🎵WEB · Psalms 107:13
What does Psalms 107:13 mean?
"Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."
— Psalms 107:13 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron,
because they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the Most High.
Therefore he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down, and there was no one to help.
Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke away their chains.
Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!
For he has broken the gates of brass, and cut through bars of iron.
Explanation
Psalm 107:13 describes a moment of turning: people who were caught in trouble finally cried out to God, and he responded by delivering them from their hardship. In plain language, the verse captures a simple but profound pattern — desperation leads to a cry for help, and that cry is met with rescue. It is not merely describing an emotional release but a specific act of calling on the Lord by name (Yahweh), acknowledging him as the one who can actually change their circumstances.
To understand the verse well, it helps to see it within the psalm as a whole. Psalm 107 is a communal thanksgiving hymn, likely used in Israel's worship gatherings, calling on "the redeemed of Yahweh" to give thanks for his deliverance (v. 1-2). The psalm then walks through four scenarios of people in distress — wanderers lost in the wilderness (v. 4-9), prisoners in darkness (v. 10-16), the sick brought near death (v. 17-22), and sailors caught in violent storms (v. 23-32). Verse 13 sits within the second scenario, describing prisoners bound in affliction and iron because of their rebellion (v. 10-12). Each of these four sections follows the same refrain: trouble, crying out to God, deliverance, and thanksgiving. This repeated structure was likely meant to be recited or sung by worshippers reflecting on God's faithfulness across many different kinds of crises, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.
Theologically, the verse teaches that God is attentive and responsive to those who
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