My Soul Thirsts for You
Psalm 63 summary: what it means
Psalm 63 is a psalm of longing, set by its heading in the desert of Judah. It opens with thirst: the soul thirsts and the flesh longs for God in a dry and weary land with no water. The writer remembers seeing God's power and glory in the sanctuary. He concludes that God's loving kindness is better than life, so he will praise and bless him while he lives.
The middle of the psalm moves to night. On his bed he remembers God, rejoices in the shadow of his wings and stays close while God's right hand holds him up. The last three verses turn to his enemies, who will go down to the lower parts of the earth. It ends with the king rejoicing in God and liars silenced.
Psalm 63: My Soul Thirsts for You
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-63
Psalm 63 commentary: explained verse by verse
God, you are my God.I will earnestly seek you.My soul thirsts for you.My flesh longs for you,in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.
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;
The psalm opens with a claim of belonging, God, you are my God, and a promise to seek him earnestly. The need is described as thirst in a dry and weary land where there is no water. The heading's setting, the desert of Judah, gives the picture its force.
Also read John 7:37, Psalm 84:2, 1 Samuel 23:14-16, Isaiah 35:7
So I have seen you in the sanctuary,watching your power and your glory.
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
The writer looks back to the sanctuary, where he watched God's power and glory. The memory of worship is what the thirst of verse 1 is reaching for.
Also read Isaiah 60:13, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6, Psalm 68:24, Psalm 134:2
Because your loving kindness is better than life,my lips shall praise you.
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
This is the psalm's central claim. God's loving kindness is better than life, so the writer's lips will praise him. The comparison sets God's loyal love above survival itself.
Also read Hebrews 13:15, 1 John 3:2, Psalm 21:6, James 3:5-10
So I will bless you while I live.I will lift up my hands in your name.
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
The response lasts a lifetime: he will bless God while he lives. Lifting up his hands in God's name is a physical sign of that praise.
Also read Psalm 146:1-2, Psalm 145:1-3, Psalm 104:33, Habakkuk 3:10
My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food.My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
The thirst of verse 1 gives way to fullness. The soul is satisfied as with the richest food, and the mouth praises with joyful lips.
Also read Psalm 43:4, Psalm 149:1-3, Psalm 118:14-15, Isaiah 25:6
when I remember you on my bed,and think about you in the night watches.
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
The time is night. He remembers God on his bed and thinks about him in the night watches, the hours of darkness through to morning.
Also read Song of Songs 5:2, Lamentations 2:19, Psalm 149:5, Psalm 119:147-148
For you have been my help.I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
The reason for joy is past help: God has been his help. The shadow of your wings pictures shelter close to God, and there the writer says he will rejoice.
Also read 2 Corinthians 1:10, Psalm 21:1, 1 Samuel 17:37, Psalm 27:9
My soul stays close to you.Your right hand holds me up.
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
The closeness runs both ways. His soul stays close to God, and God's right hand holds him up.
Also read Philippians 2:12-13, 2 Chronicles 31:21, Isaiah 26:9, Song of Songs 3:2
But those who seek my soul to destroy itshall go into the lower parts of the earth.
But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
Those who seek his life appear late and briefly. The verse says they will go down into the lower parts of the earth.
Also read Job 40:13, 1 Samuel 28:19, Ezekiel 32:18-32, Isaiah 14:9
They shall be given over to the power of the sword.They shall be jackal food.
They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
Their end is described bluntly. They will be given over to the power of the sword and become food for jackals, an image of complete defeat.
Also read 1 Samuel 31:1-6, Ezekiel 39:17-20, Revelation 19:17-18, Song of Songs 2:15
But the king shall rejoice in God.Everyone who swears by him will praise him,for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be silenced.
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.
The psalm ends with three groups. The king rejoices in God, everyone who swears by him praises him, and the mouths of liars are silenced. The mention of the king widens the psalm from private longing to public life.
Also read Psalm 21:1, Deuteronomy 6:13, Zephaniah 1:5, Job 5:16
A prayer from Psalm 63
God, you are my God, and I will earnestly seek you. My soul thirsts for you, like a dry and weary land where there is no water. Your loving kindness is better than life, so my lips will praise you. I will bless you while I live and lift up my hands in your name. When I lie awake in the night watches, I remember you. You have been my help, and I rejoice in the shadow of your wings. My soul stays close to you, and your right hand holds me up. Amen.
Psalm 63 Bible study questions
- In verse 1, what words about the body does the writer use to describe how much he longs for God?
- According to verse 6, when does the writer remember God and think about him?
- What could it mean for loving kindness to be better than life, as verse 3 says?
- Verse 8 puts my soul stays close to you beside your right hand holds me up; how do you see these two actions relating?
- Psalm 42:2 also speaks of a soul that thirsts for God; how does that thirst compare with the one in Psalm 63:1?
Questions about Psalm 63
What does Psalm 63 mean?
It is a prayer of longing for God, pictured as thirst in a dry land. The writer finds God's loving kindness better than life, remembers him through the night, and trusts God's right hand to hold him up.
Who wrote Psalm 63?
The heading attributes it to David and sets it when he was in the desert of Judah.
What does Psalm 63:1 say in the 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.
What does Psalm 63:3 mean?
It says God's loving kindness is better than life, and so the writer's lips will praise him. The KJV has thy lovingkindness is better than life.
What does Psalm 63:6 mean?
It describes remembering God on one's bed and thinking about him through the night watches.
What does Psalm 63:7 mean?
