Psalms 130:1 — Word Study
WLCמִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהוָֽה׃
BSAA songshîyr of ascentsmaʻălâh Out of the depthsmaʻămâq [profound, spiritual, of sorrow, trouble, or desperation] I cry to Youqârâʼ■ [with a loud voice, call out] O LORDYᵉhôvâh [Yehovah, the covenant God, Yehovah]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| מִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים | from [the] depths | Preposition, noun common masculine plural absolute |
| קְרָאתִ֣יךָ | I call out to you | Verb qal perfect first person common singular, suffix |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | O Yahweh | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD! |
| KJV | Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. |
| ASV | Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Jehovah. |
| YLT | A Song of the Ascents. From depths I have called Thee, Jehovah. |
| WEB | Out of the depths I have cried to you, Yahweh. |
| BBE | Out of the deep have I sent up my cry to you, O Lord. |
All translations agree on the rendering of מִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים as 'depths'.
The sentence structure emphasizes the source of the cry and the direct appeal to God.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 130:1
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Cry from the Depthsgenerated
Psalm 130:1 reveals the psalmist's urgent appeal to God from a place of profound emotional distress. This psalm is part of a group known as the Songs of Ascents, often recited during times of reflection and repentance. The psalmist acknowledges their lowly state and cries out for God's attention and mercy, setting the tone for the themes of forgiveness and hope that follow in the subsequent verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 121:1 | I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? |
| 2 | Psalm 122:1 | I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” |
| 3 | Psalm 123:1 | I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven. |
| 4 | Psalm 124:1 | If the LORD had not been on our side— let Israel now declare— |
| 5 | Psalm 125:1 | Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides forever. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 20 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — מִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים, mi.ma.'a.ma.Kimgenerated
The word מַעֲמַקִּים (ma`amaq) is a plural noun derived from the root meaning 'deep'. It conveys a sense of profound depth, whether in the physical sense, like the depths of the ocean, or in emotional terms, such as deep sorrow or trouble.
In this verse, it emphasizes the intensity of the psalmist's distress, suggesting that their cry emerges from a place of significant emotional turmoil or desperation.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses depths to convey the profound nature of the psalmist's situation.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is קְרָאתִ֣יךָ, I cry out to You, which governs the entire sentence. The structure includes a prepositional phrase indicating the source of the cry, מִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים, from the depths, highlighting the depth of the psalmist's distress.
The order of the Hebrew words emphasizes the urgency of the cry, placing the source of distress at the forefront, followed by the direct address to God.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates מִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים with βαθέων, which also means 'depths'. This choice maintains the sense of profound emotional or spiritual depth, consistent with the original Hebrew.
The Greek term carries a similar weight, indicating a deep cry for help, and aligns with the psalmist's plea for divine intervention.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 130:1 expresses a heartfelt cry from deep distress. The psalmist calls out to God, acknowledging their sorrow and seeking His mercy. This verse sets the stage for themes of repentance and hope found throughout the psalm.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Crying out from the depths signifies a profound emotional state, often associated with desperation or sorrow, where one seeks help from God.
The name 'Yahweh' signifies God's covenant relationship with His people, emphasizing His faithfulness and ability to provide mercy.
This verse introduces the themes of distress and the need for divine mercy, which are explored in the following verses as the psalmist reflects on forgiveness and hope.
The psalmist's cry teaches us the importance of turning to God in times of trouble, acknowledging our need for His help and mercy.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what situations have I felt a deep need to cry out to God for help?
- How can I express my own feelings of distress to God in prayer?
- What does it mean for me to trust in God's mercy during difficult times?
- How can I support others who are experiencing their own 'depths' of sorrow?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentaries, such as Augustine's, reflect on this verse as a profound expression of calling for divine help from deep distress.
"Out of the deep have I called unto You, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice" [Psalms 130:1]. Jonas cried from the deep; from the whale's belly.Early Church Fathers on Psalms 130 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 130:1 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleOut of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Out of deep waters, out of the depths of the sea; not literally, as Jonah, who really was there, and from thence cried unto the Lord, Jonah 2:2; but
Read John Gill on Psalms 130 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryOut of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. Psalms 130:1-8.-Out of deep distress Israel cries to Yahweh, casting herself on God's mercy not to mark her iniquity (Psalms 130:1-4); she waits for
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 130 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BiblePsalms 130 THE This Psalm was composed by the prophet when he was conflicting with horrors of his conscience for the guilt of his sins, and imploring God’ s mercy and pardon. The psalmist being troubled for and acknowledging his sins, professeth his hope in God, , and exhorteth Israel to hope also in him, ,8. Being overwhelmed with deep distresses and terrors, and ready to despair.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 130 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 130:1 « A Song of degrees. » Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.Ver. 1. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee] i.e. Ex portis ipsis desperationis, from the very bosom and bottom of despair, caused through deepest sense of sin and fear of wrath. One deep calleth to another, the depth of misery to the depth of mercy. Basil and Beza interpret it, Ex intimis cordis penetralibus, from the bottom of my heart, with all earnestness and humility. He that is in the low pits and caves of the earth seeth the stars in the firmament; so he who is most low and lowly seeth most of God, and is in best case to call upon him. As spices smell best when beaten, and as frankincense maxime…
Read John Trapp on Psalms 130 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(1) Out of the depths.—A recurrent image for overwhelming distress (Psalms 18:16; Psalms 88:7; also Psalms 69:2, where the same Hebrew word occurs). It is used literally in Isaiah 51:10 for the sea.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 130 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BiblePSALM CXXX The prayer of a penitent to God, with confession of sin, 1-3. Confidence in God's mercy, and waiting upon him, 4-6. Israel is encouraged to hope in the Lord, because of his willingness to save, 7, 8. NOTES ON PSALM CXXX This Psalm has no title nor author's name, either in the Hebrew, or in any of the Versions; though the Syriac says it was spoken of Nehemiah the priest. It was most probably composed during the captivity; and contains the complaint of the afflicted Jews, with their hopes of the remission of those sins which were the cause of their sufferings, and their restoration from captivity to their own land. This is one of those called penitential Psalms. Verse 1. Out of the…
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 130 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1–4. A cry of penitence from the depths of trouble to the God of pardon.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 130 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleOut of the depths - The word rendered “depths” is from a verb - עמק ‛âmaq - which means to be deep; then, to be unsearchable; then, to make deep; and it would apply to anything low, deep, or
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 130 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD!
