A Song of degrees. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.

PSALMS 130:1KJV
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Psalms 130:1 (KJV)

What does Psalms 130:1 mean?

Psalms 130:1 expresses a deep personal cry to God from a place of great distress or trouble. The writer is calling out to the LORD, feeling overwhelmed and desperate, seeking God’s attention and help.

The speaker in Psalms 130:1 is traditionally understood to be an individual Israelite, possibly representing the community, who is praying to God during a time of hardship. The phrase “out of the depths” paints a vivid picture of someone feeling submerged by difficulties, emphasizing both emotional and spiritual need. This verse opens a psalm that is often read as a prayer for mercy and forgiveness, setting a tone of humility and dependence on God.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 130:1

  • “depths” (מַעֲמַקִּים, ma‘amaqim): This word often refers to deep waters or the lowest places, symbolizing overwhelming trouble or despair. The use of this word highlights the seriousness of the psalmist’s situation.
  • “cried” (קָרָא, qara’): This verb means to call out loudly or urgently. It shows that the speaker is not just praying quietly but is desperately seeking God’s attention.
  • “LORD” (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name for God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing a direct and covenant relationship between the speaker and God.

Why Psalms 130:1 matters

  • The verse clarifies that the psalmist’s prayer comes from a place of real struggle, not just routine worship, which helps readers relate to the honesty and vulnerability in prayer.
  • The use of “depths” connects this psalm to other biblical passages where water or deep places represent chaos or danger, showing a consistent biblical theme.
  • By opening with a cry from the depths, the psalm sets up a movement from despair to hope, which shapes the message of the entire psalm and encourages readers facing their own difficulties.

Where else these words appear

“depths” Hebrew H4615 · used in 5 verses

  • Psalms 69:2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
  • Psalms 69:14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
  • Isaiah 51:10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

“degrees” Hebrew H4609 · used in 39 verses

  • Exodus 20:26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
  • Nehemiah 12:37 And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward.
  • Psalms 133:1 A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

“Song” Hebrew H7892 · used in 87 verses

  • Genesis 31:27 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?
  • Psalms 18:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
  • Psalms 126:1 A Song of degrees. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.