It gives God's past help as the reason for joy, and pictures the writer rejoicing in the shadow of God's wings, a place of shelter.
Psalm 63 KJV: the King James Version
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;1
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.2
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.3
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.4
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:5
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.6
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.7
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.8
But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.9
They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.10
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.11
Psalm 63 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד בִּ֝הְיוֹת֗וֹ בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר יְהוּדָֽה׃
2 אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֵלִ֥י אַתָּ֗ה אֲֽשַׁחֲ֫רֶ֥ךָּ צָמְאָ֬ה לְךָ֨ ׀ נַפְשִׁ֗י כָּמַ֣הּ לְךָ֣ בְשָׂרִ֑י בְּאֶֽרֶץ־צִיָּ֖ה וְעָיֵ֣ף בְּלִי־מָֽיִם׃
3 כֵּ֭ן בַּקֹּ֣דֶשׁ חֲזִיתִ֑יךָ לִרְא֥וֹת עֻ֝זְּךָ֗ וּכְבוֹדֶֽךָ׃
4 כִּי־ט֣וֹב חַ֭סְדְּךָ מֵֽחַיִּ֗ים שְׂפָתַ֥י יְשַׁבְּחֽוּנְךָ׃
5 כֵּ֣ן אֲבָרֶכְךָ֣ בְחַיָּ֑י בְּ֝שִׁמְךָ אֶשָּׂ֥א כַפָּֽי׃
6 כְּמ֤וֹ חֵ֣לֶב וָ֭דֶשֶׁן תִּשְׂבַּ֣ע נַפְשִׁ֑י וְשִׂפְתֵ֥י רְ֝נָנ֗וֹת יְהַלֶּל־פִּֽי׃
7 אִם־זְכַרְתִּ֥יךָ עַל־יְצוּעָ֑י בְּ֝אַשְׁמֻר֗וֹת אֶהְגֶּה־בָּֽךְ׃
8 כִּֽי־הָיִ֣יתָ עֶזְרָ֣תָה לִּ֑י וּבְצֵ֖ל כְּנָפֶ֣יךָ אֲרַנֵּֽן׃
9 דָּבְקָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֣י אַחֲרֶ֑יךָ בִּ֝֗י תָּמְכָ֥ה יְמִינֶֽךָ׃
10 וְהֵ֗מָּה לְ֭שׁוֹאָה יְבַקְשׁ֣וּ נַפְשִׁ֑י יָ֝בֹ֗אוּ בְּֽתַחְתִּיּ֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
11 יַגִּירֻ֥הוּ עַל־יְדֵי ־חָ֑רֶב מְנָ֖ת שֻׁעָלִ֣ים יִהְיֽוּ׃
12 וְהַמֶּלֶךְ֮ יִשְׂמַ֪ח בֵּאלֹ֫הִ֥ים יִ֭תְהַלֵּל כָּל־הַנִּשְׁבָּ֣ע בּ֑וֹ כִּ֥י יִ֝סָּכֵ֗ר פִּ֣י דֽוֹבְרֵי־שָֽׁקֶר׃
Psalm 63 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 62 there.
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1 A psalm of David when he was in the desert of Edom.
2 O God, my God, to thee do I watch at break of day. For thee my soul hath thirsted; for thee my flesh, O how many ways!
3 In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water: so in the sanctuary have I come before thee, to see thy power and thy glory.
4 For thy mercy is better than lives: thee my lips shall praise.
5 Thus will I bless thee all my life long: and in thy name I will lift up my hands.
6 Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.
7 If I have remembered thee upon my bed, I will meditate on thee in the morning:
8 Because thou hast been my helper. And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings:
9 My soul hath stuck close to thee: thy right hand hath received me.
10 But they have sought my soul in vain, they shall go into the lower parts of the earth:
11 They shall be delivered into the hands of the sword, they shall be the portions of foxes.
12 But the king shall rejoice in God, all they shall be praised that swear by him: because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things.
Psalm 63 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 62.
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1 Psalmus David, cum esset in deserto Idumææ.
2 Deus, Deus meus, ad te de luce vigilo. Sitivit in te anima mea; quam multipliciter tibi caro mea !
3 In terra deserta, et invia, et inaquosa, sic in sancto apparui tibi, ut viderem virtutem tuam et gloriam tuam.
4 Quoniam melior est misericordia tua super vitas, labia mea laudabunt te.
5 Sic benedicam te in vita mea, et in nomine tuo levabo manus meas.
6 Sicut adipe et pinguedine repleatur anima mea, et labiis exsultationis laudabit os meum.
7 Si memor fui tui super stratum meum, in matutinis meditabor in te.
8 Quia fuisti adjutor meus, et in velamento alarum tuarum exsultabo.
9 Adhæsit anima mea post te; me suscepit dextera tua.
10 Ipsi vero in vanum quæsierunt animam meam: introibunt in inferiora terræ;
11 tradentur in manus gladii: partes vulpium erunt.
12 Rex vero lætabitur in Deo; laudabuntur omnes qui jurant in eo: quia obstructum est os loquentium iniqua.
Printable Psalm 63: free, large print and PDF
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Psalm 63 at a glance
| Verses | 11 |
| Heading in the text | A Psalm by David, when he was in the desert of Judah. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David and sets it when he was in the desert of Judah. |
| Type | Trust |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 62 |
Read Psalm 63 when you are facing
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Psalm 63 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 63 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 63 belongs
Psalms of DavidBook 2 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source