“I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.
Parallel translations
- WEB “I removed his shoulder from the burden. His hands were freed from the basket.
- KJV I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
- NKJV “I removed his shoulder from the burden; His hands were freed from the baskets.
- NASB ¶“I relieved his shoulder of the burden, His hands were freed from the basket.
- NLT “Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
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 speaks, recalling how He lifted the burden of slavery from Israel's shoulders and freed their hands from the laborer's basket. He reminds them that He is their deliverer.
Overview
In God's own voice, the exodus is recounted as the removal of crushing bondage. The shoulder and basket evoke the forced labor of Egypt (cf. Exod. 1:11-14). By rehearsing this redemption, God establishes the ground for the obedience He will call for, much as the gospel grounds Christian obedience in prior grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Isa 9:4For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.
- Isa 10:27On that day the burden will be lifted from your shoulders, and the yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large.
- Exod 6:6Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
- Matt 11:29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- Exod 1:14and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
- Ps 68:13Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her feathers with shimmering gold.”
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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 81:6 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.