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.

PSALMS 69:14KJV
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Psalms 69:14 (KJV)

What does Psalms 69:14 mean?

Psalms 69:14 is a cry for rescue, where the speaker asks God to save him from overwhelming trouble, comparing his distress to sinking in deep mud and being surrounded by deep waters. The verse uses vivid images to express a desperate need for deliverance from enemies and overwhelming circumstances.

In this psalm, David is speaking to God during a time of intense hardship and opposition. He feels trapped and in danger, using the picture of mire and deep waters to show how helpless and threatened he feels. The verse highlights both the seriousness of his situation and his trust that God can pull him out of it.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 69:14

  • "Deliver" (נָצַל, natsal, H5337) means to snatch away or rescue. This word emphasizes a strong, active rescue, not just a gentle helping hand.
  • "Mire" (טִיט, tit, H2916) refers to sticky, thick mud. The image is of someone stuck and unable to move, showing how trapped David feels.
  • "Sink" (טָבַע, tava‘, H2883) means to go down or be submerged. David fears being completely overwhelmed, not just struggling but actually going under.
  • "Hate" (שָׂנֵא, sane’, H8130) points to those who are actively hostile toward David, not just indifferent or mildly opposed.
  • "Deep" (מְצוּלָה, metsulah, H4615) and "waters" (מַיִם, mayim, H4325) together paint a picture of dangerous, engulfing floodwaters, a common biblical image for chaos and threat.

Why Psalms 69:14 matters

  • The verse clarifies just how desperate and helpless David feels, using strong images that go beyond ordinary trouble to real danger and fear of being overwhelmed.
  • Understanding the original words helps readers see that David is not just asking for help with minor problems, but for rescue from situations that feel life-threatening and hopeless.
  • This verse connects to the wider psalm, where David repeatedly describes his suffering and appeals to God’s power to save, making it a central example of honest prayer in distress.

Where else these words appear

“deep” 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 130:1 A Song of degrees. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
  • 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?

“sink” Hebrew H2883 · used in 10 verses

  • Exodus 15:4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
  • Psalms 9:15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
  • Jeremiah 38:6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

“mire” Hebrew H2916 · used in 12 verses

  • 2 Samuel 22:43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
  • Psalms 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
  • Micah 7:10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

“hate” Hebrew H8130 · used in 139 verses

  • Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
  • Esther 9:1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them,(though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
  • Proverbs 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: