Psalm 55:4 kjv
My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
Psalm 55:4 nkjv
My heart is severely pained within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Psalm 55:4 niv
My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me.
Psalm 55:4 esv
My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Psalm 55:4 nlt
My heart pounds in my chest.
The terror of death assaults me.
Psalm 55 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 116:3 | The pangs of death encompassed me, and the pains of Sheol laid hold of me; | Direct parallel to "terrors of death". |
| Mk 14:33-34 | And He began to be greatly distressed and troubled. Then He said... 'My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death...' | Jesus' agony in Gethsemane; soul sorrowful to death. |
| Lk 22:44 | And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood... | Extreme internal agony, suffering. |
| Ps 18:4-5 | The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction made me afraid. | Overwhelming fear and perception of death. |
| Ps 143:4 | My spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is dismayed. | Inner anguish and dismay. |
| Lam 1:20 | "See, O Lord, how distressed I am! My soul is troubled within me." | Deep internal distress. |
| Ps 6:2-3 | Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. | Physical and profound soul trouble. |
| Ps 13:2 | How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? | Sorrow deep within the heart. |
| Ps 42:5-7 | Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God... | Inner turmoil and disquiet of the soul. |
| Ps 88:3 | For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. | Soul overwhelmed with troubles, near death. |
| Ps 77:3 | I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. | Spirit overwhelmed with distress. |
| Jonah 2:2-3 | Out of the belly of Sheol I cried... the waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me. | Experience of terror and near-death despair. |
| Job 3:25 | For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened. | Fear becoming a terrifying reality. |
| Isa 53:3 | He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. | Christ's suffering and profound internal sorrow. |
| Jn 12:27 | "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'?" | Jesus' troubled soul facing suffering. |
| Jn 13:21 | When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit... | Jesus' inner disturbance before betrayal. |
| Ps 41:9 | Even my close friend, whom I trusted... has lifted his heel against me. | Contextual cause for deep emotional pain (betrayal). |
| Ps 38:8 | I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the commotion of my heart. | Internal, severe physical and emotional brokenness. |
| Prov 14:10 | The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy. | Emphasizes the intensely personal nature of this inner pain. |
| 2 Cor 1:9-10 | Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God... He who delivered us from so great a death... | Paul's experience of extreme peril and despair. |
| Heb 2:14-15 | ...He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death... and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. | Addresses the ultimate source and the breaking of the fear of death. |
| Phil 2:27 | For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him... | Epaphroditus near death; close call and distress. |
| Rev 1:17 | And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. | Overwhelming terror or awe leading to a sense of being 'dead'. |
Psalm 55 verses
Psalm 55 4 Meaning
Psalm 55:4 expresses an overwhelming experience of profound inner distress and an engulfing sense of dread related to death or imminent peril. The psalmist describes a condition where the very core of his being, his heart and inner self, is writhing in severe pain, as if in the throes of labor. Simultaneously, a chilling fear of death, or perhaps an intense spiritual agony akin to dying, has suddenly and forcefully descended upon him, seizing him completely. It's a vivid portrayal of extreme emotional and existential anguish.
Psalm 55 4 Context
Psalm 55 is a lament psalm, traditionally attributed to David, likely composed during a period of immense personal crisis, specifically the betrayal by a close companion (potentially Ahithophel during Absalom's rebellion, though this is a strong tradition and not explicitly stated in the psalm itself). The psalmist is surrounded by hostile enemies and deeply pained by the treachery of one he trusted. He cries out to God, desiring escape from his tormentors. Verse 4 vividly describes the depth of the personal distress caused by this situation, setting the stage for his plea and eventual reliance on the Lord. The surrounding verses mention violence, strife, oppression, and ultimately a desperate wish to flee and be at rest from his turmoil.
Psalm 55 4 Word analysis
- My heart: לִבִּי (libbī) - In Hebrew thought, the "heart" (lev/leb) is not just the physical organ, but the seat of intellect, will, emotions, and moral character; the very core of one's inner being. The possessive "my" emphasizes the deeply personal and internal nature of this pain.
