The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.
Parallel translations
- WEB The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow.
- KJV The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
- BSB The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.
- NASB The snares of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.
- NLT Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow.
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
Death's cords and Sheol's pains had gripped the psalmist in trouble and sorrow. It matters because it honestly portrays the depths from which God rescues.
Overview
Vivid imagery describes a brush with death, entangled and overwhelmed by anguish. The psalm does not minimize suffering but names it plainly before recounting deliverance. Such language anticipates Christ, who truly entered death's grip and emerged victorious, securing rescue for all who trust him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 38:6I am pained and bowed down greatly. I go mourning all day long.
- Ps 18:4–6The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
- Ps 88:6–7You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
- Ps 32:3–4When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
- Luke 22:44Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.
- Jonah 2:2–3He said, “I called because of my affliction to Yahweh. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice.
- Heb 5:7He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear,
- Isa 53:3–4He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.
- Mark 14:33–36He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be greatly troubled and distressed.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 116:3 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.