Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Calling "upon the name of the LORD" isn't just an informal plea; it's an appeal to God's revealed character and promises, a deep trust that His very identity is tied to His faithfulness and power to save. This isn't simply asking for help, but reminding God of who He is, and therefore, why He must help.
Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist has just described an overwhelming experience of death's snares and the grave's sorrows closing in, leaving him in deep trouble and grief. In this moment of utter despair, he turns his cry not to any earthly help, but directly to God, pleading for his very life to be saved. This act of calling on the Lord’s name sets the stage for his recounting of God's gracious deliverance, which he expresses starting in the next verse.
When you call out in a crisis, who are you calling to? Is it just a blind plea, or is there something more specific you're relying on?
The psalmist doesn't just call out 'God!' He calls on the name of the LORD. This isn't just a label; it's a reference to God's revealed character and promises. When he says 'O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul!', he's appealing to who God is – His faithfulness, His mercy, His power as He has made them known.
This means our prayers aren't just random shouts into the void. They are rooted in God's self-disclosure in Scripture. We can call on Him knowing He is the God who saves, the God who hears, the God who delivers, because He has told us so.
What does it feel like to be so close to the edge that your only option is a desperate cry for help?
The psalmist's prayer, 'O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!', is not a casual request. The surrounding context (though not in this single verse) speaks of being surrounded by 'snares of death' and 'sorrows of the grave.' This is a prayer from the brink, a raw and urgent plea when life itself is on the line.
This teaches us that prayer isn't always polite conversation; sometimes it's a battle cry. When we are in extreme distress, when we feel the weight of despair or the grip of danger, our prayers can and should reflect that intensity. God isn't surprised by our desperation; He invites it, especially when our very existence is threatened.
Understand the original words
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nephesh · Hebrew Noun
A comprehensive term for the totality of a person’s inner life, personality, and being. In the context of prayer, it refers to the personhood that needs God’s protection or rescue.
While Psalm 116 is deeply personal, the experience of calling out to God in desperate need and receiving deliverance resonates with significant historical moments of crisis and rescue in Israel's history, particularly King Hezekiah's brush with death and Jerusalem's later sieges and exiles.
c. 713 BC— this verse
Hezekiah's Illness and Prayer
King Hezekiah of Judah falls gravely ill, receiving a prophecy of death from Isaiah. Hezekiah turns his face to the wall and prays fervently to the LORD for deliverance and more years to live. This event is recorded in 2 Kings 20 and Isaiah 38.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
The powerful Assyrian army, led by Sennacherib, lays siege to Jerusalem during Hezekiah's reign. The city is miraculously delivered from the siege, adding another layer of profound deliverance to Hezekiah's life.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile Begins
Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians, its Temple is destroyed, and a significant portion of the population is exiled. This marks a period of national catastrophe and deep distress for the people of Judah, influencing later expressions of lament and hope.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Following the Persian conquest of Babylon, Cyrus the Great issues a decree allowing the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This event offers a profound experience of deliverance and restoration for the Jewish people.
This passage mirrors the psalmist's cry from the depths, showing Jonah calling out to the Lord from inside the fish, a moment of extreme peril that echoes the 'snares of death' the psalmist describes.
1 Samuel 30:6David, facing a dire situation where his men were ready to stone him, found strength because 'David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.' This shows how even in overwhelming distress, turning to God is the ultimate source of strength and refuge.
Isaiah 38:3King Hezekiah, facing imminent death, prayed a similar plea to the Lord, 'O LORD, I beseech thee, remember now how I have walked before thee with truth and with a perfect heart...'. This highlights a parallel instance of a king crying out to God for deliverance from death.
Romans 8:22The Apostle Paul speaks of creation groaning and 'waiting eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God,' reflecting a universal longing for deliverance from suffering and decay, which resonates with the psalmist's desperate plea.
Luke 18:1Jesus teaches his disciples 'that they ought always to pray and not to lose heart,' a principle that the psalmist exemplifies by crying out to the Lord in his distress, demonstrating the persistent nature of faith in times of trouble.
gillPsalms 116:4: "Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul."
Then called I upon the name of the Lord,.... Upon the Lord himself in prayer for speedy deliverance; or "in the name of the Lord" (h), in the name of the Messiah, the only Mediator between God and man; "saying", as follows, and which word may be supplied, O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul; from these sorrows and pains, from these afflictions and distresses, from death and the grave, and from…
calvinPsalms 116:1-4: "I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications."
- I have loved, because Jehovah shall hear the voice of my supplication. 2. Because he hath inclined his ear to me, and during my days I will call upon him. 3. The snares [375] of death compassed me, [376] and the sorrows of the grave found me: [377] I found tribulation and grief. 4. And I will call upon the name of Jehovah; I beseech thee, O Jehovah! deliver my soul.
1 I have loved, because Jehovah will h…
Calling "upon the name of the LORD" isn't just an informal plea; it's an appeal to God's revealed character and promises, a deep trust that His very identity is tied to His faithfulness and power to save. This isn't simply asking for help, but reminding God of who He is, and therefore, why He must help.
The psalmist has just described an overwhelming experience of death's snares and the grave's sorrows closing in, leaving him in deep trouble and grief. In this moment of utter despair, he turns his cry not to any earthly help, but directly to God, pleading for his very life to be saved. This act of calling on the Lord’s name sets the stage for his recounting of God's gracious deliverance, which he expresses starting in the next verse.
The psalmist has just described an overwhelming experience of death's snares and the grave's sorrows closing in, leaving him in deep trouble and grief. In this moment of utter despair, he turns his cry not to any earthly help, but directly to God, pleading for his very life to be saved. This act of calling on the Lord’s name sets the stage for his recounting of God's gracious deliverance, which he expresses starting in the next verse.
"Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!”" — Calling "upon the name of the LORD" isn't just an informal plea; it's an appeal to God's revealed character and promises, a deep trust that His very identity is tied to His faithfulness and power to…
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Last reviewed October 2026