King James Version
Psalms 63
11 verses with commentary
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O 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; thirsty: Heb. weary where: without water
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>O 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.</strong> This opening declaration establishes the psalm's passionate theme: intense spiritual hunger for God's presence. The emphatic repetition "O God, thou art MY God" (<em>Elohim eli atah</em>, אֱלֹהִים אֵלִי אַתָּה) transforms theological t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **Early will I seek thee.**—LXX. and Vulgate, “to thee I wake early,” *i.e., *my *waking *thoughts are toward thee, and this was certainly in the Hebrew, since the verb here used has for its cognate noun the *dawn. *The *expectancy *which even in inanimate nature seems to await the first streak of morning is itself enough to show the connection of thought. (Comp. the use of the same verb in So...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. powerful ... majesty--**literally, "in power, in majesty."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 63
Chapter Outline
David's desire toward God.(1-2)
His satisfaction in God.(3-6)
His dependence upon God, and assurance of safety.(7-11)
**Verses 1-2**
Early will I seek thee. The true Christian devotes to God the morning hour. He opens the eyes of his understanding with those of his body, and awakes each morning to righteousness. He arises with a thirst after those c...
Read full commentary →To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
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KJV Study Commentary
David's seeing God 'in the sanctuary' connects thirst (v. 1) to worship. The desire to behold God's 'power and glory' indicates that true worship seeks God Himself, not merely blessings. This anticipates Christ's teaching that true worshipers worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24), where seeing God's glory becomes the soul's ultimate satisfaction.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **To see thy power . . .**—The transposition of the clauses in the Authorised Version weakens the sense. Render, *So *(*i.e., in this state of religious fervour*)* in the sanctuary have I had vision of thee in seeing thy might and glory. *The psalmist means, that while he saw with his eyes the outward signs of Divine glory, he had a spiritual vision (the Hebrew word is that generally used of p...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5-6. The tall and large cedars, especially of Lebanon, are shivered, utterly broken. The waving of the mountain forests before the wind is expressed by the figure of skipping or leaping.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 63
Chapter Outline
David's desire toward God.(1-2)
His satisfaction in God.(3-6)
His dependence upon God, and assurance of safety.(7-11)
**Verses 1-2**
Early will I seek thee. The true Christian devotes to God the morning hour. He opens the eyes of his understanding with those of his body, and awakes each morning to righteousness. He arises with a thirst after those c...
Read full commentary →Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.</strong> This verse articulates one of Scripture's most radical value assessments: God's steadfast love (<em>chesed</em>, חֶסֶד) surpasses life itself in worth. The word <em>chesed</em> is notoriously difficult to translate—it combines loyalty, mercy, kindness, steadfast covenant love, and faithful devotion. The KJV...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Because.**—Such a sense of the blessedness of Divine favour—here in its peculiar sense of covenant favour—that it is better than life itself, calls for gratitude displayed all through life. “Love is the ever-springing fountain” from which all goodness proceeds, and a sense of it is even more than the happy sense of being alive. The following lines convey in a modern dress the feeling of this...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5-6. The tall and large cedars, especially of Lebanon, are shivered, utterly broken. The waving of the mountain forests before the wind is expressed by the figure of skipping or leaping.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 3-6**
Even in affliction we need not want matter for praise. When this is the regular frame of a believer's mind, he values the loving-kindness of God more than life. God's loving-kindness is our spiritual life, and that is better than temporal life. We must praise God with joyful lips; we must address ourselves to the duties of religion with cheerfulness, and speak forth the praises ...
Read full commentary →Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
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KJV Study Commentary
The vow 'Thus will I bless thee while I live' commits to lifelong praise. Lifting up hands 'in thy name' indicates both surrender and supplication. This worship posture—blessing God throughout life—demonstrates that gratitude is not circumstantial but covenantal. The permanence of praise ('while I live') reveals that worship defines the believer's existence.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. divideth--**literally, "hews off." The lightning, like flakes and splinters hewed from stone or wood, flies through the air.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 3-6**
Even in affliction we need not want matter for praise. When this is the regular frame of a believer's mind, he values the loving-kindness of God more than life. God's loving-kindness is our spiritual life, and that is better than temporal life. We must praise God with joyful lips; we must address ourselves to the duties of religion with cheerfulness, and speak forth the praises ...
