De Profundis (Psalm 130): “Out of the Depths” Prayer for the Dead

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The De Profundis is Psalm 130 (129 in older Catholic Bibles), a cry for mercy that Catholics have prayed for centuries for the souls of the dead. Its Latin name comes from its first words, De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: “Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord.” Here it is in the Douay-Rheims translation:

Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:
My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Catholics traditionally end it with the prayer for the dead:

V. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.

The De Profundis in Latin

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine; Domine, exaudi vocem meam.
Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo eius; speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius.

Why is it called Psalm 130 and Psalm 129?

The Hebrew Bible and most modern translations number it Psalm 130. The Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, followed by the Douay-Rheims Bible and older Catholic books, combine two earlier psalms and number it Psalm 129. It is the same psalm.

What the De Profundis means

  • “Out of the depths.” The psalmist speaks from the bottom of sorrow, guilt or distress, like someone drowning.
  • “If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord, who shall stand it?” No one could stand before God if he kept a record of every sin.
  • “With thee there is merciful forgiveness.” God’s mercy is greater than our sin.
  • “My soul hath hoped in the Lord… From the morning watch even until night.” Hope waits for God like a watchman waits for dawn.
  • “With him plentiful redemption.” The psalm ends in confidence that God will redeem his people from all their sins.

The Church prays it for the dead because it expresses perfectly the hope of the souls in purgatory: they are being purified, and they wait with longing for the full light of God.

How Catholics pray the De Profundis

  • For the dead. It is part of the Office for the Dead and is often prayed at wakes, at the graveside and on the anniversary of a death. See Catholic prayers for the dead.
  • At nightfall. An old custom was to pray it at the evening bell for the souls in purgatory. Father Lasance’s prayer book (1911) records that Pope Clement XII granted an indulgence in 1737 to those who prayed it “at the sound of the bell, at the first hour after nightfall.”
  • In November, the month of the Holy Souls. See prayers for the souls in purgatory.
  • As a penitential psalm. It is one of the seven Penitential Psalms (Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143), prayed especially in Lent.
  • In the Liturgy of the Hours, where it is sung at Evening Prayer.

Frequently asked questions

What does “de profundis” mean?

It is Latin for “from the depths” or “out of the depths.”

Is the De Profundis only for the dead?

No. It is a prayer for anyone in distress or sorrow for sin. But since the Middle Ages it has been the Church’s characteristic psalm for the faithful departed.

What is the Catholic prayer after the De Profundis?

Usually the Eternal Rest prayer, given above. Lasance’s book adds this collect: “O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that through pious supplications they may obtain that pardon which they have always desired. Who livest and reignest now and forever. Amen.”

More prayers for the dead

Texts and sources