Psalms 63

My soul thirsts for you

ou, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.a ²I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. ³Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.b

⁴I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.c ⁵I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.d ⁶On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.e

⁷Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.f ⁸I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.g ⁹Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.

¹⁰They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals. ¹¹But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.h

Commentary

Psalm 63 is a psalm of David, composed while he was in the wilderness of Judah, likely during his flight from Absalom. It is a raw, intimate expression of desperate longing for God, set against the backdrop of physical thirst and spiritual desolation. David moves from a declaration

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Bible Dictionary· Psalms 63(6)

Hand Lips Right Shadow Sword Water

References· Psalms 63

a: v.1 — Psalms 143:6, Psalms 84:2, Psalms 42:1-2, Matthew 6:33, Psalms 91:2, Revelation 7:16-17, Isaiah 41:18, Exodus 15:2, Psalms 5:3, John 7:37
b: v.3 — Philippians 1:23, Psalms 69:16, Psalms 51:15, Psalms 30:5, Hebrews 13:15, 1 Corinthians 6:20, Romans 12:1, Psalms 30:12, Romans 6:19, 1 John 3:2
c: v.4 — Psalms 104:33, Psalms 134:2, Psalms 28:2, 1 Kings 8:22-66, Psalms 145:1-3, Psalms 146:1-2, Habakkuk 3:10
d: v.5 — Psalms 36:7-9, Isaiah 25:6, Psalms 43:4, Psalms 17:15, Ezra 3:11-13, Psalms 118:14-15, Psalms 135:3, Revelation 19:5-7, Psalms 65:4, Psalms 71:23
e: v.6 — Psalms 42:8, Psalms 119:147-148, Psalms 149:5, Psalms 119:55, Lamentations 2:19, Psalms 77:4-6, Psalms 139:17-18, Song of Solomon 5:2, Song of Solomon 3:1-2
f: v.7 — 2 Corinthians 1:10, Psalms 61:4, Psalms 27:9, Psalms 54:3-4, Psalms 57:1, Psalms 17:8, Psalms 5:11, 1 Samuel 17:37, Psalms 21:1
g: v.8 — Isaiah 41:10, Psalms 18:35, Psalms 73:23, Song of Solomon 2:6, Psalms 37:24, Isaiah 42:1, Psalms 94:18, Psalms 73:25, Psalms 41:12, Philippians 2:12-13
h: v.11 — Deuteronomy 6:13, Psalms 21:1, Isaiah 65:16, Isaiah 45:23, Romans 3:19, Hebrews 6:13, 1 Samuel 24:20, Psalms 31:18, Job 5:16, 1 Samuel 23:17

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