Psalm 63 Psalm 63:1 10 David Finds Fllowship with God in th Dssrt Wildrnss Outlin of Chaptr 63: Inscription Psalm 63 Inscription vv. 1 2 David Yarns for God vv. 3 5 David Praiss God vv. 6 8 David Rcalls God s Hand in His Lif vv. 9 11 God Will Avng All Wrongs and Blss Thos Who Trust in Him Charts and Maps: Introduction Why You Nd a Bibl Tachr Introduction A Corrctd Translation of Psalm 63 Introduction Why You Nd a Bibl Tachr Part II: th Ky to Psalm 63 Introduction Maninglss Crap Writtn About Psalm 63 Introduction What is Wrong with th Contnt of Biblical Commntaris? v. 4 Th Paralllisms of Psalm 63:3 4 v. 6 Th Contrast Btwn Psalm 63:6a and 63:6b v. 8 Som Points of Doctrin on Suff ring and Psalm 63:8 Doctrins Cov Doctrins Alludd To Th Trinity Th Right Hand of God Introduction: W do not know xactly whn David pnnd Psalm 63. W ar told in th inscription that h was in th wildrnss of Judah, which is whr h will spnd much of th nxt svral yars, hiding from Saul and his army. W may most rasonably plac this as th gnral tim priod that David wrot this (mor on this latr in th xgsis). Rcall that w hav studid how David wnt from a position of powr, rspct and walth, to that of bing a fugitiv, without arthly rsourcs. God was taching David how to dpnd upon Him. God was causing David to focus on Him. As w oftn fl in tims of prssur, David at tims flt as though God had abandond him. H could not worship at th Tnt of God, bcaus Saul had wipd out th population of th city of Nob, th city of prists. On man from that city, Abiathar, cam to liv with David, as h had bcom a fugitiv as wll, narrowly scaping Saul s slaughtr with his lif and th Ephod of God. Howvr, this man is vry young (probably his arly tns) and is mor dpndnt upon David than David is upon him. What I hav mphasizd many tims is that you prsonally nd a tachr. That is, you nd somon who can guid you through th Wo of God. You cannot simply pick up th Bibl and start rading, and gt much out of it (with som xcptions).
Psalm 63 2 Why You Nd a Bibl Tachr This psalm is an xcllnt xampl. It is a short 11 vrs psalm, but if you just rad it, apart from bing guidd by a Bibl tachr, it dos not hold togthr. Th psalm will appar to b disjointd and aimlss. If you don t doubt m, stop rading this and rad th psalm to yourslf. I will provid you with an accurat translation blow: Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx A Corrctd Translation of Psalm 63 A Psalm of David whil h was in th wildrnss of Judah. Elohim, You [ar] my God; I diligntly sk You. My soul has thirstd for You [and] my flsh has longs for You in a dry and xhausting land without watr. Thus, in th sac [Tnt] I hav bhld You to prciv Your strngth and Your glory. Bcaus Your grac is bttr than lif [itslf], I giv prais to You [lit., my lips prais You]. So I clbrat You in my bing aliv I lift my hands bfor Your nam [or, rputation]. My soul is satiatd as [with] fat and oil, and my mouth clbrats with joyful wos. Whn I rcall You [whil] upon th couch, I mditat on You in th [night] watchs. Bcaus You hav bn a hlp to m and I shout for joy in th shadow of Your wings. My soul has clung to You and Your right hand has takn a hold of [or, supports] m. Thy sk my soul for dstruction thy will ntr into th dpths of th arth. Thy dlivr him ovr [to] hands of th swo; thy ar a portion for jackals. Th king will rjoic in Elohim and thos swaring by Him will glory [or, will b praisd], for th mouths of thos spaking lis will b shut up. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx S? David first talks about thirsting for God, as if h is without God; but thn h clbrats God and thinks about God. God s right hand supports David. Thn w hav ths guys who ar sking David s lif, but God will s that thy ar jackal food. Finally, thr is somthing about a king who ithr gloris or is praisd and thos who li ar shut up. Crtainly, all of ths things ar tru, mor or lss, but this psalm should appar to you to b unfocusd. Lik David just wrot down som miscllanous thoughts and thn put music to it. Howvr, if you hav studid David s othr psalms with m, thn you know that David is highly organizd and that his psalms rflct this charactristic of David. So, what s th dal? Th dal is, you rad this on your own, and that is why it did not sm to hang togthr as a whol, but appa to b a varity of thoughts writtn down, addd togthr, and suddnly, it is a psalm. I hop that you rcogniz that mayb you did not rally gt from this psalm what David was taching. Why You Nd a Bibl Tachr Part II: th Ky to Psalm 63 Now lt m giv you th ky to this psalm. If you do not undrstand th gist of th psalm, thn it sounds lik
3 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 23:14) Why You Nd a Bibl Tachr Part II: th Ky to Psalm 63 David is schizophrnic, and that his thinking appars to b scatt and disorganizd. Howvr, if thr is on thing you should rcogniz about David s psalms is that thy ar highly organizd and wll thought-out. David has njoyd a ral rlationship with God, but it has bn tid to traditional worship at th Tnt of God. Now, not only dos h find himslf in th Judæan dsrt apart from th Tnt of God, but th city of th prists has bn dstroyd, along with all of thir familis and that aspct of worship for David is gon, and h dos not know how long this will b th cas. David, howvr, rcognizs that God s charactr and God s blssings xist with or without formal rligious srvics rlatd to th Tabrnacl. Thrfor, David brings what h knows about God to mind h rcalls thos things about God which will sustain him undr prssur. In othr wos, David is applying doctrin to his situation. As Bob Thim would hav put it, David is applying on of th problm-solving dvics to his lif. David knows and undrstands th charactr of God, and God s charactr dos not chang undr any circumstanc; so, sinc God is still God, David can continu to trust in Him and to b rfrshd by Him, vn though h can no longr attnd Tabrnacl srvics. Sinc God is God, thn David can furthr trust Him to right all wrongs, and to dstroy David s nmis. Thos who dpnd upon God will b vindicatd, and thos who look to dstroy David will thy thmslvs b dstroyd. Thn w hav th problm of v. 11, whr David says, Th king will rjoic in God. This causs most xgts to bcom discombobulatd, bcaus David isn t th king; and Saul is not th kind of king to rjoic in God. So, thrfor, this can t b writtn whil David is out in th dsrt, hiding from Saul. But, thir problm is, thy do not undrstand th gist of this psalm. This psalm marks a grat turning point in David s lif. W v discussd his application of th problm-solving dvics to his situation; but in this vrs, h rcognizs that h will b king, that h will rul ovr Isral, and that human viwpoint no longr applis. This psalm marks th point in tim that David accpts his commission and blivs in it. W alrady know that this is David writing from th dsrt; not from th palac. H hrby accpts his commission and blivs God. Most popl hav no ida as to what is going on in this psalm. Thy s it just as a fw nic thoughts thrown togthr. Howvr, this is a trmndous psalm which marks a grat turning point in David s lif. H rcognizs God s prsnc and control, vn out in th dsrt undr th most advrs of circumstancs, and h accpts his commission as king as ral and dfinit. It is unfortunat that th psalms which w hav studid ar takn out of thir historical contxt. Whr David is and what h is going through is an intgral part of ths psalms. W undrstand how David changs from chaptr to chaptr in th narrativ of Samul by xamining ths psalms; and w undrstand what David is rally saying in ths psalms whn w xamin th narrativ contxt. On a prsonal not, whn I first xgtd this psalm, I had vry littl by way of commntary. Thr just didn t sm to b much hr. Howvr, onc I undrstood th ky to this psalm, it opnd up to m as a flowr in th morning, rvaling grat bauty and dpth. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx In contrast, thr ar a lot of writrs who spw maninglss wos about this psalm. Gnrally, I just ignor this stuff. Howvr, it might b important that you s what othrs hav writtn about this psalm, to s how compltly dvoid of maning thir tak is.
