The Meaning of Psalms 116:4 Explained

Psalms 116:4

KJV: Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

YLT: And in the name of Jehovah I call: I pray Thee, O Jehovah, deliver my soul,

Darby: Then called I upon the name of Jehovah: I beseech thee, Jehovah, deliver my soul.

ASV: Then called I upon the name of Jehovah: O Jehovah, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then called  I upon the name  of the LORD;  O LORD,  I beseech  thee, deliver  my soul. 

What does Psalms 116:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 116:1-11 - He Delivered My Soul
Throughout this psalm we meet the pronoun in the first person. Only in two verses, Psalms 116:15 and Psalms 116:19, does it not so occur. There is no fear of egotism, however, when the heart of the singer overflows with divine love.
Psalms 116:1-4
The psalmist here compares himself to some wild animal ensnared by the hunter and bound by the sharp cords which make free movement impossible. Bow many of God's saints have felt the deep incision of these cords! It has been with them as with Joseph, when let down into the pit. But there is no pit so deep that a cry from it may not reach the heart of God.
Psalms 116:5-11
When the quiet faith of answered prayer is ours, the fluttering soul seems to settle down to its nest in peace. The feet which were slipping now walk in the paths of life. Notice the prayer of Psalms 116:4 and the reply of Psalms 116:8. God does more than deliver; He wipes the tears from our faces, and holds us as a mother who places her hands under the armpits of her child, teaching it to walk. Paul quotes Psalms 116:10 in 2 Corinthians 4:13. How often must this psalm have been in his thought and on his lips! Do not speak hastily. An eminent religious leader said once, "I shall have good hopes of you, when you can speak and move slowly." [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 116

1  The psalmist professes his love and duty to God for his deliverance
12  He studies to be thankful

What do the individual words in Psalms 116:4 mean?

And upon the name of Yahweh I called I implore You Yahweh deliver my soul
וּבְשֵֽׁם־ יְהוָ֥ה אֶקְרָ֑א אָנָּ֥ה יְ֝הוָ֗ה מַלְּטָ֥ה נַפְשִֽׁי

וּבְשֵֽׁם־  And  upon  the  name 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
יְהוָ֥ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֶקְרָ֑א  I  called 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
אָנָּ֥ה  I  implore  You 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אָנָּא 
Sense: ah now! I/we beseech you, oh now!, pray now! (participle of entreaty usually followed by the imperative verb).
יְ֝הוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
מַלְּטָ֥ה  deliver 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: מָלַט 
Sense: to slip away, escape, deliver, save, be delivered.
נַפְשִֽׁי  my  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.