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PSALM 63

STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NASB NKJV NRSV TEV NJB
The Thirsting Soul Satisfied in God
  MT Intro
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah 		Joyful in the Fellowship of God Prayer for Deliverance From Personal Enemies Longing For God Yearning For God
63:1-5 63:1-2 63:1-4 63:1-5 63:1-2
63:3-5 63:3-5
63:5-8
63:6-8 63:6-8 63:6-8 63:6-8
63:9-11 63:9-11 63:9-11 63:9-11 63:9-11

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

  1. Surprisingly this Psalm has no IMPERATIVES, JUSSIVES, or COHORTATIVES.

  2. This Psalm does not admonish others but describes a personal search for a deep, personal relationship with God (cf. Ps. 42:1-4).

  3. Like so many Psalms there is an aspect of tension with enemies (cf. Ps. 63:9-11). Because of Ps. 63:11, this reflects the thoughts of the King, so they may be
    1. foreigners
    2. faithless Israelites

  4. Psalm 63:11a does not automatically make this a royal Psalm; see note at Ps. 63:9-11 for options.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 63:1-5
 1O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
 My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
 In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
 2Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
 To see Your power and Your glory.
 3Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
 My lips will praise You.
 4So I will bless You as long as I live;
 I will lift up my hands in Your name.
 5My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
 And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

63:1-5 In this strophe the psalmist describes how he feels about God (Ps. 63:1, Elohim and El, see SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, A., C.).

  1. he seeks Him earnestly (lit. "look early") – BDB 1007, KB 1465, Piel IMPERFECT (cf. Ps. 78:34; Prov. 7:15; 8:17; Isa. 26:9; Hosea 5:15); the same root is the NOUN form for "dawn" (cf. Ps. 57:8)
  2. his soul (lit. nephesh, BDB 659) thirsts for God – BDB 854, KB 1032, Qal PERFECT, cf. Ps. 42:2; 84:2; Matt. 5:6; see SPECIAL TOPIC: NEPHESH
  3. his flesh (BDB 142) yearns (lit. "faints") for God – BDB 484, KB 480, Qal PERFECT; only here in the OT; from Arabic root "to be pale of face"
  4. he describes his thirsting and fainting as caused by being in a dry and weary land where there is no water (cf. Ps. 143:6); God is often described as the source of "living water" (cf. Isa. 12:3; 44:3; 55:1; Jer. 2:13; 17:13; John 4:10; 7:37-38; Rev. 21:6; 22:17)

This intense search for God in a dry land is caused because of the refreshing joy he knew earlier in the worship in the temple (Ps. 63:2).

  1. beheld God in the sanctuary (lit. "in holiness," cf. Ps. 60:6; 89:35; 102:19) – BDB 302, KB 301, Qal PERFECT; this word can mean sanctuary but does not necessarily mean that; I do not think this line of the poem mandates a person in exile; AB (p. 97) even suggests "heavenly sanctuary" in Ps. 63:2 and "eternal life" in Ps. 63:4
  2. see His power – BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT, cf. Ps. 59:17; 62:11
  3. His glory – BDB VERB above assumed (a double OBJECT); see SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY (OT, kabod)

Exactly how the power and glory were manifested is not stated but since the word "glory" is used of the Shekinah glory (i.e., cloud) during the wilderness wanderings (cf. Exod. 16:7,10; 24:16,17; 40:34,35; Lev. 9:6,23; Num. 14:10; 16:19; 20:6; see SPECIAL TOPIC: SHEKINAH), possibly something like 1 Kgs. 8:11 occurred again (the other option is a vision of God Himself, like Isaiah 6 or Ezekiel 1; 10).

63:3-5 These verses describe how the psalmist praises God because of His lovingkindness (see SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (hesed) is better than life.

  1. his lips will praise God – BDB 986 II, KB 1387, Piel IMPERFECT
  2. he will bless God as long as he lives – BDB 138, KB 159, Piel IMPERFECT
  3. he will lift up his hands – BDB 669, KB 724, Qal IMPERFECT
  4. his soul is satisfied – BDB 959, KB 1302, Qal IMPERFECT, cf. Ps. 36:8
  5. his mouth offers praises with joyful lips – BDB 237 II, KB 248, Piel IMPERFECT

63:4 "lift up hands" This gesture has several connotations.

  1. an act of blessing after a sacrifice by a priest ‒ Lev. 9:22 (i.e., some sacrifices were lifted up to YHWH)
  2. an act on the part of a worshiper after a sacrifice of incense ‒ Ps. 141:2
  3. a gesture toward the sanctuary ‒ Ps. 134:2
  4. a posture of prayer, hands raised
    1. cf. Exod. 9:29 (Moses)
    2. 1 Kgs. 8:22 (Solomon)
    3. Lam. 2:19; 3:41 (Israel)
    4. Ps. 44:20 (idolatry)
    5. Luke 24:50 (Jesus)
    6. 1 Tim. 2:8 (believers)
  5. a posture for praise, adoration, or public confession ‒ Ps. 63:4
  6. a way to show YHWH's power as His staff was lifted up in Moses' hands (cf. Exod. 17:8-12)

Here it is meant to symbolize a clean life (cf. 1 Tim. 2:8), open to God and a life that recognizes its need to receive from God (see negative usage in Ps. 44:20).

