◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 107:1-16 (God gives food and light); Exodus 15:22-27 (God gives the people water); Hebrews 3:1-6 (The faithfulness of Moses) (New English Translation)

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March 8, 2027

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 107:1-16

Book 5 (Psalms 107-150)

Psalm 107^[a]

107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures.^[b]
²Let those delivered by the Lord speak out,^[c]
those whom he delivered^[d] from the power^[e] of the enemy,
³and gathered from foreign lands,^[f]
from east and west,
from north and south.
⁴They wandered through the wilderness, in a wasteland;^[g]
they found no road to a city in which to live.
⁵They were hungry and thirsty;
they fainted from exhaustion.^[h]
⁶They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
⁷He led them on a level road,^[i]
that they might find a city in which to live.
⁸Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.^[j]
⁹For he has satisfied those who thirst,^[k]
and those who hunger he has filled with food.^[l]
¹⁰They sat in utter darkness,^[m]
bound in painful iron chains,^[n]
¹¹because they had rebelled against God’s commands,^[o]
and rejected the instructions of the Most High.^[p]
¹²So he used suffering to humble them;^[q]
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
¹³They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
¹⁴He brought them out of the utter darkness,^[r]
and tore off their shackles.
¹⁵Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people.^[s]
¹⁶For he shattered the bronze gates,
and hacked through the iron bars.^[t]

Footnotes

Psalm 107:1 sn Psalm 107. The psalmist praises God for his kindness to his exiled people.
Psalm 107:1 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
Psalm 107:2 tn Or “let the redeemed of the Lord say [so].”
Psalm 107:2 tn Or “redeemed.”
Psalm 107:2 tn Heb “hand.”
Psalm 107:3 tn Heb “from lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
Psalm 107:4 tc The MT divides the verse so the line ends “on a wasteland of a road.” The LXX divides the line before “road” as in the translation.
Psalm 107:5 tn Heb “and their soul in them fainted.”
Psalm 107:7 sn A level road. See Jer 31:9.
Psalm 107:8 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.”
Psalm 107:9 tn Heb “[the] longing throat.” The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), which frequently refers to one’s very being or soul, here probably refers to one’s parched “throat” (note the parallelism with נֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה, nefesh r^eʿevah, “hungry throat”).
Psalm 107:9 tn Heb “and [the] hungry throat he has filled [with] good.”
Psalm 107:10 tn Heb “those who sat in darkness and deep darkness.” Synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of “darkness” experienced by the exiles. The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet, “deep darkness”) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל + מָוֶת [tsel + mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other authorities prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 107:10 the word refers metonymically to a dungeon, which in turn metaphorically depicts the place of Israel’s exile (see vv. 2-3).
Psalm 107:10 tn Heb “those bound in suffering and iron.” “Suffering and iron” is a hendiadys (like English “good and angry”), where both words contribute to one idea. In this case the first word characterizes the second; the iron (chains) contribute to the prisoners’ pain and suffering.
Psalm 107:11 tn Heb “the words of God.”
Psalm 107:11 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
Psalm 107:12 tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”
Psalm 107:14 tn Heb “darkness and deep darkness.” See the note on the word “darkness” in v. 10.
Psalm 107:15 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
Psalm 107:16 sn The language of v. 16 recalls Isa 45:2.

Exodus 15:22-27

The Bitter Water

²²^[a] Then Moses led Israel to journey away^[b] from the Red Sea. They went out to the wilderness of Shur, walked for three days^[c] into the wilderness, and found no water. ²³Then they came to Marah,^[d] but they were not able to drink^[e] the waters of Marah, because^[f] they were bitter.^[g] (That is^[h] why its name was^[i] Marah.)

²⁴So the people murmured^[j] against Moses, saying, “What can^[k] we drink?” ²⁵He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him^[l] a tree.^[m] When Moses^[n] threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord^[o] made for them^[p] a binding ordinance,^[q] and there he tested^[r] them. ²⁶He said, “If you will diligently obey^[s] the Lord your God, and do what is right^[t] in his sight, and pay attention^[u] to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all^[v] the diseases^[w] that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.”^[x]

²⁷Then they came to Elim,^[y] where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.