Psalm 63 4 Maninglss Crap Writtn About Psalm 63 As th whol Book of Psalms is, olum ffusum (as th spous spaks of th nam of Christ), an ointmnt pou out upon all sorts of sors, a crcloth that suppls all bruiss, a balm that sarchs all wounds; so ar thr som crtain Psalms that ar imprial Psalms; that command ovr all our affctions, and sprad thmslvs ovr all occasions - catholic, univrsal Psalms, that apply thmslvs to all ncssitis. This is on of ths; for of thos constitutions which ar calld apostolical, on is that th church should mt vry day to sing this Psalm. And, accoingly, St. Chrysostom tstifis 'That it was dc and oaind by th primitiv Fathrs, that no day should pass without th public singing of this Psalm.' - J. J. Stwart Prown. 1 Clauss dscribs this psalm as A prcious confssion of a soul thirsting aftr God and his grac, and finding itslf quicknd through inwa communion with him, and which knows how to commit its outwa lot also into his hand. Its lsson is, that th consciousnss of communion with God in troubl is th sur pldg of dlivranc. This is th pculiar fountain of consolation which is opnd up to th suffrr in th Psalm. E. W. Hngstnbrg. This is but a small portion of th worthlss litratur which is out thr. I could includ this kind of crap with ach and vry vrs, but I will spar you th misry. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx What is Wrong with th Contnt of Biblical Commntaris? Th basic problms with commntaris on th psalms (in gnral) ar as follows: 1. Thy oftn miss th ovrall thrust of th psalm. 2. Thy do not proprly intgrat it into th historical tim and plac, and miss th intnt and rasons for th psalm. In fact, thos who misplac th psalm spnd so much tim justifying thir misplacmnt, that thy nvr apprhnd th rason that a psalm is writtn. 3. Th commntaris tnd to b long on dvotional thoughts and short on accurat xplanations and mchanics. 4. Th rsult is, th contnt of many commntaris is, God is rally nic and you should lik Him. Evn though that is an accurat thought, most psalms hav a tad bit mor dpth than that. Thr ar tims that I wondr, why am I xamining th Scriptur in such dtail? Why do I do this? Thn I rad a commntary and raliz, vry fw xgts hav rally both to gt it right. Vry fw xgts hav both to plumb th dpths of Scriptur as thy should hav. Thy hav gon to a banqut and stuffd a coupl of crackrs and nothing ls into thir pockts. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx Now that you undrstand th glu which holds this psalm togthr, lt m giv you a gnral summation: David misss th formal worship of th Tabrnacl srvics and th sacrifics mad to God (vv. 1 2). Thn David thinks about God s graciousnss, and h is motivatd to prais God (vv. 3 4). In fact, David ralizs, in musing about God s grac, that his own soul has bcom satiatd, causing him to prais God again (v. 5). David rcognizs that h has a mmory which allows him to think about God, to cling to God, and to b uphld by God (vv. 6 8). Now David applis God s charactr His graciousnss and faithfulnss to his own prsnt situation: David has nmis, but God will dal with thm (vv. 9 10). Thos who bliv in God will b vindicatd, and thos who choos a lifstyl of dcit and slf-srvic will b shut down (v. 11). 1 Charls Haddon Spurgon, A Trasury of David; -Swo, Psalm 63 introduction. Th following two quots also cam from thr.
