Psalm 130:6 kjv
My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
Psalm 130:6 nkjv
My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning? Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
Psalm 130:6 niv
I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Psalm 130:6 esv
my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
Psalm 130:6 nlt
I long for the Lord
more than sentries long for the dawn,
yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
Psalm 130 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 130:5 | I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope. | Sets immediate context of waiting for God. |
| Lam 3:25-26 | The Lord is good to those who wait for Him... good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. | Encourages patient waiting for God's deliverance. |
| Isa 40:31 | but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings... | Promise of renewed strength for those who wait on God. |
| Ps 27:14 | Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! | Exhortation to courageous and patient waiting. |
| Ps 33:20 | Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. | Highlights God as the source of help while waiting. |
| Ps 37:7 | Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. | Calls for calm, trusting waiting in God's timing. |
| Rom 8:23-25 | but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption... | Believers eagerly wait for full redemption and hope. |
| Gal 5:5 | For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. | Emphasizes eager, Spirit-empowered waiting for God's promise. |
| 1 Cor 1:7 | so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. | Waiting for the future return/revealing of Christ. |
| Titus 2:13 | waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. | Future-focused waiting for Christ's glorious return. |
| Heb 9:28 | so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time... for salvation to those who eagerly await Him. | Christ's second coming to those eagerly awaiting. |
| 1 Thess 1:10 | and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. | Waiting for Jesus' return as a deliverer. |
| 2 Pet 3:12-13 | waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be... | Eager anticipation of the Lord's day and new creation. |
| Rev 22:16 | “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root... the bright morning star.” | Jesus identifies as the 'morning star,' symbolizing light and new day. |
| Hos 6:3 | He will come to us like the showers, like the spring rain watering the earth. | God's faithfulness to come and intervene like life-giving rain. |
| Ps 42:1-2 | As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. | Illustrates intense spiritual longing for God. |
| Ps 63:1 | O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You... | Expresses deep, consuming desire for God. |
| Ps 119:147-148 | I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in Your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night... | Personal example of waking early to seek God and meditate on His word. |
| Job 17:12 | They make night into day; “The light,” they say, “is near to the darkness.” | Reflects a human hope for light after darkness, similar to the watchman. |
| Isa 21:11-12 | The oracle concerning Dumah. One calls to me from Seir: “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” | Directly uses the 'watchman of the night' imagery. |
| Matt 25:1-13 | Parable of the ten virgins: “Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him.” | Calls for preparedness and watchfulness while waiting for the Bridegroom (Jesus). |
| Jas 5:7-8 | Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits... | Compares waiting for Lord's coming to farmer patiently awaiting harvest. |
Psalm 130 verses
Psalm 130 6 Meaning
Psalm 130:6 conveys the psalmist's profoundly intense and active anticipation for the Lord, expressing a deep, persistent hope for His intervention and redemption. The "waiting" is not passive resignation, but an eager, longing expectation, likened to the earnest vigilance of a night watchman who eagerly awaits the arrival of dawn to relieve the darkness, danger, and weariness of their post. The repetition emphasizes the urgency, certainty, and consuming nature of this spiritual longing for God's merciful presence and redemptive work.
Psalm 130 6 Context
Psalm 130 is one of the "Songs of Ascents" (Psalms 120-134), a collection likely sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for festivals. It is a psalm of lament and petition, beginning "Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord!" (v. 1). The psalmist acknowledges sin, appeals for God's forgiveness, and expresses profound hope and trust in the Lord's mercy and steadfast love (Hesed). Verse 5 sets the stage for verse 6 by declaring a soul's patient wait and hope in God's Word. Within this deeply personal plea, verse 6 dramatically intensifies the expressed desire, illustrating the earnest and tireless longing for divine intervention. The historical context of ancient cities, where watchmen stood on city walls or towers throughout the perilous night to guard against enemies, fires, or dangers, underscores the vital relief and hope that morning brought to their vigilance.
