Psalms 63:1
in Psalms 63O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
O God, thou art my God; earnestly will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, In a dry and weary land, where no water is.
KJV
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;
⋯
This verse in Psalms 63
Commentary
4 notes on this verseO God, thou art my God; or, O God, thou art my Mighty One. The last Psalm left the echo of power ringing in the ear, and it is here remembered. Strong affiance bids the fugitive poet confess his allegiance to the only living God; and firm faith enables him to claim him as his own. He has no doubts about his possession of his God; and why should other believers have any? The straightforward, clear language of this opening sentence would be far more becoming in Christians than the timorous and doubtful expressions so usual among professors.
This site's exposition
my soul thirsts for You
on Psalms 63:1-2
The land is dry and weary without water, and the body's thirst becomes the shape of the prayer. Verse 2 looks back to the sanctuary, where he had seen God's power and glory. Memory stands in for the place he cannot reach.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Early - Hebrew. in the morning, Which implies the doing it with diligence and speed. Thirsteth - For the enjoyment of thee in thy house and ordinances. Flesh - The desire of my soul, is so vehement, that my very body feels the effects of it.
A devout and pious soul has little need of direction how to sing this psalm, so naturally does it speak its own genuine language; and an unsanctified soul, that is unacquainted and unaffected with divine things, is scarcely capable of singing it with understanding. A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֱלֹהִ֤ים׀ | ʾelohim | O God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֵלִ֥י | ʾeli | [are] God my | H410 → | 241 times |
| אַתָּ֗ה | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| אֲֽשַׁחֲ֫רֶ֥ךָּ | ʾashachareka | I am seeking earnestly you | H7836 → | |
| צָמְאָ֬ה | tzameah | it is thirsty | H6770 → | |
| לְךָ֨׀ | lekha | for you | ||
| נַפְשִׁ֗י | nafshi | self my | H5315 → | 754 times |
| כָּמַ֣הּ | kamah | it longs | H3642 → | |
| לְךָ֣ | lekha | for you | ||
| בְשָׂרִ֑י | vesari | flesh my | H1320 → | 270 times |
| בְּאֶֽרֶץ־ | beeretz- | in a land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| צִיָּ֖ה | tziyah | dry | H6723 → | 16 times |
| וְעָיֵ֣ף | veayef | and weary | H5889 → | |
| בְּלִי־ | beli- | not | H1097 → | 58 times |
| מָֽיִם׃ | mayim | water | H4325 → | 581 times |
אֱלֹהִ֤ים׀O God
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אֵלִ֥י[are] God my
ʾeliH410 →241 times
אַתָּ֗הyou
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
אֲֽשַׁחֲ֫רֶ֥ךָּI am seeking earnestly you
ʾashacharekaH7836 →
צָמְאָ֬הit is thirsty
tzameahH6770 →
לְךָ֨׀for you
lekha
נַפְשִׁ֗יself my
nafshiH5315 →754 times
כָּמַ֣הּit longs
kamahH3642 →
לְךָ֣for you
lekha
בְשָׂרִ֑יflesh my
vesariH1320 →270 times
בְּאֶֽרֶץ־in a land
beeretz-H776 →2504 times
צִיָּ֖הdry
tziyahH6723 →16 times
וְעָיֵ֣ףand weary
veayefH5889 →
בְּלִי־not
beli-H1097 →58 times
מָֽיִם׃water
mayimH4325 →581 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 6:33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
it leads to
- Luke 12:31
But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added unto you.
- Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
- John 6:27
Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of…
- Psalms 34:9–10
Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.
- Psalms 84:11–12
For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
- Luke 12:31
Through
Psalms 91:2I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
it leads to
- Psalms 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Isaiah 26:3–4
You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
- Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
- Psalms 18:2
About Psalms
This page draws on Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.