Tehillim 107:5

5 Re’evim (hungry) and tzeme’im (thirsty), their nefesh fainted within them.

Tehillim 107:5 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 107:5

Hungry and thirsty
As travellers in deserts sometimes are; their provisions being spent they bring with them, and none to be had on the road; there being no inns to stop at, nor any sort of food to eat, nor springs of water to drink of. In such a condition are souls, when, like the prodigal, they come to themselves, and are thoroughly convinced of their state and condition by nature; they find themselves starving and famishing, and no provision to be had from themselves or the creature: they hunger after Christ, the bread of life, and thirst after his grace, the water of life, and the blessings of it; they hunger and thirst after his righteousness, and justification by it; after the pardon of their sins through his blood, and after salvation by him, and an interest in it; after more knowledge of him, and communion with him.

Their soul fainted in them;
for want of food and drink; as men do, in a spiritual sense, for want of Christ, the blessings of his grace, particularly salvation; for want of views of interest in it, of the joys and comforts of it; see ( Psalms 119:81 ) . Some refer all this to the apostles and apostolic men, wandering in the Gentile world, hungry, thirsty, and without any certain dwelling place; see ( 1 Corinthians 4:11 ) .

Tehillim 107:5 In-Context

3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the mizrach (east), and from the ma’arav (west), from the tzafon (north), and from the yam (sea).

4 They wandered in the midbar in a desolate region; they found no derech to an ir moshav (inhabited city).

5 Re’evim (hungry) and tzeme’im (thirsty), their nefesh fainted within them.

6 Then they cried unto Hashem in their tzoros, and He delivered them out of their distresses.

7 And He led them forth by the derech yesharah that they might go to an ir moshav.