Psalm 107:1 Meaning and Explanation

This verse is one of the great refrains of the Psalms, repeated across several chapters and woven into Israel's worship. It joins a command to two reasons. The command is simple: "give thanks unto the LORD." The reasons follow: "for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Gratitude rests on solid truths about who God is, never on a mere whim.

The first reason is God's goodness, the bedrock of His character, the quality that makes Him worthy of thanks at all times. The second is the endurance of His mercy: His steadfast love does not run out, fade, or expire. It "endureth for ever." That permanence is what makes this refrain so comforting. Circumstances change, fortunes rise and fall, but God's mercy remains constant through every season and generation. Psalm 107 goes on to tell the stories of different groups who were in trouble (wanderers, prisoners, the sick, storm-tossed sailors) and who cried out and were delivered. This opening verse is the heading over all those stories: in every case, the same good God showed the same enduring mercy. The verse invites the reader to take up the refrain, joining the long chorus of the redeemed who give thanks because God is good and His mercy never ends.