Psalms 63 (ASV)

Chapter Text

63:1 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.

63:2 So have I looked upon thee in the sanctuary, To see thy power and thy glory.

63:3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise thee.

63:4 So will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips;

63:6 When I remember thee upon my bed, [And] meditate on thee in the night-watches.

63:7 For thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

63:8 My soul followeth hard after thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me.

63:9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

63:10 They shall be given over to the power of the sword: They shall be a portion for foxes.

63:11 But the king shall rejoice in God: Every one that sweareth by him shall glory; For the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. Psalm 64 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "earnestly", "seek", "thee", "soul", "thirsteth", and "flesh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "earnestly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local ASV text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "thou" and "earnestly" carries the first interpretive weight. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thou" and "earnestly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.