts to the collective character of the inhabitants.
• of those who dwell (יָשְׁבֵי - yoshvey): From the verb יָשַׁב (yashav), "to sit," "to dwell," "to inhabit." Refers to the settled inhabitants, implying their prolonged presence and established patterns of life and behavior within that land. The responsibility for the land's condition rests with those who continually inhabit it and practice evil.
• in it (בָּהּ - bah): Refers back to the "land."

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• He turns fruitful land into salt waste: This phrase emphasizes God's power as the active agent in altering the very nature of the physical environment. The transformation from life-sustaining "fruitful land" to sterile "salt waste" is drastic and complete, illustrating the severity of divine judgment. This is a dramatic reversal of the created order, a sign of severe displeasure.
• for the wickedness of those who dwell in it: This clause provides the explicit reason for the land's desolation. It establishes a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the moral decay of a society and the physical decline of their habitat. It highlights collective responsibility and divine accountability, emphasizing that a people's spiritual condition has tangible, physical consequences on their world.

Psalm 107 34 Bonus section

The concept of land being affected by the moral condition of its inhabitants is a pervasive theme throughout the Hebrew Bible, especially in the Pentateuch (Lev 18:24-28, Deut 28-29) and prophetic books (Jer 12:4, Hos 4:3). This theological understanding suggests a reciprocal relationship where the land itself "vomits out" or "mourns" over sin. The transformation to "salt waste" implies an extreme, almost irreversible form of desolation, serving as a powerful warning. The language resonates with the ancient Near Eastern understanding that deity was intimately involved with the land's productivity. In a polemical sense, this challenged pagan fertility cults that sought to manipulate natural processes through rituals rather than acknowledging the true God's moral governance over creation. The Psalmist here attributes natural prosperity and its inverse directly to Yahweh's ethical judgment, not capricious fate or pagan deities.

Psalm 107 34 Commentary

Psalm 107:34 reveals a profound biblical principle: God's justice extends to the physical world, making the very land responsive to human moral choices. The turning of "fruitful land into salt waste" is a vivid illustration of severe judgment. This transformation is not arbitrary but a direct consequence ("for the wickedness") of the inhabitants' pervasive moral depravity. The "salt waste" imagery suggests irreversible sterility and an end to prosperity, echoing the desolation of Sodom and Gomorrah—places notorious for profound wickedness. This verse reminds us that divine blessings (like fertile land) are not unconditional; they are often tied to covenant fidelity and righteous living. It demonstrates God's active involvement in the affairs of mankind, extending His governance from human hearts to the natural environment, underscoring that sin carries tangible consequences, even if not immediately visible. This principle can be applied not just to literal land, but to the spiritual fruitfulness of lives or communities: unrepentant sin leads to spiritual barrenness and desolation.