Lexical Summary metsuqah: Distress, trouble, anguish Original Word: מְצוּקָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance anguish, distress Or mtsuqah {mets-oo-kaw'}; feminine of matsuwq; narrowness, i.e. (figuratively) trouble -- anguish, distress. see HEBREW matsuwq NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom tsuq Definition straits, stress NASB Translation anguish (1), distress (1), distresses (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְצוּקָה noun feminine id.; — absolute ׳צַר וּמ Job 15:24; יוֺם ׳צָרָה וּמ Zephaniah 1:15; plural suffix, of ׳י delivering מִמְּצוּקוֺתַי Psalm 25:17, מִמְּצוּקוֺתֵיהֶם etc., Psalm 107:6; Psalm 107:13; Psalm 107:19; Psalm 107:28. Topical Lexicon Semantic Emphasis מְצוּקָה depicts a severe squeezing of the soul under adversity. It pictures circumstances so narrow that no human escape can be engineered, compelling the sufferer to look beyond self-help to divine rescue. The word therefore carries both experiential weight—inner anguish—and situational weight—outward straits. Canonical Distribution The term appears seven times, scattered across wisdom literature, psalmody and prophetic warning: Job 15:24; Psalm 25:17; Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, 28; Zephaniah 1:15. The clustering in Psalm 107 forms a refrain that shapes the psalm’s liturgical rhythm, while its lone prophetic use in Zephaniah intensifies eschatological terror. Job 15:24—Personal Terror under Judgment Eliphaz asserts, “Distress and anguish terrify him; they overwhelm him like a king poised to attack.” The imagery is militaristic: distress operates as a conquering monarch. Although Eliphaz misapplies this to Job, the verse unveils מְצוּקָה as an existential siege, exposing the limits of human righteousness and hinting at the need for a Mediator beyond the friends’ theology. Psalm 25:17—Davidic Prayer in Private Anguish “The troubles of my heart increase; free me from my distress.” David links inner heartache with outer entanglements. His plea models covenant prayer: the believer confesses helplessness yet anticipates Yahweh’s personal intervention, reinforcing the relational dimension of salvation history. Psalm 107—Corporate Exploration of Deliverance The psalm narrates four archetypal crises—lost wanderers, prisoners, afflicted fools, storm-tossed sailors. In each vignette the refrain recurs: “Then they cried out to the LORD in their distress; He delivered them from their trouble.” (Psalm 107:6; cf. 13, 19, 28) Here מְצוּקָה becomes liturgical memory. Israel rehearses the pattern: rebellion leads to constriction; constriction leads to supplication; supplication evokes mercy; mercy demands thanksgiving. The motif underscores Yahweh’s covenant fidelity and shapes Israel’s identity as a people saved “out of distress.” Zephaniah 1:15—Eschatological Compression “That day will be a day of wrath—a day of trouble and distress.” Zephaniah projects מְצוּקָה into the Day of the LORD. Temporal afflictions foreshadow final judgment, turning present deliverances into preludes that plead for repentance. The prophetic horizon warns that unrepentant hearts will face an irreversible squeeze when divine patience closes. Theological Trajectory 1. Human extremity magnifies divine sovereignty. Every occurrence pairs distress with either impending judgment (Job, Zephaniah) or immediate deliverance (Psalms). Historical Resonance In Israel’s national story, siege warfare, famine and exile provided lived metaphors of מְצוּקָה. Psalm 107 likely arose after return from Babylon, transforming collective memory into communal worship that equipped post-exilic Israel to interpret fresh hardships through the lens of past deliverances. Ministry Applications Pastoral care: Believers facing emotional or circumstantial compression may take Psalm 107 as a gospel template—honest lament, urgent petition, grateful testimony. Homiletics: Zephaniah’s usage cautions against trivializing distress; present pressures can serve as alarms of a coming reckoning. Prayer meetings: The refrain “Then they cried out to the LORD in their distress” offers a corporate liturgy that aligns contemporary supplication with biblical precedent. Christological Echoes The Gospels portray Jesus repeatedly delivering those in straits—calming storms, freeing captives, healing the afflicted—thereby embodying Psalm 107’s Redeemer. On the cross He entered ultimate מְצוּקָה, “crushed for our iniquities,” securing eternal relief for all who cry out to Him. Eschatological Assurance Revelation promises a final state where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” Until that consummation, intermittent מְצוּקָה trains the church to await full redemption, echoing the psalmist’s confidence that the Lord “leads us out of distress and into rich pastures” (Psalm 107:7). Forms and Transliterations וּֽ֝מִמְּצֽוּקֹתֵיהֶ֗ם וּמְצוּקָ֑ה וּמְצוּקָ֗ה וממצוקתיהם ומצוקה מִ֝מְּצֻֽקוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם מִ֝מְּצֽוּקוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם מִ֝מְּצֽוּקוֹתַ֗י ממצוקותי ממצוקותיהם ממצקותיהם mim·mə·ṣū·qō·w·ṯay mim·mə·ṣu·qō·w·ṯê·hem mim·mə·ṣū·qō·w·ṯê·hem mimetzukoTai mimetzukoteiHem mimməṣūqōwṯay mimməṣuqōwṯêhem mimməṣūqōwṯêhem ū·mə·ṣū·qāh ū·mim·mə·ṣū·qō·ṯê·hem ūməṣūqāh umetzuKah umimetzukoteiHem ūmimməṣūqōṯêhemLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 15:24 HEB: יְֽ֭בַעֲתֻהוּ צַ֣ר וּמְצוּקָ֑ה תִּ֝תְקְפֵ֗הוּ כְּמֶ֤לֶךְ ׀ NAS: Distress and anguish terrify KJV: Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; INT: terrify Distress and anguish overpower A king Psalm 25:17 Psalm 107:6 Psalm 107:13 Psalm 107:19 Psalm 107:28 Zephaniah 1:15 7 Occurrences |
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