Our deliverance is like a bird freed from a broken snare, a miraculous release that shows the LORD’s unwavering protection.
When the psalmist of Psalm 124 (traditionally attributed to David, who reigned as king of Israel from around 1010-970 BC) proclaims, “Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; The snare is broken and we have escaped” (v.7), he reflects Israel’s miraculous deliverance from mortal danger. David understood that hostile forces continually threatened his life and the life of the Israelite community, but the LORD’s intervention offered rescue and freedom. By comparing the nation’s plight to a bird suddenly freed from a skilled hunter’s net, he acknowledges that their survival was not by chance or their own might, but by God’s power and compassion. This vivid image celebrates divine deliverance that breaks every trap, enabling God’s people to soar as the rescued bird soars to freedom.
The phrase “Our soul has escaped” (v.7) stresses that it was not merely by cunning or strategy, but by faith in the LORD’s unstoppable care. David had personally experienced this deliverance multiple times. When he was pursued by King Saul (1 Samuel 19-27), he was on the verge of capture, yet the LORD repeatedly intervened in unexpected ways. God’s sovereignty, therefore, stands front and center as the reason any threat—no matter how formidable—could be overcome. In times of conflict or opposition, the biblical perspective encourages believers to remember that the same God who broke David’s snare remains at work on behalf of His people.
Moreover, the picture of a broken snare echoes themes of liberation and victory fulfilled ultimately in Jesus Christ. Centuries later, Jesus said, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Just as the psalmist and his fellow Israelites experienced physical deliverance from the net, Christ’s followers experience a spiritual release from the bondage of sin and death through faith in Him (Romans 8:2). The rescued bird, no longer trapped and helpless, parallels the believer’s joyful freedom through God’s redeeming work.
We are liberated from any net that entraps us by the power of the LORD.
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Psalms 124:7 meaning
When the psalmist of Psalm 124 (traditionally attributed to David, who reigned as king of Israel from around 1010-970 BC) proclaims, “Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; The snare is broken and we have escaped” (v.7), he reflects Israel’s miraculous deliverance from mortal danger. David understood that hostile forces continually threatened his life and the life of the Israelite community, but the LORD’s intervention offered rescue and freedom. By comparing the nation’s plight to a bird suddenly freed from a skilled hunter’s net, he acknowledges that their survival was not by chance or their own might, but by God’s power and compassion. This vivid image celebrates divine deliverance that breaks every trap, enabling God’s people to soar as the rescued bird soars to freedom.
The phrase “Our soul has escaped” (v.7) stresses that it was not merely by cunning or strategy, but by faith in the LORD’s unstoppable care. David had personally experienced this deliverance multiple times. When he was pursued by King Saul (1 Samuel 19-27), he was on the verge of capture, yet the LORD repeatedly intervened in unexpected ways. God’s sovereignty, therefore, stands front and center as the reason any threat—no matter how formidable—could be overcome. In times of conflict or opposition, the biblical perspective encourages believers to remember that the same God who broke David’s snare remains at work on behalf of His people.
Moreover, the picture of a broken snare echoes themes of liberation and victory fulfilled ultimately in Jesus Christ. Centuries later, Jesus said, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Just as the psalmist and his fellow Israelites experienced physical deliverance from the net, Christ’s followers experience a spiritual release from the bondage of sin and death through faith in Him (Romans 8:2). The rescued bird, no longer trapped and helpless, parallels the believer’s joyful freedom through God’s redeeming work.
We are liberated from any net that entraps us by the power of the LORD.