Psalm 130 6 Word analysis
- My soul (
Nefesh, נֶפֶשׁ): More than just an emotional faculty, "soul" (nefesh) in Hebrew thought often signifies the entire inner being—the self, the life, the seat of appetites, passions, and desires. It emphasizes a complete, holistic engagement of the psalmist's very existence in this act of waiting. This waiting is personal, total, and central to his being. - waits (
Yachal, יָחַל): The verbyachalmeans "to wait, to hope, to expect, to tarry." It implies patient endurance and optimistic expectation. It is an active, persistent waiting rooted in trust, rather than a passive, idle inactivity. The waiting is dynamic, filled with anticipation and an assured future based on God's character. - for the Lord (
Yahweh, יְהוָה): Refers to God's covenant name, Yahweh. This indicates that the psalmist's hope and expectation are placed in the personal, covenant-keeping God, the one who has revealed Himself through His actions and promises. It’s a trust in His faithfulness and power to act. - more than: This comparative intensifier highlights the extraordinary degree of the psalmist's waiting. It posits an intense, even extreme, longing for God that surpasses a universally understood image of intense waiting.
- watchmen (
Shomerim, שֹׁמְרִים): Plural for "guards," "sentinels," or "those on watch." These were individuals assigned the taxing duty of keeping vigilance throughout the night, often atop city walls or in military encampments. Their task was arduous, lonely, potentially dangerous, and physically demanding due to darkness and cold. - for the morning (
la'boqer, לַבֹּקֶר): The "morning" or "dawn" (boqer) signifies the arrival of light after darkness, an end to the night's duties and dangers. For a watchman, morning meant relief, safety, an end to their shift, and the beginning of a new, visible, and hopeful day. Spiritually, it symbolizes God's breakthrough, intervention, salvation, and the dawning of His favor or truth after a period of spiritual darkness, sin, or distress. - "more than watchmen for the morning; more than watchmen for the morning.": The repetition of this entire clause powerfully emphasizes and reinforces the psalmist's deep yearning and intense longing for the Lord. It signifies absolute certainty and an all-consuming nature to this eager anticipation. It acts as an intensifying rhetorical device, leaving no doubt about the psalmist's profound state of spiritual expectation. The second clause often suggests emphasis or confirmation "I say, more than they..." as rendered in KJV, underscoring the deep conviction.
Psalm 130 6 Bonus section
The double iteration of "more than watchmen for the morning" is highly significant. It serves as an emphatic device, confirming and elevating the sincerity and profound nature of the psalmist's waiting. It speaks to a level of anticipation that is not merely human but imbued with divine conviction and hope. The phrase evokes the eschatological longing present throughout the Bible—the eager looking forward to the dawning of God's full salvation and the ultimate consummation of His kingdom, culminating in the second coming of Jesus Christ, who truly is the "Morning Star" (Rev 22:16), bringing an end to all darkness. This reflects Israel's long hope for Messiah, the one who would bring redemption and light.
Psalm 130 6 Commentary
Psalm 130:6 is a poetic masterstroke that paints a vivid picture of devout longing. Following a heartfelt confession of sin and an assertion of hope in God's forgiveness (v. 4), the psalmist moves to a declaration of waiting that borders on spiritual desperation, yet remains profoundly hopeful. The "watchmen" analogy resonates deeply because their vigilance through the long, cold, dark night made them yearn for the morning with an intensity known only to those who have endured such a solitary and arduous wait. For them, dawn signals the end of their struggle, the return of light, safety, and rest.
In the same way, the psalmist's soul, perhaps weighed down by a sense of sin, distress, or spiritual darkness (referencing "out of the depths" in v. 1), craves the "morning" of God's redemptive action. This waiting is not idle, but active; it's yachal, a hope-filled expectation and patient endurance that anticipates God's faithfulness. It reflects a deep spiritual hunger for His mercy and truth, a desire for the "light" of His presence to dispel spiritual night. This passionate desire becomes a metaphor for the Christian's earnest hope for God's divine intervention, whether in personal deliverance, corporate revival, or the ultimate return of Christ. For instance, just as weary night staff eagerly await the sunrise, so too the believer yearns for God's grace to dawn upon their life, bringing clarity, peace, and deliverance from trials. This anticipation finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is Himself the "bright morning star," the usher of an eternal, new day for humanity.