Psalm 116 3

Psalm 116:3 kjv

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

Psalm 116:3 nkjv

The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.

Psalm 116:3 niv

The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

Psalm 116:3 esv

The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.

Psalm 116:3 nlt

Death wrapped its ropes around me;
the terrors of the grave overtook me.
I saw only trouble and sorrow.

Psalm 116 verses

Psalm 116 3 Meaning

Psalm 116:3 expresses the profound depth of distress and anguish experienced by the psalmist. He likens his peril to being ensnared by "cords of death" and overwhelmed by the "pangs/torrents of Sheol," indicating a state of being utterly besieged by mortal danger and despair. In this dire situation, he reports that he was overwhelmed by "distress and sorrow," describing both his external predicament and his internal emotional state of extreme suffering. It is a powerful declaration of reaching the brink of human endurance.

Psalm 116 3 Context

Psalm 116 is a psalm of individual thanksgiving. The psalmist recounts a desperate time when he was near death, physically and spiritually, and his cries to the Lord were heard and answered. This verse (116:3) describes the perilous circumstances and emotional state that led him to cry out to God, setting the stage for his subsequent testimony of divine deliverance (116:4-9). The psalm is also part of the "Egyptian Hallel" (Psalms 113-118), sung collectively during significant Jewish feasts like Passover. This gives it a dual significance: an individual's personal testimony of rescue and a communal confession of God's redemptive power, particularly fitting for the Exodus narrative of liberation from bondage and death.

Psalm 116 3 Word analysis

• The cords of death:
  • "cords" (חֶבְלֵי - chevlei): Derived from chevel. This word can mean "rope," "cord," or "measuring line." Crucially, it also carries the meaning of "pangs" or "pains," particularly labor pains (e.g., birth pangs). Therefore, it conveys both the idea of being bound, ensnared, or trapped by death, and the intense, agonizing suffering associated with dying or an overwhelmingly perilous situation. It implies an inescapable tightening grip.
  • "death" (מָוֶת - maweth): Refers to physical death, but often also carries the connotation of mortal danger, deep affliction, or a state akin to being in the realm of the dead. It is not merely the end of life but an active, threatening force.
  This phrase evokes a sense of utter entrapment and torment, as if life is being squeezed out by deadly forces.
• encompassed me;
  • "encompassed me" (אֲפָפוּנִי - aphafuní): From the root aphat (אפת). Means to surround, encircle, engulf, or overpower. It emphasizes that the danger was all-encompassing, leaving no avenue for escape, overwhelming the individual entirely.
  The peril was not external or distant; it had closed in and swallowed the psalmist.
• the torrents of Sheol assailed me;
  • "torrents" (מְצָרֵי - metsārē): From the root tsarar (צרר), meaning "to be narrow," "to bind," "to vex," "to be in distress." It primarily conveys "distresses," "straits," "angusties," or "pangs." While some translations use "torrents" (suggesting a rushing, overwhelming flood, possibly from a similar-sounding root), the more consistent and contextually appropriate meaning with "cords/pains of death" is "pains," "distresses," or "narrow places of anguish." It refers to the agonizing pressures or constrictions of the underworld.
  • "Sheol" (שְׁאוֹל - Sh'ol): The Hebrew term for the grave, the pit, or the underworld; the common abode of the dead, whether righteous or wicked. It represents the ultimate cessation of life and is often depicted as a vast, dark, inescapable realm. It is distinct from the New Testament concept of Gehenna (hell) but implies a profound and inescapable ending.
  This phrase reinforces the overwhelming, inescapable nature of the peril, suggesting the very grip of the underworld was upon him, pulling him down. The use of "pangs" again connects with suffering.
• I found distress and sorrow.
  • "I found" (מָצָא - mātsā’): Indicates that he experienced or encountered these conditions; they "befell" him or he "came upon" them. It suggests the discovery of an intense inner reality resulting from the external pressures.
  • "distress" (צָרָה - tsārāh): From the same root as metsārē, tsarar. Means affliction, tribulation, anguish, or narrowness. It describes external troubles or situations of intense difficulty.
  • "sorrow" (יָגוֹן - yagon): Refers to deep grief, mourning, internal anguish, and emotional pain.
  This concluding phrase summarizes the comprehensive impact of the peril: a state of deep trouble both outwardly (distress) and inwardly (sorrow).

Words-Group Analysis:

• "The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents/pangs of Sheol assailed me": This pair of phrases uses parallel imagery to convey inescapable danger. "Cords of death" depicts entrapment, while "torrents/pangs of Sheol" suggest being overwhelmed by forces of the grave. The parallelism intensifies the picture of a life being consumed by impending doom, with the active verb "encompassed" and "assailed" emphasizing the aggressive, personal nature of the threat. It suggests the speaker was not merely facing a challenge, but was actively being drawn into the clutches of death and the underworld.
• "I found distress and sorrow": This clause serves as the internal consequence of the external situation described in the preceding parallel phrases. Having described the objective, life-threatening peril, the psalmist then reports the subjective, emotional and spiritual state it produced. "Found" implies not merely experiencing, but discovering himself entirely consumed by these feelings, the direct result of the cords and pangs.

Psalm 116 3 Bonus section

The strong parallel between Psalm 116:3 and Psalm 18:4-5 (also 2 Samuel 22:5-6) indicates a shared biblical poetic tradition for describing extreme mortal danger. This recurrence in the Davidic psalm highlights a foundational experience of God's people: deliverance from the very edge of death and Sheol, underscoring Yahweh's unique sovereignty over life and death. For the original audience, particularly those celebrating Passover as part of the Hallel, this verse resonated deeply with Israel's historical deliverance from Egyptian bondage and the Red Sea, which could be seen as the ultimate "cords of death" and "torrents of Sheol." For Christians, Peter's sermon in Acts 2:24 provides a key interpretive fulfillment: Jesus Himself, who tasted the deepest "pangs of death," broke free, demonstrating God's ultimate power to reverse the dominion of Sheol and provide eternal victory over it. The verse, therefore, moves from individual lament to communal celebration and Messianic fulfillment.

Psalm 116 3 Commentary

Psalm 116:3 powerfully portrays a soul at the precipice of oblivion. The psalmist vividly depicts his experience using two profound metaphors: first, being tied up and suffocated by the "cords of death" (which also imply death's agonies or labor pains, indicating extreme suffering); second, being overcome by the "pangs of Sheol," signifying the deep anguish and constricting grip of the grave itself. These images collectively communicate a feeling of being completely encircled and submerged by terminal danger, a situation from which human strength offers no escape. The culmination, "I found distress and sorrow," expresses the crushing emotional and mental toll this crisis exacted. It highlights a state of profound tribulation and an internal despair that mirrors the external threat of annihilation. This verse sets the stage for the dramatic rescue by God, emphasizing that the psalmist was truly at the point of utter ruin before divine intervention.