5 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 23:14) This psalm was writtn by David whil David was in th wildrnss dsrt of Judah; although I hav placd it at I Sam. 23:14, David may hav writtn this psalm whn h was alon and h may hav writtn it latr in this tim of xil. Lik any pic of Scriptur, somon qustions th authorship of this psalm. Th rason is, thr is a rfrnc to th king in th final vrs. Th argumnt is, how can David writ favorably about th king if David is not king and 2 th only king on th thron is Saul, who is in rvrsionism. Although w will covr this in gratr dtail whn w xgt this vrs, thr ar two basic xplanations: (1) David is spaking thortically about a king on th thron who is faithful to God, or (2) David is spaking of th King of Kings, Who will occupy this thron in th Millnnium. In any cas, thr is no rason to doubt David s authorship. Th othr rason givn that David could not hav bn th author is that h rfrs to himslf in th 3 prson, if h himslf is th king rfr to in th final vrs. Again, this argumnt is not valid, as David may not b rfrring to himslf and bcaus many authors, ancint and contmporary, hav rfr to thmslvs in th 3 prson. That is simply a litrary styl, which w hav obsrvd bfor in Scriptur. Hr s th dal: if th Bibl says that David wrot it, thn David wrot it. W would hav to hav a prpondranc of vidnc to th contrary bfor w would doubt th vracity of th inscription. On rasonabl option, prsntd by Barns, is that David did not writ this whn h was running from Saul, but latr in his lif whn h was running from his son Absalom, who tmporarily dthrond David (II Sam. 15). Barns suggsts that ths blong with Psalm 42:1-11 43:1-5 61:1-8, othr psalms writtn (accoing to Barns) during this priod of tim. If this is th cas, thn David could b th king rfr to in th final vrs. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart Indx Psalm 63 Inscription Slavishly litral: A Psalm to David in his bing in a wildrnss of Judah. Psalm 63 inscription Modratly litral: A Psalm of David whil h was in th wildrnss of Judah. A Psalm of David writtn whil in th wildrnss of Judah. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Early translations: Th Sptuagint A Psalm of David, whn h was in th wildrnss of Iduma. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: TEV [non]. [Footnot: Hbrw Titl: A psalm by David, whn h was in th dsrt of Juda.] Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): JPS (Tanakh) A psalm of David, whn h was in th Wildrnss of Judah. [This is v. 1 in th JPS]. Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: Th Emphasizd Bibl NASB A Mlody of David. Whn h was in th Wildrnss of Judah. A Psalm of David, whn h was in th wildrnss of Judah. 2 Saul is against God.
Psalm 63 6 Young's Litral Translation A Psalm of David, in his bing in th wildrnss of Judah. What is th gist of this vrs? David wrot this psalm whil in th dsrt wildrnss of Judæa. Psalm 63 inscription a miz môwr (ø îæ îò) [pronouncd mizê- MOHR] mlody, song, pom, psalm masculin singular noun Strong s #4210 BDB #274 lâmd (ì) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towas, in rgas to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgas to, blonging to prposition No Strong s # BDB #510 Dâvid (ã å È ò ); also Dâvîyd ( ãé å. È ) [pronouncd daw- VEED] blovd and is translitratd David masculin propr noun Strong s #1732 BDB #187 Translation: A Psalm of David... As w hav discussd, this was th way that a by lin was stablishd for a psalm. David wrot this psalm, and it maks infinitly mor sns whn so undrstood. Psalm 63 inscription b h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity Strong s# non BDB #88 Whn vrbs in th infinitiv construct ar prcdd by th bêyth prposition, b acts as a tmporal conjunction; that is, in thir bing cratd = whn thy wr cratd (Gn. 2:4); in thir bing in th fild = whn thy wr in 3 th fild (Gn. 4:8). hâyâh (ä éè äè ) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass Qal infinitiv construct with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #1961 BDB #224 h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity Strong s# non BDB #88 mid bâr (ø È ãóîò ) [pronouncd mid - BAWR] wildrnss, unpopulatd wildrnss, dsrt wildrnss masculin singular construct Strong s #4057 BDB #184 3 Th Nw Brown-Drivr-Briggs-Gsnius Hbrw-English Lxicon; Hndrickson, 1979, pp. 90 91.
7 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 23:14) Psalm 63 inscription b Y hûwdâh (äãè äé) [pronouncd y hoo- DAW] possibly mans to prais, to b praisd; and is translitratd Judah masculin propr noun/location Strong s #3063 BDB #397 Clark: Instad of Juda, th Vulgat, Sptuagint, Ethiopic, Arabic, svral of th ancint Latin Psaltrs, and svral of th Latin fathrs, rad Iduma, or Edom; still thr is no vidnc that David had vr takn rfug in th dsrts of Iduma. Th Hbrw txt is that which should b prfr; and all th manuscripts ar in its 4 favor. Th Syriac has, Of David, whn h said to th king of Moab, My fathr and mothr fld to th from th fac 5 of Saul; and I also tak rfug with th. W hav no vidnc that David took rfug himslf with th king of Moab. In fact, this would b countrintuitiv, as thr wr 400 mn in Judah who dpndd upon David at this tim. Again, th Hbrw manuscript is to b prfr. Translation:...whil h was in th wildrnss of Judah. This is actually a fairly opn tim fram, as David spnd prhaps a yar or thr moving about in this gnral ara (th dsrt wildrnss of Judæa). Clark suggsts that 6 David wrot this in th forst of Hrto in th wildrnss of Ziph, aftr having lft th prsnc of Achish. Howvr, could hav bn writtn vn as much as a yar or thr latr. Many suggst that this psalm was writtn much latr in David s lif whn Absalom has him on th run. Th point to th us of th wo king in th final vrs, saying that David would only us this wo if h wr alrady king. Howvr, that maks littl sns, bcaus Absalom is king ovr Isral during this tim, not David. So w would ncountr ssntially th sam problm in ithr cas. Howvr, whn this psalm is carfully xamind, so that it s maning is clarly undrstood, thn w bttr undrstand that its contxt dmands that this b writtn bfor David actually bcoms king ovr Isral. Th propr intrprtation can b found back in Why You Nd a Bibl Tachr Part II: th Ky to Psalm 63. J. P. Lang tlls us: Th trm wildrnss (ø È ãóî ò, as distinguishd from ä áè øè òâ, a stpp) was givn to a district which was not rgularly cultivatd and inhabitd, but usd for pasturag, bing gnrally without 7 wood and dfctiv in watr, but not ntirly dstitut of vgtation. I want you to notic somthing ls: David is undr prssur right now his lif is in dangr. Furthrmor, h has no accss to th Tnt of God. Yt h still has a spiritual lif. His rlationship with God has not bn hamp. In fact, it is bcaus of this situation that David will grow closr to God. What w hav hr is possibly a paralll situation. David is in th wildrnss of Judæa spaking about th coming King (v. 10), just as John th Baptizr was th forrunnr of th Mssiah in Matt. 3:1. David is also a typ of Christ, bing forcd to hid in th wildrnss, just as th infant Jsus was forcd to b hiddn from th political powr of His day (Matt. 2:13 15, 19 23). Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx 4 Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Swo, Psalm 63 introduction. Gill confirms this. 5 Ibid. 6 Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Swo, Psalm 63 introduction. 7 Takn from Charls Haddon Spurgon, A Trasury of David; -Swo, Psalm 63 introduction. Lang rfr back to a vrb hr which was rally not rlatd to wildrnss, so I ditd that rfrnc out.
