Bible Strands
Psalms 102:20
to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist describes God’s action after detailing how the Lord looked down from the heights of His sanctuary to gaze from heaven to earth.
The words — אֶנְקַ֣ת ('en.Kat) translates as the groaning of, and לְ֝/פַתֵּ֗חַ (le./fa.Te.ach) means to set free.
The thread — This motif of hearing captives and freeing the condemned appears in Psalms 79:11, Psalms 146:7, and Exodus 3:7.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine intervention targets the oppressed and requires a response of public proclamation in Zion and Jerusalem.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;
Cross-references
- Psalms 79:11 May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.
- Psalms 146:7 He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,
- Exodus 3:7 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.
- 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,
- 2 Kings 13:22 And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz.
- 2 Chronicles 33:11 So the LORD brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
- Isaiah 14:17 who turned the world into a desert and destroyed its cities, who refused to let the captives return to their homes?”
- Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
- Ephesians 2:2 in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience.
- Exodus 2:23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.