Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament
Psalms 30
Psalm 30: lifted up from the grave, mourning turned into dancing
General context
The speaker will extol the Lord because he has lifted him up and not let his foes rejoice over him; he cried and the Lord healed him, brought up his soul from the grave and kept him alive so that he did not go down to the pit. He calls on the saints to sing to the Lord and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness, for his anger endures only a moment and in his favour is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. He recalls that in his prosperity he said he would never be moved; the Lord by his favour had made his mountain stand strong, then hid his face, and he was troubled. He cried to the Lord and made supplication, asking what profit there is in his blood if he goes down to the pit, whether the dust will praise God or declare his truth, and asking the Lord to hear, have mercy and be his helper. The Lord has turned his mourning into dancing, put off his sackcloth and girded him with gladness, so that his glory may sing praise and not be silent; he will give thanks to the Lord his God for ever.
Cited passages: Psalms 30:1, Psalms 30:2, Psalms 30:3, Psalms 30:4, Psalms 30:5, Psalms 30:6, Psalms 30:7, Psalms 30:8, Psalms 30:9, Psalms 30:10, Psalms 30:11, Psalms 30:12
Psalms 30 (KJV)
1I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
6And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
7Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication.
9What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper.
11Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
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Historical context
The text as printed carries no heading, so no author, occasion or instrument is stated in this source. The speaker is a single "I" who addresses the Lord and, in verse 4, "ye saints of his". He says the Lord "healed" him and brought his soul up from the grave, but names no illness, and the foes who might have rejoiced are not identified. The order of events is given by the speaker himself: prosperity and the confidence that he would never be moved, the Lord hiding his face, his own crying and supplication, and the turn from mourning to dancing; verses 9-10 quote the words of that earlier prayer. "My mountain" in verse 7 is not explained. Sackcloth is mentioned only as put off. The psalm does not say how long the trouble lasted or what form the healing took. There is no Selah.
Cited passages: Psalms 30:4, Psalms 30:2, Psalms 30:1, Psalms 30:6, Psalms 30:7, Psalms 30:9, Psalms 30:11, Psalms 30:3
Literary context
The poem is a thanksgiving that retells the trouble from the far side of it. It opens with the result, lifted up, healed, brought up from the grave, invites the saints to sing (verses 4-5), goes back to narrate the trouble (6-10), and returns to the result (11-12). Its contrasts come in pairs: anger for a moment against favour that is life, weeping for a night against joy in the morning, mourning against dancing, sackcloth against gladness, silence against singing. The pit appears twice, in the opening thanks and in the quoted prayer. The speaker quotes his own earlier boast, "I shall never be moved", against himself, and the argument of his prayer, that dust cannot praise or declare truth, is answered by the closing purpose, "that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent". The hidden face of verse 7 follows directly on the favour that made the mountain stand strong. "For ever" at the end answers "but a moment" in verse 5.
Cited passages: Psalms 30:1, Psalms 30:4, Psalms 30:5, Psalms 30:6, Psalms 30:9, Psalms 30:12, Psalms 30:3, Psalms 30:11, Psalms 30:7
Key moments
- Lifted up (Psalms 30:1). The speaker extols the Lord for lifting him up and not letting his foes rejoice.
- Brought up from the grave (Psalms 30:3). The Lord brought up his soul from the grave and kept him alive.
- Joy in the morning (Psalms 30:5). Anger lasts a moment; weeping endures for a night but joy comes in the morning.
- I shall never be moved (Psalms 30:6). He recalls saying in his prosperity that he would never be moved.
- Face hidden (Psalms 30:7). The Lord hid his face and the speaker was troubled.
- Can the dust praise? (Psalms 30:9). He quotes his prayer asking what profit there is in his blood if he goes to the pit.
- Mourning into dancing (Psalms 30:11). The Lord turned his mourning into dancing and girded him with gladness.
For reflection
The speaker quotes his own words from a time of prosperity, "I shall never be moved", and then reports being troubled; what does the psalm suggest separates that confidence from the thanksgiving it ends with?
