Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
Bring {H3318} my soul {H5315} out of prison {H4525}, that I may praise {H3034} thy name {H8034}: the righteous {H6662} shall compass me about {H3803}; for thou shalt deal bountifully {H1580} with me.
Lead me out of prison, so that I can give thanks to your name; in me the righteous will be crowning themselves, because you will have treated me generously.
Free my soul from prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me because of Your goodness to me.
Bring my soul out of prison, That I may give thanks unto thy name: The righteous shall compass me about; For thou wilt deal bountifully with me.
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Psalms 143:11
Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. -
Psalms 146:7
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners: -
Psalms 7:6
Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me [to] the judgment [that] thou hast commanded. -
Psalms 7:7
So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high. -
Psalms 13:6
I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me. -
Acts 2:24
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. -
James 5:11
Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Context
Psalm 142 is a Maskil, an instructional psalm, attributed to David when he was in the cave, a period of intense distress and isolation as he fled from King Saul. This was likely the cave of Adullam or En-Gedi, where David felt utterly alone, with no one to help or care for his soul (Psalm 142:4). This verse, the concluding plea of the psalm, expresses his desperate cry for deliverance and his confident expectation in God's character.
Meaning & Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
The Hebrew word for "prison" here is masger (מַסְגֵּר), which can denote a literal prison, but often carries the broader meaning of a place of confinement, restriction, or distress. It emphasizes David's feeling of being shut in. The phrase "deal bountifully with me" uses the Hebrew ba'adi (בַּעֲדִי), which literally means "for me" or "on my behalf," implying that God's generous action will be specifically directed towards his benefit and deliverance.
Practical Application
Psalm 142:7 offers profound encouragement for anyone facing overwhelming circumstances. It teaches us that: