Psalm 107:13 kjv
Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
Psalm 107:13 nkjv
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.
Psalm 107:13 niv
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
Psalm 107:13 esv
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Psalm 107:13 nlt
"LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
Psalm 107 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 34:6 | "This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all..." | God hears cries & saves from trouble |
| Ps 50:15 | "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall..." | Promise of deliverance when called upon |
| Ps 91:15 | "When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble..." | God's promise to answer and rescue |
| Jer 33:3 | "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden..." | Invitation to call upon God for revelation |
| Is 30:19 | "...He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When..." | God's gracious response to their cry |
| Lam 3:55-58 | "I called upon your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit...You heard..." | Personal experience of crying and being heard |
| Ex 14:10 | "...the people of Israel cried out to the Lord." | Israel's cry during the Red Sea crisis |
| Judg 3:9 | "...when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up..." | Pattern of crying out and God sending deliverer |
| Neh 9:27 | "But in the time of their distress they cried to you, and you heard..." | Historical pattern of Israel's distress and God's response |
| Ps 18:6 | "In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help..." | David's cry and God's powerful deliverance |
| Jon 2:2 | "I called out of my distress to the LORD, and he answered me..." | Jonah's prayer from the fish's belly |
| Rom 10:13 | "For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’" | New Testament affirmation of calling on the Lord for salvation |
| Heb 4:16 | "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we..." | Encouragement to seek grace in time of need |
| Phil 4:6-7 | "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and..." | Praying through anxiety leads to God's peace |
| Ps 77:1 | "I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me." | Assurance of God hearing a fervent cry |
| Is 26:16 | "O Lord, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer..." | Seeking God earnestly in distress |
| James 5:13 | "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray." | Direct instruction to pray in suffering |
| Matt 7:7 | "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock..." | Jesus' teaching on seeking and receiving |
| 2 Cor 1:3-4 | "God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction..." | God as the ultimate source of comfort in affliction |
| Ps 46:1 | "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." | God's constant availability as help in trouble |
Psalm 107 verses
Psalm 107 13 Meaning
Psalm 107:13 portrays a divine pattern: in their desperate distress, the afflicted people cried out to the Lord, and in response to their plea, He delivered them from their grave troubles. This verse emphasizes the accessibility of God, His compassionate readiness to intervene when His people turn to Him in utter helplessness, and His unfailing power to rescue them from seemingly insurmountable predicaments.
Psalm 107 13 Context
Psalm 107 is a "hallelujah psalm" that recounts the Lord's enduring steadfast love (hesed) manifested through various acts of deliverance. The Psalm celebrates God's rescue of those who find themselves in different categories of severe distress due to their own actions or circumstances: wanderers lost in the desert (v. 4-9), prisoners in affliction for their rebellion (v. 10-16), fools suffering for their iniquity (v. 17-22), and sailors tossed in storms at sea (v. 23-32).
Verse 13 specifically falls within the section describing those "bound in affliction and irons, because they had rebelled against the words of God" (v. 10-11). Their "trouble" and "distresses" are a consequence of their disobedience and pride (v. 12). Despite their self-inflicted plight, when they humble themselves and cry out, God faithfully responds. The Psalm presents a repeating four-part cycle for each group: trouble described, turning to the Lord, divine deliverance, and a call to give thanks to the Lord. Historically, this psalm could reflect experiences during and after the Babylonian exile, or simply illustrate timeless patterns of human distress and divine redemption.
Psalm 107 13 Word analysis
- Then (וַיִּזְעֲקוּ - va-yiz-ʿă-qū): This is a temporal conjunction often preceding a verb. It signals a direct and immediate consequence following the description of their suffering in the preceding verses. The act of crying out immediately follows the extremity of their plight.
- they cried (וַיִּזְעֲקוּ - va-yiz-ʿă-qū): From the root za'aq (זָעַק), meaning to cry aloud, to wail, to shriek, to call for help. This is not a casual prayer but an urgent, desperate, loud, and often emotional outcry indicative of profound distress and utter helplessness. It implies an abandonment of self-reliance and a complete turning outward for intervention.
- to the Lord (אֶל־יְהוָה - el YHWH): "To YHWH" specifies the divine recipient of their cry. YHWH is the covenant name of God, revealed to Israel as the ever-present, faithful, and saving God. Directing their cry to YHWH signifies a recognition of His sovereignty, power, and covenant obligations to His people, setting Him apart from false deities.
- in their trouble (בַּצַּר לָהֶם - ba-tzar la-hem): From tzar (צַר), meaning narrow, confined, straitened, distress, anguish, adversary. This refers to a state of being hemmed in, experiencing great difficulty, constriction, or being in a tight corner from which escape seems impossible. It signifies an oppressive and suffocating predicament.
- and he delivered them (וַיּוֹשִׁיעֵם - va-yō-šî-ʿêm): From the root yasha' (יָשַׁע), meaning to save, rescue, deliver, grant victory. This is a powerful theological term often translated as "salvation." It signifies God's complete and effective intervention, bringing liberation and release from the dire situation. The waw-consecutive indicates an immediate and direct consequence of their cry.
- from their distresses (מִמְּצוּקוֹתֵיהֶם - mim-mə-tzū-qō-ṯê-hem): From mətsuqah (מְצוּקָה), meaning narrowness, straits, distress, tribulation, anguish. This noun is closely related to tzar and intensifies the sense of multifaceted and severe affliction. The plural form (distresses) suggests numerous oppressive circumstances from which God provided rescue.
- "Then they cried...and he delivered...": This grouping highlights the immediate and direct cause-and-effect relationship in divine deliverance: human desperation leading to a fervent plea to God, immediately met by God's salvific act. It portrays a God who hears and swiftly acts.
- "to the Lord in their trouble...delivered them from their distresses": This emphasizes the consistent and reliable nature of God's response. Their trouble (tzar) directly prompts the cry to God, and He delivers them from their similar but often intensified distresses (mətsuqah). The repetition of the theme underscores the completeness of God's rescue from deep affliction.
Psalm 107 13 Bonus section
The structure of Psalm 107 deliberately repeats a similar phrase in verses 6, 13, 19, and 28 ("Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distresses" or very close variants). This literary device emphasizes the universal applicability of this pattern: no matter the nature of the "trouble" (being lost, imprisoned, sick, or imperiled at sea), the consistent response of the distressed individuals (crying out to the Lord) is invariably met with the consistent divine response (deliverance). This powerful repetition underlines God's unwavering character as Rescuer and the reliability of seeking Him in desperate times. It also sets up the refrain in verses 8, 15, 21, and 31: "Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to the children of man!" This suggests that the experience of crying out and being delivered should lead directly to gratitude and praise.
Psalm 107 13 Commentary
Psalm 107:13 is a succinct and potent encapsulation of a foundational truth in biblical theology: God hears and responds to the desperate cries of His people. The human experience of being trapped in "trouble" (tzar) and "distresses" (mətsuqah) — circumstances often brought about by rebellion (as detailed in previous verses for this specific group) or simply life's unavoidable difficulties — drives them to an absolute end of self-reliance. This desperation manifests as a primal "cry" (za'aq) to YHWH, the covenant Lord, indicating not just prayer, but a fervent, urgent appeal born of extreme suffering.
In perfect faithfulness, the Lord swiftly and utterly "delivered" (yasha') them. This act of salvation is not earned but is a testament to God's steadfast love and gracious character. The verse powerfully demonstrates that even when people have gone astray and brought hardship upon themselves, the door to God's mercy and powerful intervention remains open for those who humble themselves and genuinely call upon His Name. It portrays a divine readiness to rescue, confirming His enduring compassion and His power to bring release from any form of bondage or affliction. This cycle – sin/suffering, crying out, deliverance, and giving thanks – is a recurrent theme throughout Scripture, reinforcing the principle that salvation belongs to the Lord.