Deuteronomy 26:7 kjv
And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression:
Deuteronomy 26:7 nkjv
Then we cried out to the LORD God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression.
Deuteronomy 26:7 niv
Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.
Deuteronomy 26:7 esv
Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
Deuteronomy 26:7 nlt
we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors. He heard our cries and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression.
Deuteronomy 26 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 2:23-25 | "The people of Israel groaned... and their cry for help went up to God... God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant..." | God heard Israel's cries of oppression. |
| Exod 3:7 | "The LORD said, 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people... and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters...'" | God saw and heard their suffering directly. |
| Deut 4:20 | "The LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt..." | Emphasizes Egypt as a place of severe oppression. |
| Gen 15:13-14 | "Your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs... they will be afflicted... But I will bring judgment..." | Prophecy of affliction and divine intervention. |
| Ps 18:6 | "In my distress I called upon the LORD... He heard my voice from his temple..." | The Lord hears cries in distress. |
| Ps 34:17 | "When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them..." | God consistently hears and delivers. |
| Ps 107:6 | "Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them..." | Recurring pattern of cry and deliverance. |
| Ps 107:13 | "Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them..." | Reiterates divine response to human distress. |
| Ps 106:44 | "Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry..." | God's empathy seeing and hearing affliction. |
| Isa 30:19 | "He will surely be gracious at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you." | God's responsiveness to pleas. |
| Neh 9:9 | "You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea." | God's persistent observation and hearing. |
| 2 Chr 6:39 | "Then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause..." | God's hearing of prayers in all circumstances. |
| Jer 33:3 | "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." | Invitation to call upon God for answers. |
| Lam 3:55-57 | "I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit... You heard my plea..." | Deep personal lament and God's hearing. |
| Jonah 2:2 | "I called out to the LORD, out of my affliction, and he answered me..." | God answers even from desperate situations. |
| Joel 2:32 | "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved..." | The act of calling on the Lord for salvation. |
| Acts 7:34 | "I have surely seen the affliction of my people... I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them..." | Stephen’s summary of the Exodus, echoing the verse. |
| Rom 8:26 | "The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." | Divine intercession for human cries. |
| Heb 4:16 | "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." | Encouragement to bring needs before God. |
| Jas 5:4 | "Behold, the wages of the laborers... are crying out against you, and the cries... have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts." | God hears the cries of the oppressed/unjustly treated. |
| Rev 6:10 | "They cried out with a loud voice, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long... will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood...?'" | Cries for justice from the persecuted. |
| 1 John 5:14-15 | "If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us... we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." | Confidence that God hears our prayers. |
Deuteronomy 26 verses
Deuteronomy 26 7 Meaning
Deuteronomy 26:7 records Israel's profound experience of desperate appeal to the Lord during their severe suffering in Egypt and God's compassionate, active response. It asserts that Israel’s plea, addressed to Yahweh as the faithful God of their ancestors, was not merely heard but deeply perceived by Him, encompassing their anguish, strenuous labor, and overall oppression. This confession formed a core part of the Firstfruits liturgy, establishing the foundation of their identity in God's historical deliverance.
Deuteronomy 26 7 Context
Deuteronomy 26 focuses on two significant acts of worship: the presentation of firstfruits from the harvest and the giving of the third-year tithe. Verse 7 is embedded within the declaration made by the Israelite farmer as he brings the firstfruits (Deut 26:5-10). This confession serves as a brief, historical creed, recounting the foundational story of Israel's liberation from Egypt and their subsequent establishment in the Promised Land. The purpose of this ritual was to acknowledge that the prosperity of the land was not due to Israel’s merit or pagan deities, but solely due to Yahweh's faithful deliverance and covenant keeping. Historically, this declaration reminds the nation, as they stand on the brink of entering the promised land, that their very existence and subsequent blessings stem from God’s redemptive work. This ritual reinforces their identity as a people redeemed by Yahweh, emphasizing dependence on Him and rejecting the fertility cults of Canaan.