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Yahweh.
A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD!
From the deep water I cry out to you, O Lord.
Tyndale line
Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Jehovah.
Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
A Song of degrees. Out of the depths have I cried to thee, O LORD.
A song of degrees. Out of the deepe places haue I called vnto thee, O Lord.
Strictly literal
Out of the depths do I call upon thee, Jehovah.
A Song of the Ascents. From depths I have called Thee, Jehovah.
A SONG OF THE ASCENTS. I have called You from the depths, YHWH.
“A song of the degrees.” Out of the depths have I called thee, O Lord.
Out of the depths I cry to you, Yahweh.
From the Latin
Lord, my heart is not exalted: nor are my eyes lofty. Neither have I walked in great matters, nor in wonderful things above me.
Simplified
Lord, I cry out to you from the depths of my pain.
Out of the deep have I sent up my cry to you, O Lord.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the core wording of the verse, with the Septuagint offering a direct translation that reflects the Hebrew structure. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some variations, with partial restorations, but the essential meaning remains consistent across all witnesses.
מִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהוָֽה׃
3 of the 3 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
[שיר] [המעולות] ממעמקים [קראתי׳כה] [יהוה]
nothing on the leather here — 1 partly restored, 4 supplied entire by an editor.
שיר המעלות אדוני ממעמקים [קראתי׳ך]
4 words on the leather — 1 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 130:1
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
מַעֲמַקִּים (ma`amaq) refers to 'depths' or 'deep' in Hebrew. It is derived from the root word for 'deep' (H6009) and is used in the plural form. The entries consistently define it as depths, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
מַעֲמַקִּים n.m.pl. depths
base
H4615 מַעֲמַקִּים depths
4615 ma`amaq mah-am-awk'
from 6009; a deep:--deep, depth.
see HEBREW for 06009
מַעֲמַקִּים (ma.a.maq) — deep.
depths
Prep | N-mp — Preposition · noun common masculine plural absoluteHR/Ncmpa
The Hebrew word קָרָא (qara') is a primitive root meaning to call, proclaim, or read. It encompasses a range of actions including calling out, crying for help, reading aloud, and summoning. The word can also imply being called or named in various contexts. There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding its meanings.
קָרָא 724 vb. call, proclaim, read
Qal
call, cry, utter a loud sound
call, cry
call unto some one
cry for help
proclaim
read aloud
read to oneself
summon
call = name
Niph.
reflex.
pass. be called
Pu. be called
base
H7121 קָרָא call, proclaim, read .. . call, cry, utter a loud sound
. call, cry
. . call unto some one
. cry for help
. proclaim
. . read aloud
. read to oneself
. summon
. call = name
. . reflex.
. pass. be called
. be called
7121 qara' kaw-raw'
a primitive root (rather identical with 7122 through the idea
of accosting a person met); to call out to (i.e. properly,
address by name, but used in a wide variety of
applications):--bewray (self), that are bidden, call (for,
forth, self, upon), cry (unto), (be) famous, guest, invite,
mention, (give) name, preach, (make) proclaim(- ation),
pronounce, publish, read, renowned, say.
see HEBREW for 07122
קָרָא (qa.ra) — to call: call to.
: call_to/invite/entreat
1) to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to call, cry, utter a loud sound
1a2) to call unto, cry (for help), call (with name of God)
1a3) to proclaim
1a4) to read aloud, read (to oneself), read
1a5) to summon, invite, call for, call and commission, appoint, call and endow
1a6) to call, name, give name to, call by
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to call oneself
1b2) to be called, be proclaimed, be read aloud, be summoned, be named
1c) (Pual) to be called, be named, be called out, be chosen
קָרָא (qa.ra) — to call: call by.
: call_by/name
1) to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to call, cry, utter a loud sound
1a2) to call unto, cry (for help), call (with name of God)
1a3) to proclaim
1a4) to read aloud, read (to oneself), read
V-Qal-Perf-1cs | Suff — Verb qal perfect first person common singular · suffixHVqp1cs/Sp2ms
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'
יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)
יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb
יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D
the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy
יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh
base
H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel
3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'
from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish
national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.
see HEBREW for 01961
see HEBREW for 03050
see HEBREW for 03069
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.
Jehovah = "the existing One"
1) the proper name of the one true God
1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.
Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.
Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
N-proper — Noun properHNpt