Psalm 119:25 kjv
My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.
Psalm 119:25 nkjv
My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.
Psalm 119:25 niv
I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.
Psalm 119:25 esv
My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!
Psalm 119:25 nlt
I lie in the dust;
revive me by your word.
Psalm 119 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Spiritual Life & Revival | ||
| Eph 2:1-5 | ...you were dead in the trespasses and sins... But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love... made us alive together with Christ. | Dead in sin, made alive by God's grace. |
| Col 2:13 | ...when you were dead in your transgressions... He made you alive together with Him. | God grants spiritual life to the spiritually dead. |
| Jn 5:24 | Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. | Hearing God's word brings eternal life. |
| Eze 37:3-6 | ...Son of man, can these bones live? ...Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you... | God's power to revive what is dead (dry bones). |
| Ps 80:18 | Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name! | Plea for God to give life so they don't stray. |
| Ps 85:6 | Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? | Prayer for communal revival and joy. |
| God's Word as Source of Life & Revival | ||
| Deut 8:3 | ...man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. | Life sustained by God's word. |
| Ps 119:50 | This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. | God's promise brings comfort and life. |
| Ps 119:93 | I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. | God's precepts are the source of life. |
| Jn 6:63 | It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. | Jesus' words are spirit and life. |
| Jas 1:18 | Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth... | Born again through God's truth. |
| 1 Pet 1:23 | ...you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. | Rebirth through God's living word. |
| State of Lowliness & Humiliation (Dust) | ||
| Gen 3:19 | ...for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. | Human mortality and connection to dust. |
| Ps 44:25 | For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings to the ground. | Similar expression of extreme dejection. |
| Job 42:6 | Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. | Humiliation and repentance in dust. |
| Ps 22:15 | My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; You lay me in the dust of death. | Close to death, laid in the dust. |
| Lam 3:29 | Let him put his mouth in the dust, there may yet be hope. | Deep humility as a posture of hope. |
| Prayer and Dependence on God's Promises | ||
| 2 Cor 1:20 | For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory. | God's promises are faithful and true. |
| Titus 1:2 | ...in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began. | God's truthfulness guarantees promises. |
| Ps 145:13 | The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. | God's faithfulness in His words. |
| Phil 2:13 | For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. | God's divine enablement and working within believers. |
Psalm 119 verses
Psalm 119 25 Meaning
The psalmist declares a state of profound spiritual and existential depletion, describing his very being as clinging to or being cast down to the dust, symbolizing extreme lowliness, weakness, or even near-death. In this state of desperation, he cries out to God to restore him to full life, vitality, and spiritual strength. This plea is firmly anchored, not in his own merit, but in God's reliable character and promises as revealed in His Word. It is a confession of utter dependence on divine quickening for renewal.
Psalm 119 25 Context
Psalm 119 is a masterful acrostic poem, each of its 22 stanzas corresponding to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This particular verse is part of the "Dalet" (ד) section. The entire psalm is an expansive and passionate meditation on the excellency, power, and comfort of God's law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, and commandments. Throughout the psalm, the psalmist continually expresses his love for God's Word, his desire to obey it, and his dependence on it in the face of various adversities – opposition from enemies, spiritual dullness, and personal affliction. This verse encapsulates a profound sense of spiritual weakness or deep personal distress, reflecting a moment when the psalmist feels utterly depleted and grounded. He implicitly recognizes that such a state is contrary to the vitality that God intends and that renewal must come from a divine act based on divine promise, not human effort or external circumstances.
Psalm 119 25 Word analysis
- My soul (Nephesh נֶפֶשׁ): Refers to the whole person, the inner being, self, or life-force, not merely emotions or mind. It signifies the totality of the psalmist's identity and vitality. When the nephesh is low, the whole person is affected.
- clings (Dâbeq דָּבְקָה): Means "to cleave, stick fast, adhere to." Here, it portrays an intimate, undesired bond, a state of being firmly fixed to something, often indicating being utterly weighed down or humbled. It's a condition of being helplessly joined to a low state.
- to the dust (’Âphâr עָפָר): Refers to literal earth/soil, but biblically symbolizes mortality, death, humiliation, extreme lowliness, or a state of complete helplessness and ruin (as one returning to the dust from which they were formed, Gen 3:19). It indicates a condition utterly devoid of life or vitality.
- My soul clings to the dust: This phrase powerfully conveys an ultimate state of dejection, spiritual paralysis, or extreme affliction, where life energy seems drained. It can be a metaphor for despair, near-death experience, profound humility, or being cast down by circumstances or sin to the lowest possible state of existence. It suggests an inner vital being being pressed down to the point of extinction or complete incapacitation.
- Revive me (Chayâ חַיֵּנִי): An imperative verb meaning "to live," "to restore to life," "to quicken," "to preserve alive." It is a fervent plea for God to infuse new life, spiritual vitality, energy, and strength into the psalmist's languishing soul. This is not merely a wish but a demand based on faith in God's power and character.
- according to your word (Ke-dvar-kha כִּדְבָרֶךָ): The foundational basis for the psalmist's plea. The prefix "kê-" means "according to." "Dabar" (דָּבָר) refers to God's revealed Word, His promise, decree, or commandment. This phrase signifies that the psalmist's hope for revival is not a whimsical request, but an appeal to God's own character and covenant faithfulness, as revealed and pledged in His divine pronouncements. It acknowledges God's Word as both the source of life and the reliable guarantee of His actions.
Psalm 119 25 Bonus section
The act of clinging "to the dust" also carries a nuanced meaning of ultimate submission or deep humility before God. While often used for abject defeat, in the context of prayer it can also signify acknowledging one's absolute dependence, being stripped of self-reliance, and approaching God in a state of complete lowliness, which is often a precursor to divine lifting. The request "Revive me" implies a spiritual resurrection; it’s a prayer that every believer experiences, for periods of spiritual dryness, weakness, or even falling into sin. The consistency of God’s character revealed in His "word" implies His enduring covenant faithfulness. His "word" is not merely information but carries creative, life-giving power.
Psalm 119 25 Commentary
Psalm 119:25 is a profound cry from the depth of human weakness and spiritual destitution. The psalmist expresses an overwhelming sense of lifelessness, a spirit so oppressed that it feels "stuck to the dust," a potent metaphor for humiliation, mortality, and utter despair. This is not merely a physical weariness but a spiritual deadness that incapacitates the whole being. Yet, amidst this profound despair, the psalmist's hope is unequivocally placed in God. His cry, "Revive me," is a confession that only divine intervention can lift him from this state. Crucially, the basis of this plea is not personal merit but God's immutable "word." This highlights a core theological principle: God's promises, precepts, and character as revealed in Scripture are the firm foundation for His people's requests and the guaranteed means of their restoration. True revival, whether personal or corporate, is God’s sovereign work, wrought in accordance with His revealed truth and His faithfulness to His own declared will.