His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse emphasizes not just physical restraint, but the deep, internal suffering Joseph endured, suggesting that the "iron" represents a profound emotional and spiritual anguish that penetrated his entire being. This poetical language highlights how injustice and imprisonment can feel like a crushing weight on the soul, far beyond mere physical discomfort.
His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm recounts God's faithfulness to Israel, highlighting how He orchestrated events, even hardship, for their benefit, such as sending Joseph to Egypt ahead of a famine. The verse describes Joseph's unjust imprisonment, emphasizing the suffering and degradation he endured while bound in chains. This painful experience, detailed poetically here, serves as a testament to God's sovereign hand working through human cruelty to ultimately bring about His purposes.
The verse paints a stark picture of physical chains. But what if the suffering went deeper than just iron on the feet?
The ESV translates Psalm 105:18 as "His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron." This is a powerful image of physical restraint and pain.
However, the original Hebrew and various ancient translations suggest a more profound suffering. Many scholars point to a literal translation of the second half of the verse as "his soul entered into iron" or "his soul came into iron." This isn't just about physical chains, but about the deep, inner anguish of the spirit.
Think about it: Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and then unjustly imprisoned. This wasn't just a bad day; it was a soul-crushing experience. The psalmist, knowing the depth of human suffering, uses this language to convey that Joseph's entire being – his emotions, his will, his inner self – was entangled in the harsh reality of his imprisonment. It highlights that suffering often affects us far more deeply than we can see on the surface.
Joseph's suffering was real and painful, inflicted by others. How does the Bible reconcile human sin with God's sovereign plan?
The narrative in Genesis tells us Joseph was sold by his brothers and imprisoned by Potiphar and then Pharaoh's jailer. These are undeniably acts of human cruelty and injustice.
Yet, Psalm 105 is a song of praise celebrating God's faithfulness and providential care over His people. This verse, describing Joseph's suffering, doesn't excuse the actions of his oppressors. Instead, it frames these events within God's larger plan.
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Think of it this way: God didn't cause the brothers to betray Joseph or the officials to imprison him. Those were sinful choices. However, God, in His wisdom, used those sinful actions to advance His purposes. He sent Joseph before his family to Egypt to preserve them through the coming famine. His suffering, though wicked in its human source, became a vital step in God's unfolding plan of salvation for His chosen people.
Understand the original words
kebhel · Hebrew Noun
Instruments of binding, representing physical confinement, restriction, and the state of being restrained from one's own will or calling.
This psalm vividly recalls Joseph's unjust imprisonment, highlighting the harshness of his suffering in chains and iron. It emphasizes that even in the darkest, most degrading moments, God's hand was at work, orchestrating events to ultimately bring about deliverance and fulfillment of His promises.
c. 1750 BC
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt. This marks the beginning of his trials and his separation from his family.
c. 1750-1740 BC— this verse
Joseph imprisoned in Egypt
After being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, Joseph is thrown into an Egyptian prison. This period of unjust suffering involves confinement, likely in chains and stocks, where his spirit is deeply tested.
c. 1740 BC
Joseph interprets dreams
While in prison, Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and baker. This act demonstrates his God-given ability and sets in motion the events that will lead to his release.
c. 1738 BC
Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream
Two years later, Joseph is summoned to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, which foretell a great famine. His wisdom and interpretation lead to his unprecedented rise to power in Egypt.
c. 1733 BC onwards
Joseph saves Egypt and his family
Joseph manages Egypt's grain supply during the famine, thereby saving the land and eventually providing refuge for his own starving family, who come to Egypt seeking food.
This passage directly describes Joseph's imprisonment, providing the historical context for the psalmist's poetic language about his suffering in fetters and iron.
Psalms 107:10-14This passage echoes the theme of imprisonment and deliverance, specifically mentioning those 'bound in affliction and iron,' drawing a parallel to Joseph's experience as a type of those suffering injustice.
Jeremiah 20:1-2The prophet Jeremiah experiences a similar physical affliction, being put in stocks by Pashhur the priest, illustrating the reality and pain of severe confinement in ancient times.
Acts 16:23-25This New Testament account of Paul and Silas being severely beaten and imprisoned, with their feet fastened in the stocks, shows how this form of punishment and suffering continued through history.
pulpitPsalms 105:18: "Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:"
Verse 18. - Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron; rather, his soul entered into iron. In Genesis nothing more is said than that Joseph "was bound" in the prison (Genesis 40:3). But the psalmist knows what imprisonment was in those early times.
ellicottPsalms 105:18: "Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:"
(18) He was laid in iron. —The Prayer Book Version, “the iron entered into his soul,” has established itself so firmly among expressive proverbial sayings, that the mind almost resents the Authorised Version. The grammar of the clause does not decide its sense with certainty; for its syntax is rather in favour of the Prayer Book Version, though the feminine form of the verb makes in favour of the marginal rendering. Symmac…
The verse emphasizes not just physical restraint, but the deep, internal suffering Joseph endured, suggesting that the "iron" represents a profound emotional and spiritual anguish that penetrated his entire being. This poetical language highlights how injustice and imprisonment can feel like a crushing weight on the soul, far beyond mere physical discomfort.
This psalm recounts God's faithfulness to Israel, highlighting how He orchestrated events, even hardship, for their benefit, such as sending Joseph to Egypt ahead of a famine. The verse describes Joseph's unjust imprisonment, emphasizing the suffering and degradation he endured while bound in chains. This painful experience, detailed poetically here, serves as a testament to God's sovereign hand working through human cruelty to ultimately bring about His purposes.
This psalm recounts God's faithfulness to Israel, highlighting how He orchestrated events, even hardship, for their benefit, such as sending Joseph to Egypt ahead of a famine. The verse describes Joseph's unjust imprisonment, emphasizing the suffering and degradation he endured while bound in chains. This painful experience, detailed poetically here, serves as a testament to God's sovereign hand working through human cruelty to ultimately bring about His purposes.
"His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;" — The verse emphasizes not just physical restraint, but the deep, internal suffering Joseph endured, suggesting that the "iron" represents a profound emotional and spiritual anguish that penetrated his…
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Last reviewed October 2026