Read full commentary →My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: marrow: Heb. fatness
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.</strong> This verse employs rich culinary imagery to describe spiritual satisfaction. The Hebrew <em>deshen vachelev</em> (דֶּשֶׁן וָחֵלֶב, "marrow and fatness") refers to the choicest, most luxurious foods—the richest portions of meat, including bone marrow and fat considered delicacies...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Satisfied.**—This image of a banquet, which repeats itself so frequently in Scripture, need not be connected with the sacrificial feasts.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. the wilderness--**especially Kadesh, south of Judea, is selected as another scene of this display of divine power, as a vast and desolate region impresses the mind, like mountains, with images of grandeur.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 3-6**
Even in affliction we need not want matter for praise. When this is the regular frame of a believer's mind, he values the loving-kindness of God more than life. God's loving-kindness is our spiritual life, and that is better than temporal life. We must praise God with joyful lips; we must address ourselves to the duties of religion with cheerfulness, and speak forth the praises ...
Read full commentary →When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.</strong> This verse reveals David's contemplative practice during nighttime hours when most people sleep. The Hebrew <em>zekharticha</em> (זְכַרְתִּיךָ, "remember thee") means more than casual recollection—it implies active, purposeful recalling of God's character, works, and promises. David deliberately brings Go...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Remember.**—Better, *remembered.*
**Bed.**—Literally, *beds.*
**Night watches.**—According to the Jewish reckoning, the night was divided into three watches: the “beginning,” or head (*rôsh*)*; *the “middle” (*tikhôn, *Judges 7:19); and the “morning” (*boker, *Exodus 14:24).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
9. Terror-stricken animals and denuded forests close the illustration. In view of this scene of awful sublimity, God's worshippers respond to the call of Psa 29:2, and speak or cry, "Glory!" By "temple," or "palace" (God's residence, Psa 5:7), may here be meant heaven, or the whole frame of nature, as the angels are called on for praise.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 3-6**
Even in affliction we need not want matter for praise. When this is the regular frame of a believer's mind, he values the loving-kindness of God more than life. God's loving-kindness is our spiritual life, and that is better than temporal life. We must praise God with joyful lips; we must address ourselves to the duties of religion with cheerfulness, and speak forth the praises ...
Read full commentary →Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
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KJV Study Commentary
The image of God's wings as refuge recalls the cherubim's wings over the mercy seat, connecting divine protection to covenant atonement. 'Because thou hast been my help' grounds future confidence in past faithfulness. Rejoicing 'in the shadow of thy wings' depicts secure joy under divine covering, anticipating Christ's lament over Jerusalem refusing this shelter (Matthew 23:37).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Because . . .**—Better, *For thou hast been my helper; and under the shadow, *&c. (For the image see Psalm 17:8; Psalm 36:7; Psalm 57:1; Psalm 61:4.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
10-11. Over this terrible raging of the elements God is enthroned, directing and restraining by sovereign power; and hence the comfort of His people. "This awful God is ours, our Father and our Love."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-11**
True Christians can, in some measure, and at some times, make use of the strong language of David, but too commonly our souls cleave to the dust. Having committed ourselves to God, we must be easy and pleased, and quiet from the fear of evil. Those that follow hard after God, would soon fail, if God's right hand did not uphold them. It is he that strengthens us and comforts us....
Read full commentary →My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.</strong> This verse captures the dynamic of divine-human relationship—human pursuit met with divine support. "My soul followeth hard after thee" (<em>davekah nafshi acharekha</em>, דָּבְקָה נַפְשִׁי אַחֲרֶיךָ) uses the verb <em>dabaq</em> (דָּבַק), meaning to cling, cleave, stick close, pursue closely. This is an intense, ener...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **My soul . . .**—Literally, *my soul cleaved after thee, *combining two ideas. (Comp. Jeremiah 42:16.) The English phrase, “hung upon thee” (comp. Prayer-Book version), exactly expresses it.
For “depths,” or “abysses of the earth,” comp. Psalm 139:15; Ephesians 4:9. It means the under world of the dead.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
10-11. Over this terrible raging of the elements God is enthroned, directing and restraining by sovereign power; and hence the comfort of His people. "This awful God is ours, our Father and our Love."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-11**
True Christians can, in some measure, and at some times, make use of the strong language of David, but too commonly our souls cleave to the dust. Having committed ourselves to God, we must be easy and pleased, and quiet from the fear of evil. Those that follow hard after God, would soon fail, if God's right hand did not uphold them. It is he that strengthens us and comforts us....
Read full commentary →But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
The pronouncement that those seeking David's soul 'shall go into the lower parts of the earth' indicates Sheol—not merely death but judgment. This judicial declaration reflects David's confidence that God will vindicate by judging his persecutors. The certainty ('shall go') demonstrates faith in divine justice, not personal revenge.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-11**
True Christians can, in some measure, and at some times, make use of the strong language of David, but too commonly our souls cleave to the dust. Having committed ourselves to God, we must be easy and pleased, and quiet from the fear of evil. Those that follow hard after God, would soon fail, if God's right hand did not uphold them. It is he that strengthens us and comforts us....
Read full commentary →They shall fall by the sword : they shall be a portion for foxes. They shall fall: Heb. They shall make him run out like water by the hands of
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KJV Study Commentary
The violent fate predicted—'fall by the sword... portion for foxes'—uses warfare imagery to depict complete defeat. Bodies left for scavengers indicated shameful death (1 Kings 14:11), the opposite of honorable burial. This anticipates the fate of God's enemies who oppose His anointed, ultimately fulfilled in Christ's enemies (Psalm 110:1).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Shall fall.**—See margin. But more literally, *they shall pour him on to the hands of the sword, *where the suffix *him *is collective of the enemy, and the meaning is, “they shall be given over to the power of the sword.” (Comp. Jeremiah 18:21; Ezekiel 35:5.)
**Foxes** **. . .**—Rather, *jackals. *Heb., *shualîm. *(See Note, Song of Solomon 2:15.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 30 Psa 30:1-12. Literally, "A Psalm-Song"--a composition to be sung with musical instruments, or without them--or, "Song of the dedication," &c. specifying the particular character of the Psalm. Some suppose that of David should be connected with the name of the composition, and not with "house"; and refer for the occasion to the selection of a site for the temple (1Ch 21:26-30; 22:1). B...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-11**
True Christians can, in some measure, and at some times, make use of the strong language of David, but too commonly our souls cleave to the dust. Having committed ourselves to God, we must be easy and pleased, and quiet from the fear of evil. Those that follow hard after God, would soon fail, if God's right hand did not uphold them. It is he that strengthens us and comforts us....
Read full commentary →But 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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The king's rejoicing in God contrasts with liars' mouths being stopped. Those who 'swear by him' indicates covenant oath-taking, distinguishing true worshipers from false. The silencing of liars' mouths anticipates eschatological judgment when every mouth will be stopped before God (Romans 3:19), and only truth remains.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Sweareth by him.**—This is explained as meaning, “swear allegiance to him as the king,” on the analogy of Zephaniah 1:5. And this suits the context. On the other hand, the natural way to understand the phrase, “swear by” or “in him,” is to refer it to the only oath allowed to the Israelite,” by the name of Jehovah” (Deuteronomy 6:13; Isaiah 65:16; comp. Amos 8:14), in which case we must exp...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. healed me--**Affliction is often described as disease (Psa 6:2; 41:4; 107:20), and so relief by healing.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-11**
True Christians can, in some measure, and at some times, make use of the strong language of David, but too commonly our souls cleave to the dust. Having committed ourselves to God, we must be easy and pleased, and quiet from the fear of evil. Those that follow hard after God, would soon fail, if God's right hand did not uphold them. It is he that strengthens us and comforts us....
Read full commentary →