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He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke away their chains.
Psalms 107:14 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke away their chains.
  • KJV He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
  • NKJV He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces.
  • NASB He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death And broke their bands apart.
  • NLT He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God brought them out of darkness and death's shadow and broke their chains.

Overview

In response to their cry, the LORD led the captives out of gloom and shattered their bonds. The breaking of chains shows God's power to liberate completely those whom none could help. It beautifully foreshadows Christ, who proclaims liberty to the captives and breaks the power of sin and death over his people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 27

  • Isa 42:16I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.
  • Ps 116:16Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.
  • Eph 5:8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
  • 1 Pet 2:9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
  • Zech 9:11–12As for you, because of the blood of My covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit.
  • Ps 107:10Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains,
  • Jer 52:31–34On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the first year of the reign of Evil-merodach king of Babylon, he pardoned Jehoiachin king of Judah and released him from prison.
  • Isa 61:1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
  • Acts 5:19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,
  • Luke 13:16Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”
  • Ps 105:19–20until his prediction came true and the word of the LORD proved him right.
  • Job 42:10–12After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions.
  • Ps 68:6God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
  • Job 36:8And if men are bound with chains, caught in cords of affliction,
  • Acts 5:25Then someone came in and announced, “Look, the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people!”
  • Ps 102:20to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
  • Acts 12:7–10Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.
  • Isa 49:9to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They will feed along the pathways, and find pasture on every barren hill.
  • Acts 16:26–40Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.
  • Job 10:21–22before I go—never to return—to a land of darkness and gloom,
  • Job 33:30to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
  • Job 3:5May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.
  • Ps 146:7He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,
  • Isa 60:1–3Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
  • Job 19:8He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; He has veiled my paths with darkness.
  • Job 15:30He will not escape from the darkness; the flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.
  • Job 15:22He despairs of his return from darkness; he is marked for the sword.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 107:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 107:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.