Footnotes

Exodus 15:22 sn The first event of the Israelites’ desert experience is a failure, for they murmur against Yahweh and are given a stern warning—and the provision of sweet water. The event teaches that God is able to turn bitter water into sweet water for his people, and he promises to do such things if they obey. He can provide for them in the desert—he did not bring them into the desert to let them die. But there is a deeper level to this story—the healing of the water is incidental to the healing of the people, their lack of trust. The passage is arranged in a neat chiasm, starting with a journey (A), ending with the culmination of the journey (A'); developing to bitter water (B), resolving to sweet water (B'); complaints by the people (C), leading to the instructions for the people (C'); and the central turning point is the wonder miracle (D).
Exodus 15:22 tn The verb form is unusual; the normal expression is with the Qal, which expresses that they journeyed. But here the Hiphil is used to underscore that Moses caused them to journey—and he is following God. So the point is that God was leading Israel to the bitter water.
Exodus 15:22 sn The mention that they travelled for three days into the desert is deliberately intended to recall Moses’ demand that they go three days into the wilderness to worship. Here, three days in, they find bitter water and complain—not worship.
Exodus 15:23 sn The Hebrew word “Marah” means “bitter.” This motif will be repeated four times in this passage to mark the central problem. Earlier in the book the word had been used for the “bitter herbs” in the Passover, recalling the bitter labor in bondage. So there may be a double reference here—to the bitter waters and to Egypt itself—God can deliver from either.
Exodus 15:23 tn The infinitive construct here provides the direct object for the verb “to be able,” answering the question of what they were not able to do.
Exodus 15:23 tn The causal clause here provides the reason for their being unable to drink the water, as well as a clear motivation for the name.
Exodus 15:23 sn Many scholars have attempted to explain these things with natural phenomena. Here Marah is identified with Ain Hawarah. It is said that the waters of this well are notoriously salty and brackish; Robinson said it was six to eight feet in diameter and the water about two feet deep; the water is unpleasant, salty, and somewhat bitter. As a result the Arabs say it is the worst tasting water in the area (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:398). But that would not be a sufficient amount of water for the number of Israelites in the first place, and in the second, they could not drink it at all. But third, how did Moses change it?
Exodus 15:23 tn The עַל־כֵּן (ʿal ken) formula in the Pentateuch serves to explain to the reader the reason for the way things were. It does not necessarily mean here that Israel named the place—but they certainly could have.
Exodus 15:23 tn Heb “one called its name,” the expression can be translated as a passive verb if the subject is not expressed.
Exodus 15:24 tn The verb וַיִּלֹּנוּ (vayyillonu) from לוּן (lun) is a much stronger word than “to grumble” or “to complain.” It is used almost exclusively in the wilderness wandering stories, to describe the rebellion of the Israelites against God (see also Ps 59:14-15). They were not merely complaining—they were questioning God’s abilities and motives. The action is something like a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
Exodus 15:24 tn The imperfect tense here should be given a potential nuance: “What can we drink?” since the previous verse reports that they were not able to drink the water.sn It is likely that Moses used words very much like this when he prayed. The difference seems to lie in the prepositions—he cried “to” Yahweh, but the people murmured “against” Moses.
Exodus 15:25 tn The verb is וַיּוֹרֵהוּ (vayyorehu, “and he showed him”). It is the Hiphil preterite from יָרָה (yarah), which has a basic meaning of “to point, show, direct.” It then came to mean “to teach”; it is the verb behind the noun “Law” (תּוֹרָה, torah).sn U. Cassuto notes that here is the clue to the direction of the narrative: Israel needed God’s instruction, the Law, if they were going to enjoy his provisions (Exodus, 184).
Exodus 15:25 tn Or “a [piece of] wood” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV); NLT “a branch.”sn S. R. Driver (Exodus, 143) follows some local legends in identifying this tree as one that is supposed to have—even to this day—the properties necessary for making bitter water sweet. B. Jacob (Exodus, 436) reports that no such tree has ever been found, but then he adds that this does not mean there was not such a bush in the earlier days. He believes that here God used a natural means (“showed, instructed”) to sweeten the water. He quotes Ben Sira as saying God had created these things with healing properties in them.
Exodus 15:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Exodus 15:25 tn Heb “there he”; the referent (the Lord) is supplied for clarity.
Exodus 15:25 tn Heb “for him” (referring to Israel as a whole).
Exodus 15:25 tn This translation interprets the two nouns as a hendiadys: “a statute and an ordinance” becomes “a binding ordinance.”
Exodus 15:25 tn The verb נִסָּהוּ (nissahu, “and he tested him [them]”) is from the root נָסָה (nasah). The use of this word in the Bible indicates that there is question, doubt, or uncertainty about the object being tested.sn The whole episode was a test from God. He led them there through Moses and let them go hungry and thirsty. He wanted to see how great their faith was.
Exodus 15:26 tn The construction uses the infinitive absolute and the imperfect tense of שָׁמַע (shamaʿ). The meaning of the verb is idiomatic here because it is followed by “to the voice of Yahweh your God.” When this is present, the verb is translated “obey.” The construction is in a causal clause. It reads, “If you will diligently obey.” Gesenius points out that the infinitive absolute in a conditional clause also emphasizes the importance of the condition on which the consequence depends (GKC 342-43 §113.o).
Exodus 15:26 tn The word order is reversed in the text: “and the right in his eyes you do,” or, “[if] you do what is right in his eyes.” The conditional idea in the first clause is continued in this clause.
Exodus 15:26 tn Heb “give ear.” This verb and the next are both perfect tenses with the vav (ו) consecutive; they continue the sequence of the original conditional clause.
Exodus 15:26 tn The substantive כָּל (kol, “all of”) in a negative clause can be translated “none of.”
Exodus 15:26 sn The reference is no doubt to the plagues that Yahweh has just put on them. These will not come on God’s true people. But the interesting thing about a conditional clause like this is that the opposite is also true—“if you do not obey, then I will bring these diseases.”
Exodus 15:26 tn The form is רֹפְאֶךָ (rof^eʾekha), a participle with a pronominal suffix. The word is the predicate after the pronoun “I”: “I [am] your healer.” The suffix is an objective genitive—the Lord heals them.sn The name I Yahweh am your healer comes as a bit of a surprise. One might expect, “I am Yahweh who heals your water,” but it was the people he came to heal because their faith was weak. God lets Israel know here that he can control the elements of nature to bring about a spiritual response in Israel (see Deut 8).
Exodus 15:27 sn Judging from the way the story is told they were not far from the oasis. But God had other plans for them, to see if they would trust him wholeheartedly and obey. They did not do very well this first time, and they will have to learn how to obey. The lesson is clear: God uses adversity to test his people’s loyalty. The response to adversity must be prayer to God, for he can turn the bitter into the sweet, the bad into the good, and the prospect of death into life.