Psalm 63 8 David Yarns for God Slavishly litral: Elohim my God, You; I diligntly sk You. Has thirst d for You my soul; has longd for You my flsh, in a land dry and wary without watrs. Psalm 63:1 Modratly litral: Elohim, You [ar ] my God; I diligntly sk You [or, I sk You arly]. My soul thirsts for You [and] my flsh longs for You in a dry and xhausting land without watr. Elohim, You ar my God Whom I diligntly sk. My soul thirsts for you and my flsh longs for You in this dry and xhausting land of no watr. In th Hbrw, this is v. 2. Hr is how othrs hav handld this vrs: Early translations: Th Pshitta Th Sptuagint O God, You ar my God; on You I wait; my soul thirsts for You, my flsh longs for You as in a dry and thirsty land whr no watr is. O God, my God, I cry to You arly; my soul has thirstd for You; how oftn has my flsh [longd] aftr You, in a barrn and tracklss and dry land! Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV NLT REB You ar my God, I worship you. In my hart, I long for you, as I would long for a stram in a scorching dsrt. O God, you ar my God; I arnstly sarch for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whol body longs for you in this parchd and wary land whr thr is no watr. God, you ar my God; I sk you agrly with a hart that thirsts for you and a body wastd with longing for you, lik a dry land, parchd and dvoid of watr. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): God s Wo JPS (Tanakh) O God, you ar my God. At dawn I sarch for you. My soul thirsts for you. My body longs for you In a dry, parchd land whr thr is no watr. God, You ar my God; I sarch for You, my soul thirsts for You, my body yarns for You, as a parchd and thirsty land that has no watr.
9 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 23:14) Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: Updatd Emphasizd Bibl NASB Young's Updatd LT O God, <my GOD> You ar, Earnstly I do dsir You, My soul thirsts for You, My flsh faints for You, In [Syriac has lik] a land dry and wary for want of watr,... O God, Thou art my God; I shall sk Th arnstly [lit., arly]; My soul thirst for Th, my flsh yars for Th In a dry and wary land whr thr is no watr. O God, You ar my God, arnstly do I sk You, My soul has thirstd for You, My flsh has longd for You, In a land dry and wary, without watrs. What is th gist of this vrs? David lacks th rlationship with God as h onc knw it to b. H dsirs to hav that rlationship back. Psalm 63:1a ì lôhîym (îéäò Éì àá ) [pronouncd l-o-heem] gods or God; translitratd Elohim masculin plural noun Strong's #430 BDB #43 êl (ì àå ) [pronouncd ALE] God, God, mighty on, strong, hro masculin singular noun st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #410 BDB #42 attâh (ä È à) - [pronouncd aht-taw] you (oftn, th vrb to b is implid) nd 2 prson masculin singular, prsonal pronoun Strong s #859 BDB #61 shâchar (ø çç È ) [pronouncd shaw- KHAHR] to diligntly sk, to look for diligntly, to sk arly; to long aftr; to turn towas st 1 prson singular, Pil imprfct, with th 2 nd prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #7836 BDB #1007 Translation: Elohim, You [ar] my God; I diligntly sk You [or, I sk You arly]. Elohim is th nam for th Trinity. It is a plural noun which is plural bcaus it is plural, and not just mphatic (it is allgd that this noun is th mphatic plural, maning that it is not plural, but simply mphatic). Bing th plural noun, and rfrring to th Trinity, this mans that David is spaking to God th Fathr, God th Son and God th Holy Spirit. Now, whthr or not David had himslf a concpt of th Trinity is unknown. W do know that vry arly on, th Trinity was alludd to (Gn. 1:26, which rads: Thn Elohim said, Lt Us mak man in Our imag, accoing to Our liknss; and lt thm rul ovr...all th arth. ) and that th Trinity was also mad known to Isaiah (Isa. 48:16, which rads: Com nar to M, listn to this. From th first, I hav not spokn in scrt. From th tim it took plac, I was thr. And now th Lo Jhovah has snt M and His Spirit. ). For mor information on this, plas rfr back to th Doctrin of th Trinity in Dut. 5:11. Thr ar actually two thoughts hr: David addrsss this psalm to th Godhad and thn h says that h diligntly sks God; h looks for God. This could also man that David sks God arly. Evn though I attndd church, I found that th bst tim for m to study was arly in th morning (I m a morning prson); this is whn my had was most clar, and I could absorb th most information. It could b that David himslf, saddld with th
Psalm 63 10 rsponsibility that h was, took this tim out in th morning, bfor his 400 rfugs wr up, to commun with God. Mmory would b a part of this (s v. 6); and writing down ths psalms would also b a part of David s communion with God. Application: Diligntly sking God may involv attnding almost vry church in your city and in th adjacnt citis until you find a church whr th Wo of God is carfully taught. Although sing books taught vrs by vrs oftn suggsts that a church is doing thir job, this is not always th cas. I attndd on church whr classs wr taught on books of th Bibl rgularly and had high hops for this church. Howvr, th church was infstd with lgalism. Th fact that thir main tachrs wr womn should hav bn a dad givaway (aftr a class, 8 a tap of a woman who taught, and hr taching was riddld with lgalism and incorrct doctrin ). If a church cannot b found whr God s Wo is taught corrctly, thr ar many sights now on th intrnt whr thr ar accurat, doctrinal tachrs who post thir tachings as MP3 fils. Psalm 63:1b tzâmê (à îå öè ) [pronouncd tzaw-may] to thirst, to b thirsty; [mtaphorically] to dsir, to strongly dsir, to dsir agrly 3 prson fminin singular, Qal prfct Strong s #6770 BDB #854 lâmd (ì) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towas, in rgas to prposition with th 2 nd prson masculin singular suffix No Strong s # BDB #510 nphsh ( ôð) [pronouncd NEH-fsh] soul, lif, living bing, dsir fminin singular noun st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #5315 BDB #659 Translation: My soul thirsts for You... Th city of Nob is no mor; all of th prists ar dad, sav on, along with all of thir familis. Thrfor, th Tnt of God is abandond. David cannot go thr for spiritual growth. H can look to Abiathar th young prist, who is with him, for guidanc, but not for spiritual growth. Thr is no way that David has any accss at this point in tim to th Wo of God. So, mor than you can imagin, David s soul sarchs for God. Psalm 63:1c kâmah (ä î - È ) [pronouncd kaw-mah] to long for, to pin for, to long for [somthing] and to grow faint [from longing] 3 prson masculin singular, Qal prfct Strong s #3642 BDB #484 lâmd (ì) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towas, in rgas to prposition with th 2 nd prson masculin singular suffix No Strong s # BDB #510 8 Th taching which was most hinous is that th tru blivr would bhav in accoanc to crtain standas and that thos who don t ar not rally tru blivrs. This is th fals doctrin of prsvranc of th saints.
11 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 23:14) Psalm 63:1c bâsâr (ø È È ) [pronouncd baw- SAWR] flsh; body; animal mat masculin singular noun st with a 1 prson singular suffix Strong's #1320 BDB #142 Translation:...[and] my flsh longs for You... David s physical bing longs for God. All that David is dsirs mor of a rlationship with God. W hav no ida in this day and ag. Down th strt from any of us ar a half dozn churchs (whthr thy ar any good or not is anothr thing). David had nothing and h longd for God. In v. 1b, w had David s soul thirsting for God; in this portion of v. 1, w hav David s flsh longing for God. Th ida is, th two togthr mak up th ntirty of David. All that David is, dsirs God. Rcall that David is out in th dsrt wildrnss with 400 rprobats, so th normal mthods of worship ar out i.., going to th Tabrnacl and sing th prist offr up animal sacrifics. In this psalm, David is going to turn towa God s charactr and bing, and latch onto that, as opposd to raching thos things through crmonis. This, in fact, is th grat brak through that David has in this psalm. H is abl to turn towa God and to function undr divin rsourcs out in th dsrt wildrnss that is a grat turning point in David s lif. Application: Most of us dislik haship and tsting; howvr, David s gratst growth is had out hr in th dsrt wildrnss, undr what may b rasonably charactrizd as xignt circumstancs. You may think what you nd is a church nxt door that you can walk to, whos hours prfctly match your schdul, and who s additional srvics,.g., child car, ar xactly what you nd. David hr has nothing that h nds, or so it sms. And thn h ralizs that God is still God, and God is just as much a part of his xistnc hr as H is anywhr ls. Psalm 63:1d h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity Strong s# non BDB #88 rts (õ ø à ) [pronouncd EH-rts] arth (all or a portion throf), land fminin singular noun Strong's #776 BDB #75 tsîyyâh (ä Èöò ) [pronouncd tz-yawh] dry, dry plac, aridity, drought fminin singular noun Strong s #6723 BDB #851 w (or v ) (å) [pronouncd wh] and simpl wâw conjunction No Strong s # BDB #251 âyêph (ó é òè ) [pronouncd ìay-yawf] ti, wary, faint, worn out, xhaustd, languishing [from toil or thirst] masculin singular adjctiv Strong s #5889 BDB #746 b lîy (é ìò ) [pronouncd not, without ngativ/substantiv b LEE] Strong s #1097 BDB #115 mayim (í é îç ò ) [pronouncd MAH-yim] watr, watrs masculin plural noun, pausal form Strong's #4325 BDB #565
Psalm 63 12 Translation:...in a dry and xhausting land without watr. This is both litral and mtaphorical. H is in th wildrnss dsrt of Juda. Finding watr at this tim is difficult; vrything that thy choos to do is difficult. W hav no ida. Imagin a wk without watr and lctricity; that would b difficult nough. Now imagin it without stors, without prpackagd foods, without rstaurants. Now w ar closr to what David was nduring, xcpt that h was out in a dsrt wildrnss and attmpting to lad a bunch of misfits. On th mtaphorical sid, this has alrady bn discussd in th prvious coupl lins. David lacks a clar rlationship with God. H lacks God s Wo to guid and comfort him. H lacks th pomp and crmony to fill in thos spiritual gaps. So, in th holinss, I hav sn You, to s Your strngth and Your glory. Psalm 63:2 Thus, in th sac [Tnt] I hav bhld You to prciv Your strngth and Your glory. Thus, I hav baskd in Your prsnc in th sac Tnt, and hav obsrvd Your strngth and glory thr. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Early translations: Th Sptuagint Thus hav I appa bfor You in th sanctuary, that I might s Your powr and Your glory. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV REB TEV I hav sn your powr and your glory in th plac of worship. With such longing I s you in th sanctuary and bhold your powr and glory. Lt m s you in th sanctuary; lt m s how mighty and glorious you ar. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): God s Wo JPS (Tanakh) So I look for you in th holy plac to s your powr and your glory. I shall bhold You in th sanctuary, and s Your might and glory,... Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: Updatd Emphasizd Bibl NASB Young's Updatd LT <In lik mannr as *in th sanctuary* I hav had vision of You> To bhold Your powr and Your glory. Thus I hav bhld Th in th sanctuary, To s Thy powr and Thy glory. So in sanctuary I hav sn You, To bhold Your strngth and Your honor. What is th gist of this vrs? David was usd to worshiping at th Tabrnacl of God. This is whr h larnd about God. David focuss on th powr and glory of God in this vrs.
