Free my soul from prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me because of Your goodness to me.
Parallel translations
- WEB Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will be good to me.
- KJV Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
- NKJV Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me.”
- NASB “Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will look after me.”
- NLT Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.”
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
David asks to be brought out of prison so he may praise God, confident the righteous will gather around him. It ends in hope of deliverance and shared thanksgiving.
Overview
The 'prison' likely pictures David's confinement and distress, from which he longs to be freed to praise. His confidence that the righteous will surround him shows hope restored. This longing for liberation and praise finds its fulfillment in Christ, who sets captives free and gathers His people in worship (Luke 4:18; Acts 16:25-26).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Ps 143:11For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me. In Your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble.
- Ps 146:7He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,
- Ps 7:6–7Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up against the fury of my enemies. Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.
- Ps 13:6I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me.
- Jas 5:11See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
- Acts 2:24But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches.
- 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,
- Ps 9:14that I may declare all Your praises—that within the gates of Daughter Zion I may rejoice in Your salvation.
- Ps 142:1A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.
- Ps 119:17Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word.
- Ps 116:7Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
- Ps 9:3When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before You.
- Ps 31:8You have not delivered me to the enemy; You have set my feet in the open.
- Ps 34:2My soul boasts in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice.
- Ps 88:4–8I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength.
- Ps 22:21–27Save me from the mouth of the lion; at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!
- Ps 119:74May those who fear You see me and rejoice, for I have hoped in Your word.
- Ps 107:41–42But He lifts the needy from affliction and increases their families like flocks.
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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 142:7 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.