In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

PSALMS 18:6KJV
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Psalms 18:6 (KJV)

What does Psalms 18:6 mean?

Psalms 18:6 means that when the writer, in a time of deep trouble, called out to God for help, God listened and heard his desperate cry. The verse emphasizes that God was attentive and responsive, even from His heavenly dwelling, to the psalmist’s plea.

David is the speaker in Psalms 18:6, recalling a time of great distress when he felt overwhelmed by enemies and danger. He describes turning to the LORD (the personal name for God in the Hebrew Bible) and crying out, confident that his voice reached God’s “temple”—a way of saying God’s holy presence. The verse highlights the closeness and care God shows to those who earnestly seek Him.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 18:6

  • The word for “distress” is צָרָה (tsarah), which often means a tight or narrow place, suggesting a feeling of being trapped or pressed in by trouble. This adds a sense of urgency and helplessness to David’s call.
  • The word for “called” is קָרָא (qara), which means to call out loudly or to summon. It shows that David was not just speaking quietly but was urgently seeking God’s attention.
  • The word for “cried” is שָׁוַע (shava), which carries the idea of a loud, emotional outcry for help. This word underlines the intensity of David’s need and the rawness of his prayer.
  • The word for “temple” is הֵיכָל (heikal), which can refer to God’s heavenly dwelling, not just a physical building. This suggests that David believed his prayer reached all the way to God’s throne, no matter where he was.

Why Psalms 18:6 matters

  • Psalms 18:6 clears up the idea that God is distant or unapproachable; it shows that God hears and cares about individual cries for help, even from His heavenly “temple.”
  • The verse emphasizes that honest, desperate prayer is not ignored by God, but truly reaches Him, highlighting the personal relationship between the psalmist and God.
  • This verse connects to the larger psalm, where David recounts God’s powerful rescue, showing that God’s help begins with listening and responding to prayer in times of crisis.

Where else these words appear

“cry” Hebrew H7775 · used in 11 verses

  • Exodus 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
  • Psalms 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
  • Psalms 102:1 A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

“cried” Hebrew H7768 · used in 21 verses

  • Job 19:7 Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.
  • Job 36:13 But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.
  • Psalms 72:12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

“temple” Hebrew H1964 · used in 76 verses

  • 1 Samuel 1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
  • Nehemiah 6:10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.
  • Ezekiel 41:1 Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle.

“distress” Hebrew H6862 · used in 102 verses

  • Genesis 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
  • Psalms 27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
  • Proverbs 23:27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.