Psalm 79:11
New International Version
May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.

New Living Translation
Listen to the moaning of the prisoners. Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die.

English Standard Version
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!

Berean Standard Bible
May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.

King James Bible
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

New King James Version
Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power Preserve those who are appointed to die;

New American Standard Bible
Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power, let those who are doomed to die remain.

NASB 1995
Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are doomed to die.

NASB 1977
Let the groaning of the prisoner come before Thee; According to the greatness of Thy power preserve those who are doomed to die.

Legacy Standard Bible
Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are doomed to die.

Amplified Bible
Let the groaning and sighing of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power keep safe those who are doomed to die.

Christian Standard Bible
Let the groans of the prisoners reach you; according to your great power, preserve those condemned to die.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Let the groans of the prisoners reach You; according to Your great power, preserve those condemned to die.

American Standard Version
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee: According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to death;

Contemporary English Version
Listen to the prisoners groan! Let your mighty power save all who are sentenced to die.

English Revised Version
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to death;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Let the groans of prisoners come into your presence. With your powerful arm rescue those who are condemned to death.

Good News Translation
Listen to the groans of the prisoners, and by your great power free those who are condemned to die.

International Standard Version
Let the cries of the prisoners reach you. With the strength of your power, release those condemned to death.

Majority Standard Bible
May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.

NET Bible
Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die!

New Heart English Bible
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you. According to the greatness of your power, free those who are sentenced to death.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

World English Bible
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you. According to the greatness of your power, preserve those who are sentenced to death.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Let the groaning of the prisoner come in before You, "" According to the greatness of Your arm, "" Leave the sons of death.

Young's Literal Translation
Let the groaning of the prisoner come in before Thee, According to the greatness of Thine arm, Leave Thou the sons of death.

Smith's Literal Translation
The mourning of the bound shall come before thee; according to the greatness of thine arm let the sons of death remain.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
let the sighing of the prisoners come in before thee. According to the greatness of thy arm, take possession of the children of them that have been put to death.

Catholic Public Domain Version
may the groans of the shackled enter before you. According to the greatness of your arm, take possession of the sons of those who have been killed.

New American Bible
Let the groaning of the imprisoned come in before you; in accord with the greatness of your arm preserve those doomed to die.

New Revised Standard Version
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power preserve those doomed to die.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power, free thou those that are appointed to die.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Let the groaning of the prisoners enter before you; by the greatness of your arm release the children from death.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let the groaning of the prisoner come before Thee; According to the greatness of Thy power set free those that are appointed to death;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let the groaning of the prisoners come in before thee; according to the greatness of thine arm preserve the sons of the slain ones.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prayer for Deliverance
10Why should the nations ask, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations Your vengeance for the bloodshed of Your servants. 11May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death. 12Pay back into the laps of our neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.…

Cross References
Isaiah 42:7
to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.

Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,

Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,

Acts 12:5
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him.

Acts 16:25-26
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. / Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.

2 Corinthians 1:8-10
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead. / He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us,

2 Timothy 4:17-18
But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion. / And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 6:9-11
And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. / And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?” / Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.

Revelation 20:4
Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Exodus 3:7-8
The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. / I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Exodus 6:5-6
Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered My covenant. / Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

1 Samuel 2:8
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.

2 Kings 13:4
Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him because He saw the oppression that the king of Aram had inflicted on Israel.

Nehemiah 9:27
So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.

Job 36:15
God rescues the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ears in oppression.


Treasury of Scripture

Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you; according to the greatness of your power preserve you those that are appointed to die;

sighing

Psalm 12:5
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

Psalm 69:33
For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.

Psalm 102:20
To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

according

Psalm 146:6,7
Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: …

Numbers 14:17-19
And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, …

Matthew 6:13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

thy power.

Isaiah 33:2
O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Psalm 102:20
To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

Jump to Previous
Appointed Arm Cry Death Die Doomed Free Great Greatness Groaning Groans Leave Power Preserve Prisoner Prisoners Sentenced Sighing Strength Strong
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Appointed Arm Cry Death Die Doomed Free Great Greatness Groaning Groans Leave Power Preserve Prisoner Prisoners Sentenced Sighing Strength Strong
Psalm 79
1. The psalmist complains of the desolation of Jerusalem
8. He prays for deliverance
13. and promises thankfulness














May the groans
The Hebrew word for "groans" here is "אנחה" (anachah), which conveys a deep, mournful sigh or lament. This word captures the profound sorrow and distress of the Israelites during a time of great suffering and oppression. Historically, this psalm is attributed to the period following the destruction of Jerusalem, possibly during the Babylonian exile. The groans represent the collective cry of a people in anguish, seeking divine intervention. In a broader spiritual context, it reminds believers that God is attentive to the cries of His people, and He is moved by their suffering.

of the captives
The term "captives" refers to those who have been taken prisoner or are in bondage. In the historical context of Psalm 79, this likely refers to the Israelites who were exiled to Babylon. The Hebrew word "שביה" (sheviyah) implies not just physical captivity but also a spiritual and emotional state of being bound. This phrase highlights the plight of those who are not free, drawing a parallel to the spiritual captivity of sin. It serves as a reminder of the hope for deliverance and redemption that is found in God alone.

reach You
The phrase "reach You" suggests a plea for the prayers and cries of the suffering to ascend to God. The Hebrew verb "בוא" (bo) means to come or to enter, indicating a desire for the groans to penetrate the heavens and reach the ears of the Almighty. This reflects the belief in a personal God who is accessible and responsive to the prayers of His people. It underscores the faith that God is not distant but is intimately involved in the lives of His followers.

by the strength of Your arm
This phrase is a metaphor for God's power and might. The "arm" of God is often used in Scripture to symbolize His ability to act decisively and powerfully on behalf of His people. The Hebrew word "זרוע" (zeroa) conveys strength and might. Historically, this imagery would remind the Israelites of God's past deliverances, such as the exodus from Egypt. For believers, it is a reassurance of God's omnipotence and His ability to save and protect.

preserve those condemned to death
The word "preserve" in Hebrew is "חיה" (chayah), meaning to keep alive or to sustain. This is a plea for God to spare and sustain those who are facing death, whether physically or spiritually. The phrase "condemned to death" reflects the dire situation of the captives, who may have been facing execution or annihilation. In a spiritual sense, it speaks to the human condition under the curse of sin, and the hope of salvation through God's intervention. It is a powerful reminder of God's mercy and His desire to give life to those who are perishing.

(11) Appointed to die.--See margin. This expression, as well as the "sighing of the prisoners," occurs, Psalm 102:20, of the sufferers in the Captivity.

Verse 11. - Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; or, the groaning, as in Exodus 2:24. The Babylonians treated their Jewish captives variously. Some, like Daniel and the "Three Children," were favoured, and exalted to high places. But the bulk of them were afflicted and oppressed (see Lamentations 1:3-5; Lamentations 5:18, etc.). But, whether well or ill treated, all sighed to return (comp. Psalm 137:1-6). According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die; literally, that are children of death, which may have the meaning assigned to it in our version, or may simply signify, "those whose death is imminent" - who cannot live long now that they are torn from their country. The phrase recurs in Psalm 102:20.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
May the groans
אֶנְקַ֪ת (’en·qaṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 603: A crying, groaning

of the captives
אָ֫סִ֥יר (’ā·sîr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 616: Bound, a captive

reach You;
תָּ֤ב֣וֹא (tā·ḇō·w)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

by the strength
כְּגֹ֥דֶל (kə·ḡō·ḏel)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1433: Magnitude

of Your arm
זְרוֹעֲךָ֑ (zə·rō·w·‘ă·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 2220: The arm, the foreleg, force

preserve
ה֝וֹתֵ֗ר (hō·w·ṯêr)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 3498: To jut over, exceed, to excel, to remain, be left, to leave, cause to abound, preserve

those condemned
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

to death.
תְמוּתָֽה׃ (ṯə·mū·ṯāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8546: Execution


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OT Poetry: Psalm 79:11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 79:10
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