Psalms 107:41
Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.
Original Language Analysis
וַיְשַׂגֵּ֣ב
on high
H7682
וַיְשַׂגֵּ֣ב
on high
Strong's:
H7682
Word #:
1 of 6
to be (causatively, make) lofty, especially inaccessible; by implication, safe, strong; used literally and figuratively
וַיָּ֥שֶׂם
and maketh
H7760
וַיָּ֥שֶׂם
and maketh
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
4 of 6
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
Cross References
Job 21:11They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.1 Samuel 2:8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.Psalms 78:52But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.Job 5:11To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.Job 8:7Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.Job 42:16After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.Proverbs 17:6Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.Genesis 48:11And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.James 5:11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.1 Samuel 2:21And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.
Historical Context
Throughout Scripture, God champions the poor: delivering Hebrew slaves from Egypt, raising up judges from obscurity, choosing David the shepherd, exalting Daniel and Esther in foreign courts. Post-exilic restoration elevated remnant from poverty and oppression to blessed community. Jesus' ministry favored the poor and marginalized (Luke 4:18-19; 7:22). The early church practiced radical generosity toward the poor (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35). God's kingdom consistently reverses worldly hierarchies.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's preferential concern for the poor challenge worldly values?
- What does God's elevation of the lowly teach about His kingdom's character?
- How should the church practically demonstrate God's care for the poor and oppressed?
Analysis & Commentary
This verse describes God's restorative intervention for the oppressed. 'Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction' shows God lifting the humble. 'Setteth on high' (sagab, שָׂגַב) means to set in a secure, elevated place. 'The poor' (evyon, אֶבְיוֹן) are the needy, impoverished. 'And maketh him families like a flock' indicates multiplication and blessing. 'Families' (mishpachah, מִשְׁפָּחָה) means clans or extended families. 'Like a flock' suggests abundance and fertility. This demonstrates God's preferential concern for the poor and oppressed—He actively elevates the lowly and multiplies the marginalized. The verse anticipates Mary's Magnificat: God 'hath put down the mighty...and exalted them of low degree' (Luke 1:52-53).