Psalms 69:2I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~1000 BC. David continues his desperate prayer, using imagery every ancient person understood — quicksand-like mud that traps and drowns. Modern location: Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: exhausted from struggling against impossible circumstances
The original word
yaven (יָוֵן) — deep mire or quicksand that gives way under weight
Why it matters
Ancient cisterns and wells often had mud at the bottom that could trap people who fell in
Read with care
What most readers miss in Psalms 69:2
The phrase 'no foothold' means David can't even stand up on his own — he's completely helpless
Common misconceptionMany see this as just poetic language, but David is describing clinical depression — the feeling of being trapped with no way to help yourself.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Psalms 69:2
Bible Genome reading
Psalms 69:2 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Psalms 69:2 comes from the book of Psalms, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to David. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 90% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the psalm genre of biblical literature. Key themes include sinking despair, hopelessness, overwhelming circumstances. Notable phrases: sink in deep mire; no foothold; deep waters. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Psalms 69:2 mean to you, today?
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