Psalm 107:18 describes people so sick and weakened that they can no longer eat, and so near death that they seem to be standing at its door. The verse is not a statement about food or appetite for its own sake. It is a picture of desperate need, the kind that leads a person to turn toward God. The psalmist is describing those who suffered for their own foolishness and rebellion, and who then found that the Lord was ready to rescue them when they called out to him.
Their soul abhors all kinds of food. They draw near to the gates of death.
Psalm 107:18 (WEB)
What Psalm 107:18 Means
The phrase “their soul abhors all kinds of food” points to a loss of appetite so deep that even nourishment becomes repulsive. In the ancient Hebrew sense, the “soul” (nephesh) is the whole living person, not just an inner spirit, so the verse describes the whole person being worn down. Food is what keeps a body alive, and when even that is refused, the body is failing. The image is of someone who has lost all natural strength to keep going.
The second line, “they draw near to the gates of death,” uses a vivid image. Gates in the ancient world marked the boundary of a city, and to approach the gates of death is to stand at the threshold between life and the grave. The verse does not say these people die. It says they came close enough to see the end. The psalm is honest about how far people can fall, and it does not promise that trouble will never reach us. What it does promise, in the verses that follow, is that God hears the cry of those in such trouble.
The Context of Psalm 107:18
Psalm 107 is one of the psalms of thanksgiving, and it belongs to the wisdom and poetry books of the Old Testament. Its authorship is not stated in the psalm itself, and tradition ascribes it to no single named writer with certainty. It was written for the worshiping community of Israel, and it is shaped as a series of four pictures of people in distress: wanderers lost in the desert, prisoners in chains, the sick, and sailors caught in a storm. Each group cries out, and each is delivered, which is why the psalm repeats its refrain of praise for God’s steadfast love.
Verse 18 sits within the section about the sick, and it sets up the rescue that follows. Verse 17 names the cause as the people’s own disobedience and iniquity, which makes the verse more sober than a simple account of suffering. Verse 19 then turns the picture: “Then they cry to the LORD in their trouble,” and he saves them. Read in this setting, the description of the failing body is the moment just before the cry for help, and it shows why God’s rescue in verse 20 is so striking.
Key Phrases in Psalm 107:18
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
(WEB)
This verse speaks of the Lord being near to the brokenhearted and saving those who are crushed in spirit. It echoes the same truth found in Psalm 107, that God draws close to people who are at the end of their strength. Reading the two together shows that the psalmist’s hope is not limited to one story but reflects God’s consistent nearness to the suffering.
Isaiah 40:29
He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.
(WEB)
Isaiah speaks of God giving strength to the weary and increasing power to those who have none. Like Psalm 107:18, it describes human weakness with honesty, and then points to the Lord as the source of renewal. Together they help the reader see that the exhaustion described in the psalm is met by a God who restores.
A Short Prayer From Psalm 107:18
Lord, you see the places in me that have grown weary and the parts of my life where I have walked toward trouble of my own making. I do not want to hide from you, even when I feel too tired to speak clearly. Hear me now as I cry out, and draw near in the same way you drew near to those who called to you in their distress. Teach me to trust that your love is stronger than the gates of death and that your word can still bring healing. Amen.
