Psalms 107:15 Meaning and Explanation
“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Some sentences in Scripture are wishes spoken out loud, and this is one. The psalmist has just described prisoners walking free and cannot leave the story there. What he wants is for the response to match the rescue, and the exclamation reveals how rarely he has seen that happen. Gratitude, it turns out, needs encouragement even when the deliverance was obvious.
A refrain of longing rather than command. The psalmist wishes aloud that people everywhere would give the LORD thanks for his goodness and for the remarkable things he does on behalf of ordinary human beings.
The Context of Psalms 107:15
This exclamation appears four times in Psalm 107, at verses 8, 15, 21, and 31, closing each of the four rescue scenes. Verse 15 closes the account of the prisoners, following verse 14 where God brought them out of darkness and brake their bands in sunder. Verse 16 then adds a further reason, broken gates of brass and iron bars cut through. The psalm ends at verse 43 with an appeal to the wise, who observe these things and understand the lovingkindness of the LORD. The refrain gives the psalm its rhythm and its purpose.
What Does Psalms 107:15 Mean?
Oh that opens a wish, so the line carries longing rather than instruction. Men here means people generally, and the second half makes that explicit with the children of men, a phrase for humanity as a whole. Two grounds for praise are named. His goodness describes what God is like, a settled character. His wonderful works describes what he does, the particular acts a person can point to. The final phrase directs those works toward people: to the children of men. The verse therefore holds together who God is and what he has done, and it asks that both be spoken of out loud.
Repetition is the point of a refrain, and this one shapes how the psalm is read. Each scene ends the same way, so praise is presented as the natural conclusion of every rescue, whatever the distress happened to be. Verse 22 goes further in the third scene, calling for sacrifices of thanksgiving and for declaring his works with rejoicing, which shows that this praise was meant to be public and offered in worship. Verse 32 places it in the congregation and the assembly of the elders. Thanksgiving in Israel involved gathered people, spoken testimony, and offerings brought to God, all of it woven together.
Luke tells of ten lepers healed and one returning to give thanks, and Jesus asks where the other nine are. That question sounds very like the wish in this verse. The gap between rescue and gratitude appears to be an old and stubborn one. Scripture keeps addressing it with encouragement rather than accusation, and this psalm supplies the language to close it. Every reason listed here is available to us now, since God's goodness has not changed and his wonderful works toward people continue. Naming them aloud remains the ordinary way that thanksgiving gets from a heart into a room.
Psalms 107:15 in the Original Language
chesed (חֶסֶד), 'goodness' -- a Hebrew word for loyal, committed kindness, the steady love a person shows to those bound to him. The same word appears in verse 1 as mercy and in verse 43 as lovingkindness, so the psalm opens, repeats, and closes on it.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 107:15
“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
- Psalm 107:8
“And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.”
- Psalm 107:22
“What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?”
- Psalm 116:12
“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?”
- Luke 17:17
Where Psalms 107:15 Echoes in Scripture
Psalm 116:12 asks what a rescued person shall render unto the LORD for all his benefits, and the verses that follow answer with a cup of salvation taken up, vows paid, and the name of the LORD called upon. That psalm supplies the personal version of what Psalm 107 wishes for everyone. One text longs for a whole people to speak, and the other shows a single worshipper working out how. Together they treat gratitude as something planned and carried out.
How to Apply Psalms 107:15 Today
Praise grows when it gets specific. We can name one thing God has done this year, say it out loud to another person, and let the account be heard rather than kept private. Households can build a habit of telling rescue stories at the table, and congregations can make room for them in worship. Written records help too, since memory fades faster than we expect and a list can be reread on a hard night. The psalmist longs to hear people speak. Answering that longing costs us very little and steadies others more than we know.
Reflection & Prayer
Which rescue in our own life has gone unmentioned for too long? A prayer: LORD, you are good, and you have been good to me in ways I have taken for granted. Bring the specific mercies back to mind and loosen my tongue about them. Let my thanks be heard by someone who needs to know that you still work wonders for people like us.