- is severely pained: יָחִיל (yāḥîl) - Derived from the root חוּל (ḥûl), meaning to "writhe," "tremble," or "be in labor pains." This verb suggests an intense, involuntary, convulsive agony, akin to the intense suffering of childbirth. It implies a total internal upheaval, not merely discomfort but overwhelming distress. The term conveys an unbearable and deeply rooted physical and emotional ache.
- within me: בְּקִרְבִּי (bəqirbī) - Means "in my inward parts" or "in my midst." This further underscores that the pain is not external or superficial, but is deeply lodged inside the psalmist, consuming his innermost being. It highlights the inescapable and permeating nature of his distress.
- And the terrors: וְאֵימֹת (wə’êymōṯ) - From אֵימָה (eimâh), meaning "terror," "dread," or "horror." The plural form "terrors" emphasizes the manifold or overwhelming nature of these fearful feelings. It signifies an experience of profound, paralyzing fright.
- of death: מָוֶת (māweṯ) - "Death" in this context refers not necessarily to literal physical demise only, but the chilling fear, the despair, the overwhelming threat of cessation or destruction that grips one's soul. It can denote a state of extreme hopelessness, despair, or mortal danger.
- have fallen upon me: עָלַי נָפָלוּ (ʿālay nāfālū) - The verb נָפַל (nāfal), "to fall," indicates a sudden, forceful, and unexpected descent. These terrors are not merely felt but have "fallen upon" the psalmist, suggesting an irresistible weight and impact, like a heavy burden or a crushing blow. The preposition "upon me" (ʿālay) confirms he is the direct, passive recipient of this overpowering assault of fear.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- My heart is severely pained within me: This phrase depicts a vivid image of intense, consuming internal agony. It’s an involuntary, deep-seated pain that resonates through the very core of the individual, suggesting that his spiritual and emotional being is in violent convulsion. It goes beyond a simple ache to a writhing distress.
- And the terrors of death have fallen upon me: This depicts a complementary, external yet internal, assault. The "terrors of death" represent an overwhelming wave of existential dread and fear of utter ruin. The phrase "fallen upon me" illustrates the sudden, powerful, and inescapable nature of this fear, like a physical weight or a predator pouncing, totally incapacitating the psalmist with its chilling presence. The two phrases combined reveal a psalmist under a double burden: an unbearable internal pain and an all-consuming, invasive fear of death.
Psalm 55 4 Bonus section
The intense language of "severely pained" (yāḥîl, like birth pangs) and "terrors of death have fallen upon me" signifies not just emotional pain but a spiritual assault. This depth of suffering is sometimes described by scholars as a "dark night of the soul," where one feels overwhelmed by darkness, dread, and a sense of abandonment or impending doom, even while clinging to God. The very visceral description makes this lament universal, representing the extreme end of human despair. This type of spiritual agony prepares the individual for deeper dependence on God's mercy and deliverance, as seen in the psalmist's turn to trust later in the chapter (Ps 55:22-23). The New Testament echo in Christ's Gethsemane agony highlights a connection to divine identification with human suffering, particularly that related to sin and separation (even the fear of it) for which Christ atoned.
Psalm 55 4 Commentary
Psalm 55:4 opens a window into the deepest recesses of human suffering. It is a primal cry from a soul in profound torment, where anguish is not just an emotion but a consuming internal convulsion, like birth pangs wracking the innermost being. The "terrors of death" are not merely intellectual anxieties but a suffocating dread that has forcefully enveloped the psalmist, paralyzing him. This speaks to a crisis far beyond physical danger; it describes an existential struggle, a battle for the very life of the soul, perhaps instigated by profound betrayal, as suggested by later verses in the psalm. This verse powerfully anticipates the profound spiritual agony later experienced by Jesus in Gethsemane (Mk 14:33-34), where His soul was "exceedingly sorrowful, even to death." It resonates with anyone who has faced crushing sorrow, overwhelming fear, or a spiritual wrestling match that threatened to consume them entirely, pointing to the real, visceral experience of human brokenness in the face of suffering. It reminds believers that such extreme emotional and spiritual pain is not alien to God's people or even to Christ Himself.