Psalm 107:33
New International Version
He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,

New Living Translation
He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.

English Standard Version
He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,

Berean Standard Bible
He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground,

King James Bible
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;

New King James Version
He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground;

New American Standard Bible
He turns rivers into a wilderness, And springs of water into a thirsty ground;

NASB 1995
He changes rivers into a wilderness And springs of water into a thirsty ground;

NASB 1977
He changes rivers into a wilderness, And springs of water into a thirsty ground;

Legacy Standard Bible
He makes rivers into a wilderness And springs of water into a thirsty ground;

Amplified Bible
He turns rivers into a wilderness, And springs of water into a thirsty ground;

Christian Standard Bible
He turns rivers into desert, springs into thirsty ground,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He turns rivers into desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,

American Standard Version
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, And watersprings into a thirsty ground;

Contemporary English Version
If you start doing wrong, the LORD will turn rivers into deserts,

English Revised Version
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and watersprings into a thirsty ground;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He changes rivers into a desert, springs into thirsty ground,

Good News Translation
The LORD made rivers dry up completely and stopped springs from flowing.

International Standard Version
He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into dry ground,

Majority Standard Bible
He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground,

NET Bible
He turned streams into a desert, springs of water into arid land,

New Heart English Bible
He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground,

Webster's Bible Translation
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into dry ground;

World English Bible
He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He makes rivers become a wilderness, "" And fountains of waters become dry land.

Young's Literal Translation
He maketh rivers become a wilderness, And fountains of waters become dry land.

Smith's Literal Translation
He will set rivers to a desert, and the findings of waters to thirst;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He hath turned rivers into a wilderness: and the sources of water into dry ground:

Catholic Public Domain Version
He has placed rivers in the desert and sources of water in dry places,

New American Bible
God changed rivers into desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,

New Revised Standard Version
He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He turns rivers into a wilderness and the water-springs into dry ground,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For he makes the rivers like the wilderness and the springs of water thirsty.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He turneth rivers into a wilderness, And watersprings into a thirsty ground;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
He turns rivers into a desert, and streams of water into a dry land;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Give Thanks to the LORD, for He is Good
32Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders. 33He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground, 34and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers.…

Cross References
Isaiah 50:2
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.

Isaiah 42:15
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.

Jeremiah 50:38
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.

Jeremiah 51:36
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.

Job 12:15
If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.

Isaiah 44:27
who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’

Ezekiel 30:12
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.

Amos 4:7-8
“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.

2 Kings 2:21-22
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.

2 Kings 3:17-20
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.” ...

Revelation 16:12
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.

Matthew 21:19
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.

Mark 11:21
Peter remembered it and said, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.”

Luke 4:25
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.

James 5:17
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.


Treasury of Scripture

He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the springs into dry ground;

turneth

1 Kings 17:1-7
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word…

Isaiah 13:19-21
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah…

Isaiah 19:5-10
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up…

water-springs

1 Kings 18:5
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.

Jeremiah 14:3
And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

Amos 4:7,8
And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were 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…

Jump to Previous
Changes Desert Dry Flowing Fountains Ground Makes Maketh Places Rivers Springs Thirsty Turned Turneth Turns Waste Water Waters Watersprings Water-Springs Wilderness
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Changes Desert Dry Flowing Fountains Ground Makes Maketh Places Rivers Springs Thirsty Turned Turneth Turns Waste Water Waters Watersprings Water-Springs Wilderness
Psalm 107
1. The psalmist exhorts the redeemed in praising God to observe his manifold providence
4. Over travelers
10. Over captives
17. Over sick men
23. Over sailors
33. And in diverse varieties of life.














He turns
The phrase "He turns" emphasizes the sovereignty and active involvement of God in the natural world. The Hebrew root for "turns" is "הָפַךְ" (haphak), which conveys a sense of transformation or reversal. This action underscores God's power to change circumstances, reflecting His authority over creation. Historically, this transformation is a reminder of God's ability to alter the course of nature and history according to His divine will.

rivers into deserts
The imagery of "rivers into deserts" illustrates a dramatic change from abundance to barrenness. Rivers, often symbols of life and sustenance in the ancient Near East, are essential for agriculture and survival. The Hebrew word for "rivers" is "נָהָר" (nahar), while "deserts" is "מִדְבָּר" (midbar), a place of desolation and scarcity. This transformation serves as a metaphor for divine judgment, where God can withdraw His blessings, leading to spiritual or physical desolation.

springs of water
"Springs of water" represent sources of life and refreshment. In the arid climate of the biblical lands, springs were vital for sustaining life. The Hebrew term "מַעְיָן" (ma'yan) refers to a fountain or source of water, often seen as a gift from God. This phrase highlights the preciousness of God's provision and the sustenance He offers to His people.

into thirsty ground
The phrase "into thirsty ground" conveys a sense of longing and unfulfilled need. The Hebrew word for "thirsty" is "צָמֵא" (tsame), which denotes a parched or dry state. This transformation from a life-giving spring to barren ground serves as a warning of the consequences of turning away from God. It is a call to recognize our dependence on Him for spiritual nourishment and to seek His presence to avoid spiritual drought.

(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.

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 graphic and more commonplace than in the former portion of the composition. Verse 33. - He turneth rivers into a wilderness. 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 (Genesis 19:24, 25), or by such moral changes as have turned Babylonia from a garden into a desert, a miserable howling wilderness (comp. Isaiah 13:15-22; Isaiah 50:2; Jeremiah 50:13-15, 38-40; Jeremiah 51:13, 37-43, etc.). And the water springs into dry ground. 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.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He turns
יָשֵׂ֣ם (yā·śêm)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

rivers
נְהָר֣וֹת (nə·hā·rō·wṯ)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5104: A stream, prosperity

into deserts,
לְמִדְבָּ֑ר (lə·miḏ·bār)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech

springs
וּמֹצָ֥אֵי (ū·mō·ṣā·’ê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4161: A place or act of going forth, issue, export, source, spring

of water
מַ֝֗יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

into thirsty ground,
לְצִמָּאֽוֹן׃ (lə·ṣim·mā·’ō·wn)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6774: A thirsty place, desert


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OT Poetry: Psalm 107:33 He turns rivers into a desert water (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 107:32
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