Psalm 116:3
New International Version
The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

New Living Translation
Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow.

English Standard Version
The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.

Berean Standard Bible
The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.

King James Bible
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

New King James Version
The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.

New American Standard Bible
The snares of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.

NASB 1995
The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.

NASB 1977
The cords of death encompassed me, And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.

Legacy Standard Bible
The cords of death encompassed me And the distresses of Sheol found me; I found distress and sorrow.

Amplified Bible
The cords and sorrows of death encompassed me, And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.

Christian Standard Bible
The ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me; I encountered trouble and sorrow.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me; I encountered trouble and sorrow.

American Standard Version
The cords of death compassed me, And the pains of Sheol gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

Contemporary English Version
Death attacked from all sides, and I was captured by its painful chains. But when I was really hurting,

English Revised Version
The cords of death compassed me, and the pains of Sheol gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The ropes of death became tangled around me. The horrors of the grave took hold of me. I experienced pain and agony.

Good News Translation
The danger of death was all around me; the horrors of the grave closed in on me; I was filled with fear and anxiety.

International Standard Version
The ropes of death were wound around me and the anguish of Sheol came upon me; I encountered distress and sorrow.

Majority Standard Bible
The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.

NET Bible
The ropes of death tightened around me, the snares of Sheol confronted me. I was confronted with trouble and sorrow.

New Heart English Bible
The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow.

Webster's Bible Translation
The sorrows of death encompassed me, and the pains of hell came upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

World English Bible
The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Cords of death have surrounded me, "" And straits of Sheol have found me, "" I find distress and sorrow.

Young's Literal Translation
Compassed me have cords of death, And straits of Sheol have found me, Distress and sorrow I find.

Smith's Literal Translation
The pains of death surrounded me, and the distresses of hades found me: shall find straits and affliction.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The sorrows of death have encompassed me: and the perils of hell have found me. I met with trouble and sorrow:

Catholic Public Domain Version
The sorrows of death have surrounded me, and the perils of Hell have found me. I have found tribulation and sorrow.

New American Bible
I was caught by the cords of death; the snares of Sheol had seized me; I felt agony and dread.

New Revised Standard Version
The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The pangs of death have encompassed me, and the pains of Sheol have found me; I found trouble and sorrow.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because the pains of death surrounded me and the afflictions of Sheol had arrived, I had found misery and affliction.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The cords of death compassed me, And the straits of the nether-world got hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The pangs of death compassed me; the dangers of hell found me: I found affliction and sorrow.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD Has Heard My Voice
2Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live. 3The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow. 4Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, deliver my soul!”…

Cross References
2 Corinthians 1:8-10
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead. / He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us,

Jonah 2:2
saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.

Psalm 18:4-5
The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me. / The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

Psalm 107:18
They loathed all food and drew near to the gates of death.

Psalm 118:5
In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered and set me free.

Lamentations 3:5-6
He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. / He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.

Job 10:21-22
before I go—never to return—to a land of darkness and gloom, / to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”

Isaiah 38:10
I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.”

2 Samuel 22:5-6
For the waves of death engulfed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me. / The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

Matthew 26:38
Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

Acts 2:24
But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip.

Romans 7:24
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

2 Corinthians 4:8-10
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; / persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. / We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Philippians 1:23
I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.

Revelation 1:18
the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.


Treasury of Scripture

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold on me: I found trouble and sorrow.

sorrows

Psalm 18:4-6
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid…

Psalm 88:6,7
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps…

Jonah 2:2,3
And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice…

gat hold upon me.

Psalm 32:3,4
When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long…

Psalm 38:6
I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.

Isaiah 53:3,4
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not…

Jump to Previous
Anguish Bands Compassed Cords Death Distress Encompassed Entangled Find Found Full Gat Grave Grip Hell Hold Laid Nether-World Nets Overcome Pains Pangs Round Sheol Snares Sorrow Sorrows Straits Suffered Surrounded Terrors Trouble Underworld
Jump to Next
Anguish Bands Compassed Cords Death Distress Encompassed Entangled Find Found Full Gat Grave Grip Hell Hold Laid Nether-World Nets Overcome Pains Pangs Round Sheol Snares Sorrow Sorrows Straits Suffered Surrounded Terrors Trouble Underworld
Psalm 116
1. The psalmist professes his love and duty to God for his deliverance
12. He studies to be thankful














The ropes of death entangled me;
This phrase evokes the imagery of being trapped or ensnared, suggesting a situation of inescapable danger or distress. In biblical times, ropes or cords were often used to bind or capture, symbolizing a lack of freedom and impending doom. The psalmist's use of "ropes of death" indicates a profound sense of being overwhelmed by mortal peril. This can be connected to other scriptures such as Psalm 18:4-5, where similar imagery is used to describe being surrounded by death. Theologically, this can be seen as a type of Christ, who faced the ultimate entanglement of death on the cross, yet overcame it through His resurrection.

the anguish of Sheol overcame me;
Sheol in the Hebrew Bible is often understood as the realm of the dead, a place of darkness and separation from the living. The term "anguish" here conveys intense emotional and spiritual distress. In the ancient Near Eastern context, Sheol was not just a physical place but also a state of being cut off from God's presence. This phrase reflects the psalmist's deep despair and fear of death. It can be compared to Jonah's experience in Jonah 2:2, where he cries out from the depths of Sheol. Theologically, this can be seen as a foreshadowing of Christ's descent into the grave, where He experienced separation from the Father but ultimately triumphed over death.

I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.
This phrase highlights the personal and immediate nature of the psalmist's suffering. "Trouble and sorrow" encompass both external afflictions and internal emotional turmoil. In the historical context, such expressions of lament were common in the Psalms, reflecting the human condition and the struggles faced by the faithful. This can be linked to the broader biblical theme of suffering and deliverance, as seen in Job's trials or the lamentations of Jeremiah. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself is described as a "man of sorrows" in Isaiah 53:3, identifying with human suffering and providing comfort through His own experiences of trouble and sorrow.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Psalmist
The author of the psalm, traditionally believed to be King David, who often wrote about his personal experiences with distress and deliverance.

2. Death
Personified as having ropes or cords, symbolizing the inescapable grip and power it holds over life.

3. Sheol
In Hebrew thought, the realm of the dead, often depicted as a place of darkness and separation from God.

4. Trouble and Sorrow
Represents the emotional and spiritual turmoil faced by the psalmist, indicative of life's trials and tribulations.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Reality of Death and Suffering
Recognize that the Bible does not shy away from the reality of death and suffering. It acknowledges the deep emotional and spiritual impact these experiences can have on believers.

The Power of Prayer in Distress
The psalmist's response to being entangled by death is to cry out to God. This teaches us the importance of turning to God in prayer during our darkest moments.

God's Deliverance and Faithfulness
Despite the overwhelming nature of death and Sheol, the psalmist's testimony is one of deliverance. This assures us of God's faithfulness and power to save.

Hope Beyond the Grave
For Christians, the imagery of Sheol is a reminder of the hope we have in Christ, who conquered death and offers eternal life.

Empathy and Support for Others
Understanding the depth of trouble and sorrow should move us to empathy and support for those around us who are suffering.(3) The pains of hell.--Or, oppressions of Sheol, if we retain the text. But a very slight change in a single letter brings the clause into closer correspondence with Psalm 18:5-6, whence it is plainly borrowed, the nets of Sheol. We may reproduce the original more exactly by using, as it does, the same verb in the last two clauses of the verse:

Nets of Sheol caught me,

Trouble and sorrow I catch.

Verses 3-9. - The psalmist describes his trouble (ver. 3), his prayer for deliverance (ver. 4), and his actual deliverance (vers. 5-9). Verse 3. - The sorrows of death compassed me; literally, the cords of death (comp. Psalm 18:4, where the same expression is used). Death is pictured as seizing his victim and binding him with cords. And the pains of hell gat hold upon me; or, "the straits of hell" (comp. Psalm 118:5; Lamentations 1:3). Death and hell (shell) are closely connected together in the prayer of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:10, 18). I found trouble and sorrow; or, "anguish and woe" (comp. Isaiah 38:12-17).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The ropes
חֶבְלֵי־ (ḥeḇ·lê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2256: A rope, a measuring line, a district, inheritance, a noose, a company, a throe, ruin

of death
מָ֗וֶת (mā·weṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin

entangled me,
אֲפָפ֤וּנִי ׀ (’ă·p̄ā·p̄ū·nî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural | first person common singular
Strong's 661: To surround, encompass

and the anguish
וּמְצָרֵ֣י (ū·mə·ṣā·rê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4712: Something tight, trouble

of Sheol
שְׁא֣וֹל (šə·’ō·wl)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 7585: Underworld (place to which people descend at death)

overcame me;
מְצָא֑וּנִי (mə·ṣā·’ū·nî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural | first person common singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

I was confronted
אֶמְצָֽא׃ (’em·ṣā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

by trouble
צָרָ֖ה (ṣā·rāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6869: Tightness, a female rival

and sorrow.
וְיָג֣וֹן (wə·yā·ḡō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3015: Grief, sorrow


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OT Poetry: Psalm 116:3 The cords of death surrounded me (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 116:2
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