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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 63

Psalm 63: thirst in a dry land and lovingkindness better than life

General context

The speaker calls God his God and says he will seek him early; his soul thirsts and his flesh longs for God in a dry and thirsty land without water, to see God's power and glory as he has seen him in the sanctuary. Because God's lovingkindness is better than life, his lips will praise God; he will bless him while he lives and lift up his hands in his name. His soul will be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and his mouth will praise with joyful lips, when he remembers God on his bed and meditates on him in the night watches. Because God has been his help, he will rejoice in the shadow of his wings; his soul follows hard after God, and God's right hand upholds him. But those who seek to destroy his soul will go into the lower parts of the earth, fall by the sword and be a portion for foxes. The king will rejoice in God, everyone who swears by him will glory, and the mouth of those who speak lies will be stopped.

Cited passages: Psalms 63:1, Psalms 63:2, Psalms 63:3, Psalms 63:4, Psalms 63:5, Psalms 63:6, Psalms 63:7, Psalms 63:8, Psalms 63:9, Psalms 63:10, Psalms 63:11

Psalms 63 (KJV)

1O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

6When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

7Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

8My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

9But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

11But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The text as printed here carries no heading; verse 1 opens with "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee", so this source names no author, occasion or musical direction. The speaker is a single "I" addressing God throughout, until the last verse speaks of "the king" in the third person; the text does not say whether the speaker is the king or someone else, and the king is not named. "A dry and thirsty land, where no water is" is the only setting given, and it is not located; the speaker says he has previously seen God "in the sanctuary", which is likewise unnamed. Those who "seek my soul, to destroy it" are unidentified, and their end, falling "by the sword" and becoming "a portion for foxes", is stated as future rather than reported. "Every one that sweareth by him" is not explained further. There is no Selah in this psalm, and no event is narrated.

Cited passages: Psalms 63:1, Psalms 63:11, Psalms 63:2, Psalms 63:9, Psalms 63:10

Literary context

The psalm is built on appetite. Thirst and longing open it, "my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee", and satisfaction answers them in the language of a feast, "satisfied as with marrow and fatness". The dry land of verse 1 stands against the remembered sanctuary of verse 2, and against the night bed of verse 6 where remembering happens. Two "Because" clauses supply the reasons for praise: lovingkindness "better than life" and "thou hast been my help". The body is present throughout, lips, hands, mouth, flesh, and God's right hand, and God's wings, the refuge of Psalm 57, are here the place of rejoicing. The turn at verse 9, "But those that seek my soul", is brief, and the enemies' fate is told in three images, the lower parts of the earth, the sword, foxes. The last verse sets three outcomes in a row, the king rejoicing, swearers glorying, liars silenced, and "mouth" appears twice in the psalm, once praising and once stopped.

Cited passages: Psalms 63:1, Psalms 63:5, Psalms 63:6, Psalms 63:3, Psalms 63:7, Psalms 63:9, Psalms 63:11, Psalms 57:1

Key moments

  1. Thirst in a dry land (Psalms 63:1). The speaker seeks God early, his soul and flesh longing for him in a waterless land.
  2. As I have seen thee in the sanctuary (Psalms 63:2). He wants to see God's power and glory as he has seen them before.
  3. Better than life (Psalms 63:3). He says God's lovingkindness is better than life and his lips will praise him.
  4. Marrow and fatness (Psalms 63:5). He expects his soul to be satisfied as with rich food and his mouth to praise with joy.
  5. In the night watches (Psalms 63:6). He remembers God on his bed and meditates through the night.
  6. A portion for foxes (Psalms 63:10). Those who seek to destroy him will fall by the sword and be left for foxes.
  7. The king shall rejoice (Psalms 63:11). The king will rejoice in God and the mouths of liars will be stopped.

For reflection

The speaker says God's lovingkindness is better than life while standing in a land with no water; what would it take to hold that comparison in a place where life itself is the thing in short supply?

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