Psalms 107:13
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights that their crying to the Lord was the catalyst for His delivering them. It’s not just that God saved them, but that their earnest appeal in their dire need was the immediate trigger for God's intervention.
This psalm describes different groups of people in dire circumstances – lost travelers, captives, the sick, and sailors in a storm. These individuals, facing despair and on the brink of death due to their own foolishness or rebellion, finally cry out to the Lord. In response, God hears their desperate pleas and delivers them, breaking their chains and leading them to safety.
Why does God allow His people to suffer? Often, distress isn't random; it's a divine discipline designed to turn our hearts back to Him.
The context of Psalm 107 reveals that suffering frequently follows rebellion against God's word and counsel. It's a difficult truth, but sometimes our troubles are the 'rod' of God's discipline, humbling us when we've strayed.
Whether lost in a desert, chained in prison, battling sickness, or caught in a storm, the human cry for help is the same.
Psalm 107 vividly paints four distinct scenarios of deep distress: lost travelers, captives, the sick, and sailors in a storm. While the situations vary, the core response is identical – a desperate cry to the Lord.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The covenant name of God (Yahweh), the self-existent One who enters into a personal, redemptive relationship with His people.
tsar · Hebrew Noun
A state of affliction, tight circumstances, or narrowing; often used in the Psalms to describe the experience of being pressured or besieged by enemies or sin.
This psalm likely reflects on the collective experience of the Israelites during and after the Babylonian exile. The vivid imagery of distress, crying out to God, and miraculous deliverance speaks powerfully to a people who faced the destruction of their homeland and Temple, yet ultimately experienced God's faithfulness in their return.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, begins deporting Jewish citizens, including young nobles like Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the start of the Babylonian exile, a period of great distress and loss for Judah.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of exiles, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, are taken to Babylon. The kingdom of Judah is weakened, and the people face continued hardship and spiritual struggle.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's armies destroy Jerusalem and the First Temple, scattering most of the remaining population into exile. This is the nadir of Israel's national and spiritual life, a time of profound despair and helplessness.
c. 539 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon and issues an edict allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This ushers in a period of hope and restoration.
This passage shows a similar pattern of people crying out to the Lord in their distress and Samuel interceding for them, leading to God's deliverance.
Jonah 2:2Jonah's prayer from the belly of the fish directly echoes this verse, demonstrating how even from the deepest troubles, crying out to God is the path to salvation.
Matthew 14:30Peter's experience of sinking when he took his eyes off Jesus mirrors the idea of being overwhelmed by distress, and his cry for help shows the immediate turning to the Lord for salvation.
Acts 16:25Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God in prison, even in their distress, and their cry (through prayer and song) led to a miraculous deliverance.
clarkePsalms 107:13: "Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble - This was the salutary effect which their afflictions produced: they began to cry to God for mercy and help; and God mercifully heard their prayer, and reversed their state; for,
calvinPsalms 107:10-16: "Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;"
- They who dwell in darkness, and in the shadow of death, being bound in trouble and iron; 11. Because they rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High: 12. When he humbled their heart with affliction; they were brought low, and there was none to help them. 13. In their affliction they cried to Jehovah, and he delivered them from their tribulations. 14. H…
The verse highlights that their crying to the Lord was the catalyst for His delivering them. It’s not just that God saved them, but that their earnest appeal in their dire need was the immediate trigger for God's intervention.
This psalm describes different groups of people in dire circumstances – lost travelers, captives, the sick, and sailors in a storm. These individuals, facing despair and on the brink of death due to their own foolishness or rebellion, finally cry out to the Lord. In response, God hears their desperate pleas and delivers them, breaking their chains and leading them to safety.
This psalm describes different groups of people in dire circumstances – lost travelers, captives, the sick, and sailors in a storm. These individuals, facing despair and on the brink of death due to their own foolishness or rebellion, finally cry out to the Lord. In response, God hears their desperate pleas and delivers them, breaking their chains and leading them to safety.
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God's deliverance isn't just about getting out of trouble; it's about breaking chains, restoring hope, and revealing His powerful love.
The psalm doesn't simply state that God rescued them; it describes the nature of that deliverance in powerful, transformative terms. It's a testament to God's active and complete intervention.
c. 538 BC
Return from Babylonian Exile
The first wave of Jewish exiles returns to Jerusalem, beginning the arduous task of rebuilding their city and their spiritual life. This marks a turning point from despair to renewed hope and faith.
"Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress." — The verse highlights that their crying to the Lord was the catalyst for His delivering them. It’s not just that God saved them, but that their earnest appeal in their dire need was the immediate…