13 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 23:14) Psalm 63:2a kên (ï Å ) [pronouncd kan] so, thus; upright, honst; rightly, wll; [it is] so, such, so constitutd; proprly, an activ participl; usd primarily as an advrb Strong's #3651 BDB #485 h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity Strong s# non BDB #88 qôdsh ( ã ) É [pronouncd koh-desh] holinss, sacnss, apartnss, that which is holy, holy things masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong's #6944 BDB #871 châzâh (äæ ÈçÈ ) [pronouncd khaw-zaw] to s, to bhold; to s [God], thrfor, to njoy His favor, to know Him; to choos st 1 prson singular, Qal prfct with th 2 nd prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #2372 BDB #302 Translation: Thus, in th sac [Tnt] I hav bhld You... W hav th prfct tns hr, oftn rfrring to a compltd vnt. David has worshipd God in sac placs, and w would assum that to hav bn th Tnt of God. Evn though it was not fully functional, and vn though w hav littl about th prists of that day, thr was nough spiritual information availabl for David to grow. David, as w hav talkd about bfor, was not yt spiritually matur. This is why w find him in cavs and in th dsrt wildrnss and not as a king. H is not rady to b a king. Howvr, David has obsrvd or bhld God and David rcognizs th importanc of his spiritual lif. David rcognizs th importanc of a rlationship with God. This is whr w find him at this tim. Psalm 63:2b No Strong s # lâmd (ì) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towas, in rgas to prposition BDB #510 râ âh (ä àè øè ) [pronouncd raw-awh] to s, to look, to look at, to viw, to bhold; to prciv, to undrstand, to larn, to know Qal infinitiv construct Strong's #7200 BDB #906 ôz (æò) É [pronouncd ìohz] strngth, might; firmnss, dfns, rfug, protction; splndor, majsty, glory prais masculin singular noun nd with th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #5797 BDB #738 w (or v ) (å) [pronouncd wh] and simpl wâw conjunction No Strong s # BDB #251 kâbôwd (ã á È ) [pronouncd kaw b - VODE] glory, abundanc, honor masculin singular adjctiv that acts lik a nd noun; with th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #3519 BDB #458
Psalm 63 14 Translation:...to prciv Your strngth and Your glory. Whn David had obsrvd God, so to spak, in th Holy Tnt, h larnd about God s grat strngth and God s grat glory. David has not sn God s strngth and glory, as ths things cannot b sn only thir manifstations. Howvr, David has prcivd God s strngth and glory; h has com to undrstand ths aspcts of God s charactr. H also larnd of ths things in Tabrnacl and whn h had accss to Holy Writ in th palac (rcall that th king was supposd to hav a copy of th Law at his disposal). So David larnd about God acadmically, as wll as sing how God functiond in his day to day lif. Howvr, h is now undr diffrnt circumstancs. H has no accss to th Bibl, as it xistd in thos days. H is no longr on of th top soldirs undr Saul. H is not living with Saul s daughtr in a nic hom anymor. Th circumstancs for David hav changd dramatically. But God has not changd. That is th ky to this whol psalm. It appars as though vrything has changd, but it has not. David s circumstancs hav changd, but God is still God. In this psalm, David will raliz that God s charactr rmains th sam, dspit his own changing circumstancs. David s accss to God rmains unftt, vn though, from human viwpoint, it appars as though David has no accss to God. H dos not hav accss to God s Wo; h cannot attnd Tabrnacl srvics. What David dos hav is intrnal oprating assts. God s Wo is in his soul. David has fllowship with God, vn though thr is no longr a functioning Tabrnacl. Application: At som point in tim, all that you hav dpndd upon th rading of your Bibl, th study of Scriptur, th attnding church will b suddnly gon. Who knows what might happn? A dbilitating illnss. Th ovrthrow of your govrnmnt. Evry church in your priphry gos apostat. Circumstancs chang, your lif changs, and you can no longr accss doctrin as bfor. Thn what can you us to function with? You must us th doctrin which is built up in your human spirit. Lt m giv you an analogy: whn a hikr finds himslf lost without supplis for an xtra day in th wildrnss, his body will bgin to convrt his fat into nrgy. His body will mtaboliz th fat that h carris and us that so that th hikr can continu to walk and to mak progrss. W must hav ths intrnal assts in our human spirit. If w hav a human spirit filld with divin viwpoint, filld with th various problm-solving rationals, thn if w must go for a fw days without doctrin, or vn a fw months, w ar abl to function without our spiritual lif going to hll. Application: Don t misundrstand th prvious point. This dos not man that you can simply choos to skip doctrin whnvr it is inconvnint. You hav a lot of work, you go on vacation, thr is a rally good tlvision show on. As long as you ar abl to tak in doctrin, thn you tak in doctrin. As long as you ar abl to larn about Who and What God is, you continu to larn. Thr will com a tim in your lif whn you cannot tak in th Wo of God. That is, it will b impossibl (and I don t man difficult or inconvnint; I man impossibl). That is whn your body can bgin to draw upon th fat that you hav sto up. Finally, this dos not man that you should go out and try to gain as much wight as humanly possibl. I includ that for th ½% of complt and total fraks who do vrything possibl to misintrprt anything which is accurat information. Now, why dos David focus upon God s powr and glory? Simpl: David knows that God is all-powrful. Saul may hav an army bhind him; David may not b saf in anothr country or city (lik Gath); th popl of Isral may b willing to giv David up in a hartbat (cp. I Sam. 23:12, 19). Non of this mattrs, bcaus David is protctd by God. David can dpnd upon God for his strngth. God is all-powrful, so th tmporary circumstancs which mak David think that all is lost thy ar maninglss. Lt m giv you an xampl. You ar th nw kid in school and you ar tiny and you walk down th hallway in th midst of a plthora of jocks and bullis by yourslf, you may hav rason to far or to b at last apprhnsiv. Howvr, now walk down that sam hallway and your bst frind, who is walking bsid you, is th biggst, toughst kid in th school. Now you hav no rason to far anyon. You don t mind all of th bullis looking you ovr, bcaus right nxt to you walks a kid who can knock th stuffing out of thm. So you want thm to look and rcogniz who is your ally. This is David; th hallway is Isral; and th bullis ar Saul and his army. Howvr, David is walking down this hallway with God, so no on can lay a hand on him. Only if God allows it to happn can it happn. Nxt, why dos David focus in on God s glory? Simpl: vrything that God chooss to happn glorifis Him. Evn though David finds himslf out in th wildrnss of Judæa, th circumstancs in which h finds himslf ar orchstratd by God to glorify God. Thr is nothing amiss. Thr hav bn no mistaks. God isn t going to
15 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 23:14) somday look down and say, Holy damn, David, I mant for you to b in th palac. I must hav lost track of this situation. God dosn t loos track. Whr David is, is by God s choic to glorify Himslf. God didn t scrw up; David is not in th Judæan wildrnss by mistak. H is thr to glorify God. David is thr to magnify God and to giv cnc to God s graciousnss (which will b part of th focus of th nxt vrs) and powr. Application: Your circumstancs will chang priodically; do not worry about that. Focus on th charactr of God. Focus on His powr and His glory. Raliz that things do not occur by happnstanc. God did not forgt about you, h hasn t gottn busy and lt you slip into a problmatic situation by mistak. Whr you ar and what is happning to you is all by divin dsign. Now, mayb it is disciplin and mayb it is tsting; howvr, in any cas, it is blssing for you and glorification for God. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx David Praiss God For b tt r grac than b ing aliv ; my [two] lips prais You. Psalm 63:3 Bcaus Your grac is bttr than lif [itslf], I giv prais to You [lit., my lips prais You]. I giv prais to you bcaus Your grac is gratr than lif itslf. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Early translations: Th Sptuagint For Your mrcy is bttr than lif; my lips will prais You. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV NAB NLT REB Your lov mans mor than lif to m, and I prais you. For your lov is bttr than lif; my lips offr you worship! Your unfailing lov is bttr to m than lif itslf; how I prais you! You unfailing lov is bttr than lif; thrfor I shall sing your praiss. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): God s Wo JPS (Tanakh) I prais you bcaus your mrcy is bttr than lif. itslf -. Truly Your faithfulnss is bttr than lif; my lips dclar Your prais. Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: NASB Young's Updatd LT Bcaus Thy lovingkindnss is bttr than lif, My lips will prais Th. Bcaus bttr is Your kindnss than lif, My lips prais You.
