Psalms 116:3

Psalms 116:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
• New International Version (NIV)The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.

Context of Psalms 116:3

1I love Adonai, for He hears my voice, my cries. 2Because He has turned His ear to me, I will call on Him all my days. The ropes of death entangled me, and the torments of Sheol found me. I found trouble and sorrow. 4Then I called upon the Name of Adonai: “Adonai, save my soul!” 5Adonai is gracious and righteous— yes, our God is compassionate.

Psalms 116:3 word by word

אֲפָפ֤וּנִי׀ חֶבְלֵי־מָ֗וֶת וּמְצָרֵ֣י שְׁא֣וֹל מְצָא֑וּנִי צָרָ֖ה וְיָג֣וֹן אֶמְצָֽא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The sorrowsחֶ֫בֶלchebel chêbel · cordH2256
• of deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
• compassedאָפַף'âphaph · to surroundH661
• me, and the painsמֵצַרmêtsar · straitsH4712
• of hellשְׁאוֹלshe'ôl she'ôl · hell: SheolH7585
• gat holdמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• troubleצָרָהtsârâh · distressH6869
• and sorrowיָגוֹןyâgôn · sorrowH3015

Cross-references for Psalms 116:3

• Psalms 18:4I called upon Adonai, worthy of praise, and I was rescued from my enemies.
• Psalms 88:6abandoned among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom You remember no more— cut off from Your hand.
• Jonah 2:2Then Jonah prayed to Adonai his God from the belly of the fish,
• Mark 14:33He takes with Him Peter, Jacob, and John; and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
• Luke 22:44And in His anguish, He was praying fervently; and His sweat was like drops of blood falling down on the ground.
• Hebrews 5:7In the days of His life on earth, Yeshua offered up both prayers and pleas, with loud crying and tears, to the One able to save Him from death; and He was heard because of His reverence.
• Psalms 32:3When I kept silent, my bones became brittle through my groaning all day long.
• Psalms 38:6My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.
• Isaiah 53:3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, One from whom people hide their faces. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Commentaries on Psalms 116:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The sorrows of death - מות חבלי chebley maveth, the cables or cords of death; alluding to their bonds and fetters during their captivity; or to the cords by which a criminal is bound who is about to be led out to execution; or to the bandages in which the dead were enveloped, when head, arms, body, and limbs were all laced down together. The pains of hell - שאול מצרי metsarey sheol the straitnesses of the grave. So little expectation was there of life…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The sorrows of death - What an expression! We know of no intenser sorrows pertaining to this world than those which we associate with the dying struggle - whether our views in regard to the reality of such sorrows be correct or not. We may be - we probably are - mistaken in regard to the intensity of suffering as ordinarily experienced in death; but still we dread those sorrows more than we do anything else, and all that we dread may be experienced then…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3It is not clear if the psalmist’s crisis was a literal near-death experience or if he was using the term figuratively.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-43-4. For similar figures for distress see Psa 18:4, 5. gat hold upon me--Another sense ("found") of the same word follows, as we speak of disease finding us, and of our finding or catching disease.Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 116:3

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Hades
• Hell
• Testimony

In the dictionaries

• Hallel
• Haste
• Hear
• Hymn
• Net
• Psalms
• Temple, the Second
• Celebrate
• Hallelujah
• Pain

Commentaries on Psalms 116

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• The Treasury of David
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings