Psalms 107:12

12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

Psalms 107:12 in Other Translations

KJV
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
ESV
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.
NLT
12 That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them.
MSG
12 A hard sentence, and your hearts so heavy, and not a soul in sight to help.
CSB
12 He broke their spirits with hard labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

Psalms 107:12 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 107:12

Therefore he brought down their heart with labour
Humbled them under his mighty hand; brought down their haughty spirits and proud stomachs by one afflictive providence or another; by which the Lord humbles men, as he did the Israelites in the wilderness, and hides pride from them: or with trouble of mind, under a conviction of sin; when pride, which is the cause of rebellion against God, and of contempt of his counsel, is brought down, and the haughtiness of man laid low; and when men, humbled under a sense of sin, are made willing to submit to Christ and his righteousness, to God's way of saving sinners by him, to the law of God, and to the Gospel of Christ.

They fell down;
they threw themselves prostrate at his feet for mercy; their heart and strength failed them, as the word signifies, and is used in ( Psalms 31:10 ) , terrified with a sense of divine wrath, they could not stand before the Lord, nor brave it out against him.

And there was none to help;
they could not help themselves, nor was there any creature that could. There is salvation in no other than in Christ; when he saw there was none to help him in that work, his own arm brought salvation to him; and when sinners see there is help in no other, they apply to him, as follows.

Psalms 107:12 In-Context

10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.

Cross References 1

  • 1. S 2 Kings 14:26; Psalms 72:12; Psalms 22:11
Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.