Psalm 63

¹O God, you are my God! I long for you![#tn Or “I will seek you.”]

My soul thirsts for you,

my flesh yearns for you,

in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

²Yes, in the sanctuary I have seen you,[#tn The Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).; #tn The perfect verbal form is understood here as referring to a past experience which the psalmist desires to be repeated. Another option is to take the perfect as indicating the psalmist’s certitude that he will again stand in God’s presence in the sanctuary. In this case one can translate, “I will see you.”]

and witnessed your power and splendor.

³Because experiencing your loyal love is better than life itself,[#tn This line is understood as giving the basis for the praise promised in the following line. Another option is to take the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) as asseverative/emphasizing, “Indeed, your loyal love is better” (cf. NEB, which leaves the particle untranslated).; #tn The word “experiencing” is supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist does not speak here of divine loyal love in some abstract sense, but of loyal love revealed and experienced.]

my lips will praise you.

⁴For this reason I will praise you while I live;[#tn Or perhaps “then.”]

in your name I will lift up my hands.

⁵As if with choice meat you satisfy my soul.[#tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”; #tn Or “me.”]

My mouth joyfully praises you,

⁶whenever I remember you on my bed,[#tn The Hebrew term אִם (’im) is used here in the sense of “when; whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.]

and think about you during the nighttime hours.

⁷For you are my deliverer;[#tn Or “[source of] help.”]

under your wings I rejoice.

⁸My soul pursues you;[#tn Or “I.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).; #tn Heb “clings after.” The expression means “to pursue with determination” (see Judg 20:45; 1 Sam 14:22; 1 Chr 10:2; Jer 42:16).]

your right hand upholds me.

⁹Enemies seek to destroy my life,[#tn Heb “but they for destruction seek my life.” The pronoun “they” must refer here to the psalmist’s enemies, referred to at this point for the first time in the psalm.]

but they will descend into the depths of the earth.

¹⁰Each one will be handed over to the sword;[#tn Heb “they will deliver him over to the sword.” The third masculine plural subject must be indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f) and the singular pronominal suffix either representative or distributive (emphasizing that each one will be so treated). Active verbs with indefinite subjects may be translated as passives with the object (in the Hebrew text) as subject (in the translation).]

their corpses will be eaten by jackals.

¹¹But the king will rejoice in God;[#sn The psalmist probably refers to himself in the third person here.]

everyone who takes oaths in his name will boast,

for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up.