Chapter Text
13:1 To him that excelleth. A Psalme of Dauid. Howe long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, for euer? howe long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
13:2 How long shall I take counsell within my selfe, hauing wearinesse dayly in mine heart? how long shall mine enemie be exalted aboue me?
13:3 Beholde, and heare mee, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, that I sleepe not in death:
13:4 Lest mine enemie say, I haue preuailed against him: and they that afflict me, reioyce when I slide.
13:5 But I trust in thy mercie: mine heart shall reioyce in thy saluation: I will sing to the Lord, because he hath delt louingly with me.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "light", "excelleth", "psalme", "dauid", "howe", "long", "wilt", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "excelleth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The local GNV text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "light" and "excelleth" carries the first interpretive weight. In The LORD as Shepherd, the local focus is trust, covenant mercy, guidance, and worship.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "excelleth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.