O Lord God, hear me calling.
Incline your ear to my distress
in spite of my rebelling.
Do not regard my sinful deeds.
Send me the grace my spirit needs;
without it I am nothing.
2. All things you send are full of grace;
you crown our lives with favor.
All our good works are done in vain
without our Lord and Savior.
We praise you for the gift of faith;
you save us from the grip of death;
our lives are in your keeping.
3. In you alone, O God, we hope,
and not in our own merit.
We rest our fears in your good word;
uphold our fainting spirit.
Your promised mercy is my fort,
my comfort, and my strong support;
I wait for it with patience.
4. My soul is waiting for you, Lord,
as one who longs for morning;
no watcher waits with greater hope
than I for your returning.
I hope as Israel in the Lord,
who sends redemption through the Word.
Praise God for grace and mercy!
The hymn "From the Depths, O Lord, I Cry" is a metrical paraphrase of Psalm 130, one of the penitential psalms of the Bible, and has its roots in deep spiritual sorrow, heartfelt repentance, and hopeful trust in God's mercy. Its history is tied closely to the Reformation and the tradition of singing the Psalms in worship, particularly in the German Lutheran and later the English-speaking Protestant traditions.
The original source of this hymn is the German Lutheran chorale titled “Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir”, written by Martin Luther around 1523. This hymn was Luther’s paraphrase of Psalm 130, also known as De profundis (Latin for "Out of the depths"), and it became one of the earliest and most enduring hymns of the Reformation. Psalm 130 had long been considered a powerful expression of personal and communal repentance, and Luther was deeply moved by its message. As someone who had personally wrestled with guilt, fear of judgment, and the doctrine of justification by faith, Luther found in Psalm 130 a direct expression of the soul's cry to God for forgiveness.
Luther’s version in German preserved the intensity of the psalm’s anguish but also emphasized the hope and assurance found in God’s grace. He set it to a somber but majestic tune that he likely helped compose or arrange. The hymn was published in 1524 in the first Lutheran hymnal, the Achtliederbuch, and quickly spread throughout German-speaking churches. For centuries, it was one of the most frequently sung hymns in times of sorrow, death, or spiritual crisis.
The English version, “From the Depths, O Lord, I Cry,” is one of several translations of Luther’s hymn or direct paraphrases of Psalm 130. It maintains the psalm’s posture of humble pleading. The structure of the hymn usually reflects the progression of the original psalm: beginning with a desperate cry for mercy, acknowledging God's forgiveness, warning against self-righteousness, and ending with confident waiting and hope in God's redemptive power.
The psalm’s opening line—“Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD” (Psalm 130:1, KJV)—has resonated deeply throughout church history. The “depths” refer not only to physical suffering or calamity but to the inner awareness of sin and separation from God. The psalmist, like the hymn writer, knows that only God can offer the forgiveness and restoration his soul craves.
“From the Depths, O Lord, I Cry” has appeared in numerous hymnals in various metrical forms. Sometimes it closely follows Luther’s version; other times it draws more directly from the King James translation of Psalm 130. Regardless of the form, the hymn retains the deep spirit of penitence and trust that characterizes the original Scripture.
During the Reformation and long afterward, it was common to sing psalm paraphrases like this in both public worship and private devotion. “From the Depths” was often sung at funerals, during Lent, or in times of national mourning or personal grief. The tune associated with Luther’s original hymn—also titled "Aus tiefer Not"—is a haunting melody in the Phrygian mode, which adds solemnity and gravity to the prayerful text.
Johann Sebastian Bach famously used this hymn in his compositions, notably in his chorale prelude BWV 686 and 687, and in his cantatas. The theological richness of Psalm 130, coupled with its emotional rawness, gave composers and worshippers alike a profound spiritual vocabulary for expressing repentance and hope.
In many modern hymnals, “From the Depths, O Lord, I Cry” is still included, though often with updated language for accessibility. Whether sung in its original German, in a stately English metrical version, or even chanted from Scripture, the hymn continues to give voice to those who, like the psalmist, know what it is to cry to God from the pit of despair and yet cling to His mercy.
In sum, “From the Depths, O Lord, I Cry” is not simply a hymn of sorrow—it is a hymn of repentance, humility, and hope. Rooted in Scripture and shaped by centuries of Christian devotion, it speaks to the heart of the Gospel: that God hears the cries of sinners and offers redemption to those who wait on Him in faith.
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