▣ "in Your name" See SPECIAL TOPIC: "THE NAME" OF YHWH.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 63:6-8
 6When I remember You on my bed,
 I meditate on You in the night watches,
 7For You have been my help,
 And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
 8My soul clings to You;
 Your right hand upholds me.

63:6-8 This strophe continues the psalmist's reflection of God's goodness and care.

  1. he remembers God as he sleeps – BDB 269, KB 269, Qal PERFECT, cf. Deut. 6:6-9; Ps. 119:15,48,97,99
  2. he meditates on God at night – BDB 211 I, KB 237, Qal IMPERFECT, cf. Ps. 4:4
  3. God has been his help (BDB 740 I) – BDB 224, KB 243, Qal PERFECT, cf. Ps. 27:9
  4. he is protected (in the shadow of God's wings) and sings for joy – BDB 943, KB 1247; Piel IMPERFECT
  5. he (lit. nephesh) clings to God – BDB 179, KB 209, Qal PERFECT, cf. Gen. 2:24; Ruth 1:14; 2 Kgs. 18:6; see SPECIAL TOPIC: NEPHESH
  6. God's right hand upholds him – BDB 1069, KB 1751, Qal PERFECT, cf. Ps. 18:35; 41:12

Notice how #5 and #6 reflect both sides of the covenant relationship. It invokes choices and actions by both God and human.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGAUGE TO DESCRIBE GOD

63:7 "in the shadow of Your wings" See note at Ps. 17:8 and SPECIAL TOPIC: SHADOW AS A METAPHOR FOR PROTECTION AND CARE.

63:8
NASB, NJB, NRSV, TEV  "clings"
NKJV, REB  "follows close behind"
JPSOA  "is attached"
LXX  "clung"
Peshitta  "follows hard after"
NET  "pursues"

This VERB (BDB 179, KB 209, Qal PERFECT is used in several senses (here are the relevant ones).

  1. intimate fellowship, Gen. 2:24; 34:3; ADJECTIVE in Deut. 4:4 (with God)
  2. a command from God, Deut. 10:20; 11:22; 13:4
  3. cling to God's word, Ps. 119:31
  4. pursue someone closely, Jdg. 20:45; 1 Sam. 14:22; 1 Chr. 10:2; Jer. 42:16 (NET Bible)

▣ "right hand" See note at Ps. 18:35 and SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 63:9-11
 9But those who seek my life to destroy it,
 Will go into the depths of the earth.
 10They will be delivered over to the power of the sword;
 They will be a prey for foxes.
 11But the king will rejoice in God;
 Everyone who swears by Him will glory,
 For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

63:9-11 As happens often in the Psalms, a strophe is addressed to the psalmist's enemies. In this one "the king" is specifically mentioned. This could mean

  1. the king is the psalmist
  2. the psalmist is addressing problems the king faced and expresses how he knows the king would feel (cf. Ps. 63:11a)
  3. it is a literary technique to link individual Psalms to corporate Psalms (cf. Ps. 63:11b)

These are statements about the enemies (i.e., those who seek his life to destroy it and, thereby Israel).

  1. they will go into the depths of the earth (i.e., the Pit, Sheol, the grave, see SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD?, I. B. and II. B.). In the OT all humans go to Sheol, as all humans go to Hades in the NT to wait judgment day. It is possible that "the lowest part" represented the abode of the faithless follower and pagan.
  2. they will be poured out to the power of the sword – BDB 620, KB 669, Hiphil IMPERFECT
  3. they will be prey for foxes (i.e., no proper burial)
  4. the mouth of those who speak lies will be stopped – BDB 698, KB 55, Niphal IMPERFECT

Because of this

  1. the king will rejoice in God – BDB 970, KB 1333, Qal IMPERFECT
  2. everyone who swears by Him (BDB 989, KB 1396, Niphal PARTICIPLE) will glory – BDB 237, KB 248, Hithpael IMPERFECT, cf. Isa. 48:1; 65:16

Right and truth and faith will prevail in the end because of the character and purposes of our God!

63:11 "will be stopped" This VERB (BDB 698 I, KB 755, Niphal IMPERFECT is a rare word used only three times in the OT.

  1. stop liars from speaking ‒ here
  2. stop or dam up the waters of the flood ‒ Gen. 8:2
  3. imagery for delivering Egypt into the hands of her enemies (Piel, KB 755 II) ‒ Isa. 19:4

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

  1. How is this Psalm similar to Psalm 42?
  2. Was the psalmist in exile? Why or why not?
  3. To what does Ps. 63:2b refer?
  4. Where do you think Ps. 63:3-5 occurs?
  5. Who are the enemies of Ps. 63:9-10?
  6. Is this a royal Psalm? Why or why not?

 

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