Psalm 63 16 What is th gist of this vrs? David, vn in ths xignt circumstancs, will prais God bcaus of His matchlss grac. Psalm 63:3a kîy (é ò ) [pronouncd k] for, that, bcaus; whn, at that tim, which, what tim conjunction; prposition Strong's #3588 BDB #471 þôwb (á è) [pronouncd b toh v] plasant, plasing, agrabl, good, bttr masculin singular adjctiv which acts lik a substantiv Strong s #2896 BDB #373 chçd (ã ñ ç ) [pronouncd KHEH-sd] grac, bnvolnc, mrcy, kindnss masculin singular noun nd with th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #2617 BDB #338 min (ï îò ) [pronouncd min] from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, sinc, than, mor than, gratr than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 chayyîym (íé ò çç ) [pronouncd khay- YEEM] bing aliv, bing vigorous, having lif, sustaining lif, living prosprously it is lif as opposd to dath Masculin substantiv plural abstract Strong s #2416 BDB #313 Translation: Bcaus Your grac is bttr than lif [itslf],... W would hav normally turnd this phras around. That is, statd v. 3b first, and thn 3a. What follows is that David praiss God (mor accuratly, his lips prais God). David dos that bcaus God s grac His undying and unmritd lov to us is gratr than our human xistnc. David dos not know xactly what th futur holds for him. H knows that h will b king ovr Isral. Howvr, h knows, mor importantly, that h can dpnd upon God s grac throughout his lif. In fact, his lif, apart from grac, is worth nothing. Thrfor, God s grac is gratr than David s human xistnc. God s grac is gratr than anything in this lif. What David has don is h has focusd on thr aspcts of God s charactr and purpos: His strngth, His glory and His graciousnss. God is all-powrful no mattr what circumstancs David finds himslf in. Evn though things may sm blak, God is grac and H is pouring his unfilt lov upon David. So David cannot bcom discouragd, nor is thr any rason for him to doubt God. Th psalms of this gnral tim priod show that David is making grat spiritual strids, and that, if anytim, h is xprincing acclratd growth, growth which would b impossibl undr non-advrs circumstancs. God has plans for David incibl plans, and God must gt David prpa for ths things which will com to pass. Thrfor, God must do whatvr it is to prpar David. Rmmbr that, not only will David rul ovr all Isral, and not only will th Mssiah com through David s bloodlin, but David will b a typ of Christ. Fw mn will furthr th plan of God lik David. Thrfor, his prparation must b carfully dirctd and intns. David, at first, was running for his lif. Evr sinc his wif, Michal, lt him down through th window of thir hom, David has bn running from Saul, trying to prsrv his own lif. H s mad som trmndous mistaks whil running, which ar cov in I Sam. 21 22. With this vrs, David rcognizs that his lif is not gratr than God s grac. H livs bcaus of God s grac. What David dos in this vrs is to put things in prspctiv. David has th divin prspctiv at this point. Application: Whn things don t appar to b going your way, focus on God s powr and His graciousnss. Thn raliz that, what God dos will glorify Him. Thrfor, do not bcom discouragd or confusd by advrs
17 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 23:14) circumstancs. Whil things ar asy, thn prpar for th futur by taking in doctrin. Whn things gt difficult, thn fd off of that doctrin in your soul Psalm 63:3b sâphâh (ä ô È È ) [pronouncd saw- FAWH] lip, tongu; wos, spch; dialct, languag; dg, bor [or, lip] [of somthing] fminin dual noun with st th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #8193 BDB #973 b shâ vach (ç á - È ) [pronouncd shaw b - VAHKH] to still [th wavs]; to prais, to sooth with praiss; to pronounc happy 3 prson masculin plural, Pil imprfct with nd th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #7623 BDB #986 Translation:...I giv prais to You [lit., my lips prais You]. Although David is in a plac whr h is without th ability to attnd th srvics at th Tnt of God; h is away from th Wo of God; still, David praiss God. Th basis for his prais was just givn God s glorious graciousnss. David rcognizs that ths advrs circumstancs ar a product of God s powr and grac thrfor, who is h to bitch and complain? H has no rason to b upst and h has no rason to doubt God. Whn xamining this situation from God s viwpoint, taking into considration God s charactr, David s rspons is to prais God. Most of you would hav th sns to thank God if somon suddnly dliv a whl barrl of mony to you. Plas raliz that God is also involvd whn thr ar unfavorabl conditions in your lif. So, you go with whatvr H chooss for you, and glorify Him, rcognizing that H is purposful, vn if w do not immdiatly rcogniz th purpos of whr h placs us and what h allows to b don to us. So I blss You in my livs in Your nam I lift up my [two] palms. Psalm 63:4 So I clbrat You in my bing aliv I lift my hands bfor Your nam [or, rputation]. Thus I clbrat bing aliv, lifting up my hands bcaus of Your charactr. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Early translations: Th Sptuagint Thus I will blss You during my lif; I will lift up my hands in Your nam. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV NLT As long as I liv, I will pray to you. I will honor you as long as I liv, lifting up my hands to you in prayr. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): God s Wo JPS (Tanakh) So I will thank you as long as I liv. I will lift up my hands. to pray - in your nam. I blss You all my lif; I lift up my hands, invoking Your nam.
Psalm 63 18 Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: NASB NRSV Young's Updatd LT So I will blss Th as long as I liv; I will lift up my hands in Thy nam. So I will blss you as long as I liv; I will lift up my hands and call on your nam. So I blss You in my lif; In Your nam, I lift up my hands. What is th gist of this vrs? David clbrats God whil h is aliv, giving an xtrnal sign of this of raising up his hands. Rcogniz that this vrs is a paralll to th prvious vrs. God s graciousnss is gratr than lif itslf, so David praiss God. Thrfor, David will clbrat God for as long as h livs, and h will lift up his hands in prais and worship. Psalm 63:4a kên (ï Å ) [pronouncd kan] so, thus; upright, honst; rightly, wll; [it is] so, such, so constitutd; proprly, an activ participl; usd primarily as an advrb Strong's #3651 BDB #485 bârak ( ø Ç È ) [pronouncd baw RAHK ] to invok God, to prais, to clbrat, to ador, to blss [God]; to blss [mn], to invok blssings; to blss [as God, man and othr cratd things], thrfor to caus to prospr, to mak happy; to salut anyon [with a blssing]; to curs st 1 prson singular, Pil imprfct with th 2 nd prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #1288 BDB #138 h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity Strong s# non BDB #88 chayyîym (íé ò çç ) [pronouncd khay- YEEM] bing aliv, bing vigorous, having lif, sustaining lif, living prosprously it is lif as opposd to dath Masculin substantiv plural abstract with th st 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #2416 BDB #313 Translation: So I clbrat You in my bing aliv... David is aliv and God thrfor has a purpos for his lif. Thrfor, vn if h is unabl to njoy many of th spiritual blssings that h has had in th past, David can still clbrat, as h can dpnd upon God. This historical background is th ky to this psalm. David has bn running for his lif, and thn, suddnly, h ralizs, Hy, I am still aliv...all of Saul s army is out to kill m but I am still aliv. David has alrady rcognizd that God s omnipotnc and His grac hav kpt him aliv to this point (vv. 2 3). So, rathr than concntrat on prsrving his own lif, David clbrats Who and What God is. H is aliv not bcaus h has clvrly ludd Saul, but h is aliv bcaus of God s grac and powr. Thrfor, it would b ridiculous to b in a panic, to b
19 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 23:14) worrid, to distrust God and God s plan. Th opposit mntal attitud is to not just trust God, but to clbrat God s charactr. Psalm 63:4b h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity Strong s# non BDB #88 shêm (í Å ) [pronouncd sham] nam, rputation, charactr masculin singular noun nd with th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #8034 BDB #1027 nâsâ (à È Èð) [pronouncd naw-saw] to lift up, to bar, to carry st 1 prson singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #5375 (and #4984) BDB #669 kaph (ó Ç ) [pronouncd kaf] palm, hollow or flat of th hand, sol of th foot; bowl, spoon masculin dual noun st with th 1 prson singular suffix, pausal form Strong s #3709 BDB #496 Translation:...I lift my hands bfor Your nam [or, rputation]. Lifting up his hands is giving glory to God and rcognizing God s grac and blssings. This is a dmonstrativ gstur of prayr and rvrnc. Psalm 28:2: Har th voic of my prayrs, whn I cry to You, whn I lift up my hands towa Your Holy Plac. David rcognizs and pays homag to God and His grac in this psalm. Bcaus I tnd to go into grat dtail on ach vrs, it is somtims difficult to s th forst through th trs. Thrfor, I will put vv. 3 4 togthr, so that th paralllisms ar obvious. Th Paralllisms of Psalm 63:3 4 Bcaus Your grac is bttr than lif [itslf], I giv prais to You [lit., my lips prais You]. So I clbrat You in my bing aliv I lift my hands bfor Your nam [or, rputation]. Lins 1 and 3 ar obviously rlatd, as David first says that Gods grac is gratr than lif (chayyîym), thrfor h clbrats God bcaus h is aliv (chayyîym). Not th xact sam wo, in th Hbrw, is usd. Lins 2 and 4 giv two ways which David praiss God: with his lips and with his hands. On may tak this a stp furthr, to undrstand that David prais s God in what H says and dos. Not that David s psalms ar not just som nic holy wos thrown togthr but that his psalms hav structur, rlvanc, and intpndnc. What this would suggst to m is, ithr w will find a paralllism in vv. 1 2 and 5 6, or that this paralllism could btwn vv. 1 and 6 and vv. 2 and 5 (th lattr appars to b th cas). Thrfor, whn w finish with v. 6, w will look back on ths paralllisms. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx As notd abov, David honors God with what h says (v. 3b) and with what h dos (v. 4b).
Psalm 63 20 As fat and fatnss is satiatd my soul, and lips of joyfulnss praiss my mouth. Psalm 63:5 My soul is satiatd as [with] fat and oil, and my mouth clbrats with joyful wos. My soul is satisfid as with fat and dlicacis whil my mouth clbrats with joyful wos. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Early translations: Th Pshitta Th Sptuagint My soul will b nrichd as with cram and fatnss; and my mouth will prais You with joyful lips. Lt my soul b filld as with marrow and fatnss; and [my] joyful lips will prais You nam. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV NJB NLT I will sing joyful praiss and b filld with xcitmnt lik a gust at a banqut. All my longings fulfilld as with fat and rich foods, a song of joy on my lips and prais in my mouth. You satisfy m mor than th richst of foods. I will prais you with songs of joy. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): God s Wo JPS (Tanakh) You satisfy my soul with th richst foods. My mouth will sing. your - prais with joyful lips. I am satd as with a rich fast [lit., sut and fat], I sing praiss with joyful lips. Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: NASB Young's Updatd LT My soul is satisfid as with marrow and fatnss, And my mouth offrs praiss with joyful lips. As with milk and fatnss is my soul satisfid, And with singing lips dos my mouth prais. What is th gist of this vrs? David, although out in th dsrt, on th run, is satisfid in his soul with God and with God s provisions. H continus to prais God. Psalm 63:5a k mô ( î ) [pronouncd Ó lik, as, whn; thus, so Advrb/conjunction k moh] chêlb (á ì çå ) b fat masculin singular noun [pronouncd KHAY-l v] Strong s #3644 BDB #455 Strong s #2459 BDB #316