Psalms 86:13
For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The phrase "depths of Sheol" doesn't just mean the grave, but the most extreme, desperate, and hellish conditions imaginable, highlighting the immense magnitude of God's saving love. This isn't merely about avoiding physical death, but about being pulled back from the brink of utter destruction, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.
David finds himself in a desperate situation, surrounded by proud and violent enemies who seek his life. He's pouring out his heart to God, confessing his vulnerability and pleading for help, contrasting his own weakness with God's strength and faithfulness. This verse is David's exclamation of profound gratitude and awe for God's intervention, which he sees as a rescue from the very brink of death and despair.
The Psalmist proclaims God's 'steadfast love' isn't just a gentle affection. It's a powerful force that pulled him from the brink of despair.
Love That Rescues
The phrase 'steadfast love' (often translated as 'mercy' or 'lovingkindness' in older versions) describes God's enduring, loyal, and covenantal love. It's not based on our performance, but on God's unchanging character.
David is exalting God because this love was so great that it delivered him from the 'depths of Sheol.' This wasn't a small rescue; it was from the very edge of death and despair, a place associated with the grave and the underworld in the ancient Israelite understanding.
When David speaks of being delivered from 'Sheol,' he’s talking about more than just physical death. It represents the ultimate end, a place of darkness and separation.
The Depths of Despair
'Sheol' is the Hebrew term for the underworld, often translated as 'grave,' 'hell,' or 'pit.' It represented the place of the dead, a shadowy realm where existence was bleak and separation from God was keenly felt.
For David, being delivered from Sheol meant being rescued from a state of extreme danger, near-death, or profound despair. It wasn't necessarily about being saved from eternal damnation in the way we might understand 'hell' today, but from the uttermost depths of earthly suffering and the perceived finality of death.
Understand the original words
Sheol · Hebrew Noun
The dwelling place of the dead; in the Old Testament, it often represents the grave or the realm of separation from the living, from which only God can deliver.
chesed · Hebrew Noun
A divine attribute expressing God’s loyal, covenant-keeping, and enduring love. It is the active, faithful commitment of God toward His people that persists despite their unworthiness.
The phrase 'lowest hell' (or Sheol) in this psalm doesn't necessarily refer to a specific, later theological concept of hell, but rather to the profound and utter depths of life-threatening danger, despair, or the grave that the Psalmist experienced, from which God alone delivered him.
Late 11th - 10th century BC— this verse
Reign of David
The Psalmist, likely King David, faced numerous life-threatening situations, including battles against enemies like the Philistines and internal conflicts, which would have felt like descents into the deepest despair or even death.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's reign, the united monarchy fractured into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This political instability led to frequent warfare and distress for the people.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its inhabitants. This event instilled deep fear and a sense of God's judgment among the Israelites.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian Empire destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling a significant portion of the Judean population. This was a period of profound national trauma and questioning of God's faithfulness.
This passage directly echoes Psalm 86:13, expressing a similar deep gratitude for deliverance from death and the grave, highlighting the 'steadfast love' that saves us.
Jonah 2:2Jonah's cry from 'the belly of Sheol' beautifully parallels the psalmist's feeling of being in the depths, demonstrating how God hears prayers even from the most desperate situations.
Romans 8:38-39This New Testament passage assures us that nothing, not even the 'depths of Sheol' described in the psalm, can separate us from God's love through Christ, reinforcing the greatness of His saving power.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57This offers a powerful resolution to the fear of death and the grave implied in Psalm 86:13, proclaiming that thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ.
pulpitPsalms 86:13: "For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell."
Verse 13. - For great is thy mercy toward me (see ver. 5). And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. The actual deliverance was from death (ver. 14); but death involved descent into Hades, so that those who were delivered from the one were at the same time delivered from the other. The expression translated "the lowest hell" means no more than "Hades which is beneath the earth." N…
ellicottPsalms 86:13: "For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell."
(13) Lowest hell. —Literally, sheôl, beneath, a fuller expression for the usual sheôl, underworld. (See Note, Psalm 6:5 .) There is no comparison implied as in the Authorised Version. It is evident from the next verse that what is meant is danger of death from violence.
The phrase "depths of Sheol" doesn't just mean the grave, but the most extreme, desperate, and hellish conditions imaginable, highlighting the immense magnitude of God's saving love. This isn't merely about avoiding physical death, but about being pulled back from the brink of utter destruction, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.
David finds himself in a desperate situation, surrounded by proud and violent enemies who seek his life. He's pouring out his heart to God, confessing his vulnerability and pleading for help, contrasting his own weakness with God's strength and faithfulness. This verse is David's exclamation of profound gratitude and awe for God's intervention, which he sees as a rescue from the very brink of death and despair.
David finds himself in a desperate situation, surrounded by proud and violent enemies who seek his life. He's pouring out his heart to God, confessing his vulnerability and pleading for help, contrasting his own weakness with God's strength and faithfulness. This verse is David's exclamation of profound gratitude and awe for God's intervention, which he sees as a rescue from the very brink of death and despair.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Psalms 86:13 is available in the Sola app.
c. 539 BC
Return from Exile
Under the decree of Cyrus the Great, Persian ruler, many Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marked a return from despair but was a fragile new beginning.
"For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol." — The phrase "depths of Sheol" doesn't just mean the grave, but the most extreme, desperate, and hellish conditions imaginable, highlighting the immense magnitude of God's saving love. This isn't merel…
