Bible Strands
Psalms 81:6
“I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God addresses Israel, declaring that He removed a heavy load from their shoulders and freed their hands from baskets when they went out from Egypt (Psalms 81:5–6). The declaration occurs during a recollection of the Exodus, immediately followed by a reminder of God rescuing the people when they called in distress and testing them at Meribah (Psalms 81:7).
The words — The Hebrew הֲסִיר֣וֹתִי (ha.si.Ro.ti) literally means "I removed," acting on מִסֶּבֶל (mi./Se.vel), a "burden," and שִׁכְמוֹ (shikh.M/o), "his shoulder" (Psalms 81:6). The verse also records כַּפָּיו (ka.Pa/v), "his hands," passing through or being liberated from a דּוּד (mi./Dud), a "basket" (Psalms 81:6).
The thread — This imagery of lifting a load from the shoulders aligns with Isaiah 9:4 and Isaiah 10:27, where God shatters or removes the bar and yoke across the shoulders. It also corresponds to Exodus 6:6, where God states He will bring Israel out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that deliverance from oppressive labor originates solely from God’s action. It calls for a plain recognition that historical liberation was a specific divine intervention, not a human achievement.
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
I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 9:4 For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.
- Isaiah 10:27 On that day the burden will be lifted from your shoulders, and the yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large.
- Exodus 6:6 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.
- Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- Exodus 1:14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
- Psalms 68:13 Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her feathers with shimmering gold.”