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Psalms 63:5

in Psalms 63

My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods; with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

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

KJV

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

This verse in Psalms 63

Commentary

10 notes on this verse

A commentator

Ambrose of Milan

On Cain and Abel, Book 2, Chapter V · Written before 397.

Now let us turn our attention to the characteristic of fatness or richness of which David speaks intelligibly when he says, "Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness." Before that he had said, "And may your whole burnt offering be made fat." By this he means that the requirements for a sacrifice are that it be fat or rich, that it be glistening and that it be weighted with the sustenance inspired by faith and devotion and by the rich nourishment of the Word of God.

This site's exposition

loving devotion is better than life

on Psalms 63:3-5

Loving devotion is better than life, so the lips answer with praise. Gill reads the lifted hands of verse 4 as the ordinary gesture of prayer, carried out of the temple into the wilderness. Verse 5 sets a full table in a place with no food.

This site's exposition

My soul is satisfied

Charles Spurgeon notes that the Hebrews prized fat food above all, so richest of foods names the best of a royal banquet. Far from God's altar, the soul is still satisfied.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Augustine of Hippo

Exposition on Psalm 63 · Written before 430.

proposed

"So I will speak good of You in my life, and in Your name I will lift up my hands" [Psalm 63:5]. Now in my life which to me You have given, not in that which I have chosen after the world with the rest among many lives, but that which You have given to me through Your mercy, that I should praise You. "So I will speak good of You in my life." What is "so"? That to Your mercy I may ascribe my life wherein You I praise, not to my merits. "And in Your name I will lift up my hands." Lift up therefore hands in prayer. Our Lord has lifted up for us His hands on the Cross, and stretched out were His hands for us, and therefore were His hands stretched out on the Cross, in order that our hands might be stretched out unto good works: because His Cross has brought us mercy. Behold, He has lifted up hands, and has offered for us Himself a Sacrifice to God, and through that Sacrifice have been effaced all our sins. Let us also lift up our hands to God in prayer: and our hands being lifted up to God shall not be confounded, if they be exercised in good works. For what does he that lifts up hands? Whence has it been commanded that with hands lifted up we should pray to God? For the Apostle says, "Lifting up pure hands without anger and dissension." [1 Timothy 2:8] It is in order that when you lift up hands to God, there may come into your mind your works. For whereas those hands are lifted up that you may obtain that which you will, those same hands you think in good works to exercise, that they may not blush to be lifted up to God. "In your name I will lift up my hands." Those are our prayers in this Idumæa, in this desert, in the land without water and without way, where for us Christ is the Way, [John 14:6] but not the way of this earth.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

He will praise him, (1.) Openly. His mouth and lips shall praise God. When with the heart man believes and is thankful, with the mouth confession must be made of both, to the glory of God; not that the performances of the mouth are accepted without the heart ( Matt. xv.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,.... When he should return to the house of the Lord, and partake of the provisions of it, called the fatness of his house; see Gill on Psa 36:8. The phrase denotes the abundance of spiritual refreshment and delight in the word and ordinances, and the great satisfaction had in them; and may have some regard to benefits arising from prayer, as well as other ordinances.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. Though unable to feast on the sacrifice at thine altar, my soul shall even here be filled with spiritual joys, and shall possess a complete, a double contentment. There is in the love of God a richness, a sumptuousness, a fulness of soul filling joy, comparable to the richest food with which the body can be nourished.

A commentator

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)

proposed

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. Though unable to feast on the sacrifice at thine altar, my soul shall even here be filled with spiritual joys, and shall possess a complete, a double contentment. There is in the love of God a richness, a sumptuousness, a fulness of soul filling joy, comparable to the richest food with which the body can be nourished. The Hebrews were more fond of fat than we are, and their highest idea of festive provision is embodied in the two words, marrow and fatness: a soul hopeful in God and full of his favour is thus represented as feeding upon the best of the best, the dainties of a royal banquet. And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. More joy, more praise. When the mouth is full of mercy, is should also be full of thanksgiving. When God gives us the marrow of his love, we must present to him the marrow of our hearts. Vocal praise should be rendered to God as well as mental adoration; others see our mercies, let them also hear our thanks.
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

My soul shall be satisfied - I shall have, in the true worshipping of thee, as complete a sensation of spiritual sufficiency and happiness, so that no desire shall be left unsatisfied, as any man can have who enjoys health of body, and a fullness of all the necessaries, conveniences, and comforts of life.
My soul shall be satisfied - See the notes at Psa 36:8. The idea is, that his soul now longed for the service of God as one who is hungry longs for food, or as one who is thirsty longs for drink; and that the time would come when this longing desire would be satisfied. He would engage in the service of God as he desired to do; he would be permitted to enjoy that service without interruption. As with marrow and fatness - See the notes at Psa 36:8. The words here employed denote rich food; and the comparison is between the pleasure of serving God, and the satisfaction derived from food when one is hungry. It is not uncommon to compare the pleasures of religion with a feast or banquet. Compare Isa 25:6. And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips - Lips full of joy; or, which give utterance to the joy of the heart.

The words behind it

9 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • כְּמ֤וֹlike

    kemoH3644 →143 times

  • חֵ֣לֶבfat

    chelevH2459 →92 times

  • וָ֭דֶשֶׁןand fatness

    vadeshenH1880 →15 times

  • תִּשְׂבַּ֣עit will be satisfied

    tisba'H7646 →97 times

  • נַפְשִׁ֑יself my

    nafshiH5315 →754 times

  • וְשִׂפְתֵ֥יand lips of

    vesifteiH8193 →176 times

  • רְ֝נָנ֗וֹתcries of joy

    renanotH7445 →

  • יְהַלֶּל־it will praise [you]

    yehalel-H1984 →165 times

  • פִּֽי׃mouth my

    piH6310 →498 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Isaiah 25:6

    On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine, of choice meat, of finely aged wine.

    it leads to

    • Matthew 8:11

      I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

  • Through

    Psalms 17:15

    As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.

    it leads to

    • 2 Corinthians 3:18

      And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

    • Psalms 16:11

      You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

    • Psalms 11:7

      For the LORD is righteous; He loves justice. The upright will see His face.

    • Matthew 5:6

      Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

    • Psalms 4:6–7

      Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.

  • Through

    Psalms 43:4

    Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God.

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 61:10

      I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom…

    • Habakkuk 3:17–18

      Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold…

Where this verse is studied

About Psalms

Sower with Setting Sun. Vincent van Gogh, mid July 1888. Sotheby's, New York, 18 November 2025, lot 4. Public domain.
Sower with Setting Sun. Vincent van Gogh, mid July 1888. Sotheby's, New York, 18 November 2025, lot 4. Public domain.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, On Cain and Abel, Book 2, Chapter V; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 63; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.