Deuteronomy 26 7 Word analysis
- Then we cried out (וַנִּצְעַק - vanniṣ‘aq): From the verb צָעַק (tsa'aq), meaning "to cry out, scream, call for help." It signifies a loud, urgent, and often desperate outcry, indicative of distress, pain, or a plea for intervention in a situation of injustice or suffering. This is a cry of anguish, not just a quiet prayer, highlighting the severity of their oppression.
- to the LORD (אֶל-יְהוָה - ʾel YHWH): יְהוָה (YHWH) is the covenant name of God, revealing Him as the ever-existing, personal, and relational God. Calling out to YHWH signifies a trust in His particular power, faithfulness, and historical engagement with Israel, as opposed to the powerless deities of Egypt or Canaan.
- the God of our fathers (אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ - ʾĔlōhê ʾavōtênû): This phrase links their present appeal to God's past covenant relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It grounds Israel’s plea in the inherited promise and affirms God's historical faithfulness and commitment across generations. It’s a declaration that Yahweh is consistently the same God who remembers and keeps His word.
- and the LORD (וַיִּשְׁמַע יְהוָה - vayyišmaʿ YHWH): Again, using the covenant name, YHWH, emphasizing the active, responsive nature of their God.
- heard (שָׁמַע - shama): More than just a passive audibility; in Hebrew, shama implies listening intently, comprehending, paying attention, and often acting in response. It means God gave ear and gave heed, preparing to intervene.
- our voice (קוֹלֵנוּ - qôlēnû): The literal audible sound of their desperate plea. It implies a collective cry, unified in their distress.
- and saw (וַיַּרְא - vayyarʾ): From the verb רָאָה (ra'ah), "to see, perceive, understand." This implies God's full awareness, discernment, and attentive observation of their plight. It suggests God was not merely aware of their situation in general, but had a personal, comprehensive view of their individual and collective suffering.
- our affliction (אֶת-עָנְיֵנוּ - ʾet-ʿonênû): From the noun עָנִי ('oni), denoting "humiliation, misery, suffering, hardship, oppression." It captures the low estate and general wretchedness imposed upon them.
- our toil (וְאֶת-עֲמָלֵנוּ - wĕʾet-ʿamālēnû): From עָמָל ('amal), meaning "troublesome labor, painful work, hardship, severe exertion." This points specifically to the harsh, burdensome slave labor they endured under Egyptian taskmasters.
- and our oppression (וְאֶת-לַחֲצֵנוּ - wĕʾet-laḥatsênû): From לָחַץ (lachats), meaning "distress, pressure, constriction, oppression, affliction." It refers to the physical, psychological, and systemic subjugation and cruelty they suffered, highlighting the severe burden placed upon them.
Deuteronomy 26 7 Bonus section
This verse, within the confessional declaration, beautifully illustrates a pivotal aspect of covenant theology: God’s steadfast faithfulness. The acknowledgment of "the God of our fathers" firmly connects God’s historical acts of redemption to His foundational promises, assuring the present generation of His unchanging character. It demonstrates the intimate and personal relationship God desires with His people—a relationship marked by humble dependence on their part and active, caring engagement on His. The structured repetition of "LORD heard... and LORD saw" emphasizes God’s active awareness and response from two distinct yet complementary perspectives (auditory and visual), underscoring the completeness of His divine perception of their suffering.
Deuteronomy 26 7 Commentary
Deuteronomy 26:7 stands as a powerful testament to the compassionate and responsive nature of Yahweh, especially in the face of human suffering. It reveals that Israel's salvation was not achieved through their might or wisdom, but was entirely initiated by God in response to their cries. This verse underscores a foundational theological principle: when His people are in deep distress and genuinely call upon His name, the Lord not only listens (He hears with understanding and intent) but also observes (He sees their every tribulation). His seeing and hearing are inextricably linked to His immediate and purposeful intervention, as the subsequent verses in Deuteronomy 26 show Him bringing them out with a strong hand. This historical remembrance enshrined in a sacred liturgy provides a perpetual reassurance to all generations of believers: that the living God remains the God who hears, sees, and acts for those who suffer and turn to Him. It teaches a lesson in profound humility and dependent trust in the God who faithfully redeems His people from every form of bondage.