Bible History
Bible History

Psalm 63 - New English Translation (NET)

You are here: Home New English Translation (NET) Psalm 63

Psalm 63[a]

A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness.[b]

63 O God, you are my God. I long for you.[c]
My soul thirsts[d] for you,
my flesh yearns for you,
in a dry and parched[e] land where there is no water.
2 Yes,[f] in the sanctuary I have seen you,[g]
and witnessed[h] your power and splendor.
3 Because[i] experiencing[j] your loyal love is better than life itself,
my lips will praise you.
4 For this reason[k] I will praise you while I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.[l]
5 As with choice meat[m] you satisfy my soul.[n]
My mouth joyfully praises you,[o]
6 whenever[p] I remember you on my bed,
and think about you during the nighttime hours.
7 For you are my deliverer;[q]
under your wings[r] I rejoice.
8 My soul[s] pursues you;[t]
your right hand upholds me.
9 Enemies seek to destroy my life,[u]
but they will descend into the depths of the earth.[v]
10 Each one will be handed over to the sword;[w]
their corpses will be eaten by jackals.[x]
11 But the king[y] will rejoice in God;
everyone who takes oaths in his name[z] will boast,
for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up.[aa]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 63:1 sn Psalm 63. The psalmist expresses his intense desire to be in God’s presence and confidently affirms that God will judge his enemies.
  2. Psalm 63:1 sn According to the psalm superscription David wrote the psalm while in the “wilderness of Judah.” Perhaps this refers to the period described in 1 Sam 23-24 or to the incident mentioned in 2 Sam 15:23.
  3. Psalm 63:1 tn Or “I will seek you.”
  4. Psalm 63:1 tn Or “I thirst.”
  5. Psalm 63:1 tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” This may picture the land as “faint” or “weary,” or it may allude to the effect this dry desert has on those who are forced to live in it.
  6. Psalm 63:2 tn The Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).
  7. Psalm 63:2 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.”
  8. Psalm 63:2 tn Heb “seeing.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.
  9. Psalm 63:3 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).
  10. Psalm 63:3 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.
  11. Psalm 63:4 tn Or perhaps “then.”
  12. Psalm 63:4 sn I will lift up my hands. Lifting up one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19) or respect (Ps 119:48).
  13. Psalm 63:5 tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”
  14. Psalm 63:5 tn Or “me.”
  15. Psalm 63:5 tn Heb “and [with] lips of joy my mouth praises.”
  16. Psalm 63:6 tn The Hebrew term אִם (ʾim) is used here in the sense of “when; whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.
  17. Psalm 63:7 tn Or “[source of] help.”
  18. Psalm 63:7 tn Heb “in the shadow of your wings.”
  19. Psalm 63:8 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).
  20. Psalm 63:8 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).
  21. Psalm 63:9 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.
  22. Psalm 63:9 sn The depths of the earth refers here to the underworld dwelling place of the dead (see Ezek 26:20; 31:14, 16, 18; 32:18, 24). See L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 167.
  23. Psalm 63:10 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).
  24. Psalm 63:10 tn Heb “they will be [the] portion of jackals”; traditionally, “of foxes.”
  25. Psalm 63:11 sn The psalmist probably refers to himself in the third person here.
  26. Psalm 63:11 tn Heb “who swears [an oath] by him.”
  27. Psalm 63:11 tn The Niphal of this verb occurs only here and in Gen 8:2, where it is used of God “stopping” or “damming up” the great deep as he brought the flood to an end.

You Might Also Like:

Psalm 63 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

63 A Psalm of David, in his being in the wilderness of Judah. O God, Thou [art] my God, earnestly do I seek Thee, Thirsted for Thee hath my soul, Longed for Thee hath my flesh, In a land dry and weary, without waters. 2 So in the sanctuary I have seen Thee, To behold Thy strength and Thine honour. 3...
Read More

Psalm 63 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

63 The psalm of David, when he was in the desert of Judah. God, my God, I wake to thee full early. My soul thirsted to thee; my flesh thirsted to thee full manyfold. In a land forsaken without way, and without water, (The song of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. God, my God, I wake up ...
Read More

Psalm 63 - World English Bible (WEB)

A Psalm by David, when he was in the desert of Judah.63 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.2 So I have seen you in the sanctuary, watching your power and your glory.3 Because your loving kin...
Read More

Psalm 63 - The Voice (VOICE)

Psalm 63A song of David while in the wilderness of Judah.1 O True God, You are my God, the One whom I trust. I seek You with every fiber of my being.In this dry and weary land with no water in sight, my soul is dry and longs for You. My body aches for You, for Your presence.2 I have seen You in Your...
Read More

Psalm 63 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

You Are My GodPsalm 631 A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.2 O God, You are my God,earnestly I seek You.My soul thirsts for You.My flesh longs for Youin a dry and weary land, where there is no water.3 So, I looked for You in the Sanctuary,to see Your power and Your glory.4 Sinc...
Read More

Psalm 63 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Comfort and Assurance in God’s PresenceA Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.63 O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee;my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.2 So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power a...
Read More

Psalm 63 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Comfort and Assurance in God’s PresenceA Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.63 O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee;my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.2 So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power a...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Psalm 63Comfort and Assurance in God’s PresenceA Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you;my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding you...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Psalm 63Comfort and Assurance in God’s PresenceA Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you;my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding you...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Psalm 63Comfort and Assurance in God’s PresenceA Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.1 O God, you are my God; I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.(A)2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding ...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 63A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.1 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you.My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for youin this parched and weary land where there is no water.2 I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your ...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New Life Version (NLV)

Giving Thanks to God63 O God, You are my God. I will look for You with all my heart and strength. My soul is thirsty for You. My flesh is weak wanting You in a dry and tired land where there is no water. 2 So I have seen You in the holy place. And I have seen Your power and Your shining-greatness. ...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Joy in the Fellowship of GodA Psalm of David (A)when he was in the wilderness of Judah.63 O God, You are my God;Early will I seek You;(B)My soul thirsts for You;My flesh longs for YouIn a dry and thirsty landWhere there is no water.2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,To see (C)Your power and...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Psalm 63[a]A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.3 Because your love i...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 63[a]A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;I thirst for you,(A) my whole being longs for you,in a dry and parched land where there is no water.(B) 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary(C) and beheld your power and your glory.(D)3 Because...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Psalm 63A psalm of David when he was in the Desert of Judah.1 God, you are my God. I seek you with all my heart.With all my strength I thirst for you in this dry desert where there isn’t any water. 2 I have seen you in the sacred tent. There I have seen your power and your glory.3 Your love is bette...
Read More

Psalm 63 - New Century Version (NCV)

Wishing to Be Near GodA psalm of David when he was in the desert of Judah.63 God, you are my God. I search for you.I thirst for you like someone in a dry, empty land where there is no water.2 I have seen you in the Temple and have seen your strength and glory.3 Because your love is better than life,...
Read More

61 Bible Translations

Popular Articles

Explore the Bible Like Never Before!

Bible History Online

Bible Study Tools

Top Tags