Psalms 107:34
A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
Original Language Analysis
לִמְלֵחָ֑ה
into barrenness
H4420
לִמְלֵחָ֑ה
into barrenness
Strong's:
H4420
Word #:
3 of 6
properly, salted (i.e., land), i.e., a desert
מֵ֝רָעַ֗ת
for the wickedness
H7451
מֵ֝רָעַ֗ת
for the wickedness
Strong's:
H7451
Word #:
4 of 6
bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
Cross References
Genesis 13:10And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.Genesis 14:3All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.Ezekiel 47:11But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
Historical Context
Sodom and Gomorrah became perpetual wasteland after judgment (Genesis 19:24-29; Deuteronomy 29:23). Canaan risked becoming desolate if Israel broke covenant (Leviticus 26:31-35). Exile left the land sabbath rest for 70 years (2 Chronicles 36:21). Conversely, obedience brought agricultural blessing (Deuteronomy 28:4, 8, 11-12). This direct connection between human morality and environmental health challenges both secular environmentalism (ignoring moral causes) and Christian indifference (ignoring environmental effects of sin).
Questions for Reflection
- How does human wickedness affect the physical environment and land productivity?
- What is the relationship between moral corruption and environmental degradation?
- How should the connection between sin and environmental consequences affect Christian ethics?
Analysis & Commentary
This verse continues describing God's judgment on land. 'A fruitful land into barrenness' shows agricultural devastation. 'Fruitful' (pri, פְּרִי) means fruit-bearing, productive. 'Barrenness' (melachah, מְלֵחָה) means salt, salty waste—unproductive soil. 'For the wickedness of them that dwell therein' explains the cause: moral corruption brings environmental judgment. The land itself suffers for human sin. This echoes the curse on the ground after Adam's fall (Genesis 3:17-18) and anticipates creation's groaning under sin's bondage (Romans 8:20-22). Human wickedness affects the physical environment—a principle with profound ecological and theological implications.