Hebrews 3:1-6

Jesus and Moses

3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,^[a] partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess,^[b] ²who is faithful to the one who appointed him, as Moses was also in God’s^[c] house.^[d] ³For he has come to deserve greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves greater honor than the house itself! ⁴For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. ⁵Now Moses was faithful in all God’s^[e] house^[f] as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken. ⁶But Christ^[g] is faithful as a son over God’s^[h] house. We are of his house,^[i] if in fact we hold firmly^[j] to our confidence and the hope we take pride in.^[k]

Footnotes

Hebrews 3:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.
Hebrews 3:1 tn Grk “of our confession.”
Hebrews 3:2 tn Grk “his”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.
Hebrews 3:2 tc ‡ The reading adopted by the translation follows a few early mss and some versions (P^13,46vid B vg^ms co Ambr). The majority of mss (א A C D Ψ 0243 0278 33 1739 1881 M lat sy) insert “all” (“in all his house”), apparently in anticipation of Heb 3:5 which quotes directly from Num 12:7. On balance, the omission better explains the rise of ὅλῳ (holō, “all”) than vice versa. NA²⁸ puts ὅλῳ in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
Hebrews 3:5 tn Grk “his”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.
Hebrews 3:5 sn A quotation from Num 12:7.
Hebrews 3:6 sn The Greek makes the contrast between v. 5 and v. 6a more emphatic and explicit than is easily done in English.
Hebrews 3:6 tn Grk “his”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.
Hebrews 3:6 tn Grk “whose house we are,” continuing the previous sentence.
Hebrews 3:6 tc The reading adopted by the translation is found in P^13,46 B sa, while the vast majority of mss (א A C D Ψ 0243 0278 33 1739 1881 M latt) add μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν (mechri telous bebaian, “secure until the end”). The external evidence for the omission, though minimal, has excellent credentials. Considering the internal factors, B. M. Metzger (TCGNT 595) finds it surprising that the feminine adjective βεβαίαν should modify the neuter noun καύχημα (kauchēma, here translated “we take pride”), a fact that suggests that even the form of the word was borrowed from another place. Since the same phrase occurs at Heb 3:14, it is likely that later scribes added it here at Heb 3:6 in anticipation of Heb 3:14. While these words belong at 3:14, they seem foreign to 3:6.
Hebrews 3:6 tn Grk “the pride of our hope.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Book 5 (Psalms 107-150)

Psalm 107[a]

Footnotes

The Bitter Water

Footnotes

Jesus and Moses

Footnotes

Psalm 107^[a]