Bible Strands
Psalms 105:18
They bruised his feet with shackles and placed his neck in irons,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses Israel, recounting God’s sovereign oversight during Joseph’s forced relocation to Egypt. The narrative halts on Joseph’s confinement to emphasize that human cruelty operates within divine permission.
The words — The Hebrew עִנּוּ ('i.Nu) literally means "they afflicted" or "they bruised," describing the physical torment inflicted on Joseph. The phrase בַּכֶּבֶל רַגְלוֹ (ba.kevel raglo) translates directly to "with a shackle his foot," specifying the iron fetters placed on him.
The thread — This confinement motif runs through Genesis 39:20 and Genesis 40:15, where Joseph is held in the king’s prison, and aligns with the Roman guard’s actions in Acts 16:24.
Why it lands — The text states that physical chains cannot stop the fulfillment of God’s word. It requires the reader to acknowledge divine sovereignty over present suffering without rationalizing the oppression.
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
Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
Cross-references
- Genesis 39:20 So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,
- Genesis 40:15 For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”
- Acts 16:24 On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
- Psalms 107:10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains,