Psalm 143 6

Psalm 143:6 kjv

I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

Psalm 143:6 nkjv

I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah

Psalm 143:6 niv

I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.

Psalm 143:6 esv

I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

Psalm 143:6 nlt

I lift my hands to you in prayer.
I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Interlude

Psalm 143 verses

Psalm 143 6 Meaning

Psalm 143:6 expresses a profound and desperate spiritual longing for God. The psalmist physically reaches out to God with open hands, a gesture of deep supplication, while his innermost being yearns for divine presence and refreshment, comparing this intense need to a parched and desolate land thirsting desperately for life-giving rain. This verse powerfully conveys utter dependence on God as the sole source of life and sustenance for the soul.

Psalm 143 6 Context

Psalm 143 is a prayer of lament, categorized as one of the seven penitential Psalms. It is attributed to David, reflecting a time of deep distress, oppression, and accusation by enemies, perhaps during Absalom's rebellion or a similar period of profound adversity. The preceding verses vividly describe the psalmist's soul being pursued and crushed to the ground, his spirit failing within him. In this state of profound desolation and spiritual weariness, verse 6 stands as a desperate outpouring of the soul's essential need for God's direct and sustaining presence. It marks a pivot point, moving from a depiction of inner anguish to an urgent, embodied cry for divine intervention and life-giving communion.

Psalm 143 6 Word analysis

• "I spread out" (Hebrew: pāras - פָּרַשׂ): This verb signifies to spread abroad, stretch out, or lay open. In the context of hands, it denotes a physical posture of humble and desperate supplication, readiness to receive, and absolute dependence. It implies a sense of emptiness and a yearning to be filled by God.
• "my hands" (Hebrew: kappay - כַּפַּי): Refers to the open palms. This gesture is universal across ancient Near Eastern cultures and biblical tradition as a symbol of earnest prayer, complete surrender, a plea for help, or a reaching out for mercy and aid. It is a visual representation of the psalmist's complete vulnerability and reliance on God.
• "to You" (Hebrew: ʾēlekā - אֵלֶיךָ): Directly addressing God. This preposition highlights the personal, intentional direction of the prayer and longing. It underscores that God alone is the focus of this desperate plea.
• "my soul" (Hebrew: naphshî - נַפְשִׁי): The inner core of the psalmist's being—his life, breath, entire self, affections, and desires. It emphasizes that the longing is not merely intellectual or emotional, but a deep, fundamental need from the very essence of his existence.
• "longs for You" (Hebrew: kāmāh - כָּמָהּ, rendered here as kammehā): This verb means to pine away with longing, to yearn intensely, to faint with desire. It portrays an overwhelming and consuming spiritual thirst, a desperate ache for communion with God, akin to physical faintness.
• "like a parched land" (Hebrew: kəʾereṣ ʿayēphāh - כְּאֶרֶץ עֲיֵפָה):
  • "like a" (kə): Introduces a simile, drawing a vivid comparison.
  • "parched" (ʿayēphāh): Literally means weary, faint, tired, indicating extreme dryness and exhaustion. In the context of land, it signifies arid, desiccated, withered, utterly devoid of moisture and life.
  • "land" (ʾereṣ): The earth itself, highlighting the complete and natural dependence of the soil on external water for any form of life. This metaphor vividly portrays the psalmist's spiritual condition: barren, unproductive, dying without divine "rain."
• "Selah" (Hebrew: selāh - סֶלָה): A term of uncertain precise meaning, likely a musical or liturgical notation instructing a pause for reflection, emphasis, or musical interlude. Here, it marks a moment to internalize the depth of the psalmist's lament and the intensity of his soul's longing for God.

Words-group analysis:

• "I spread out my hands to You": This phrase paints a picture of absolute surrender and desperate appeal. It's a posture of humility and openness, indicating the psalmist has no other resource or help and completely yields himself in expectation of divine provision.
• "my soul longs for You": This underscores the profound, spiritual depth of the need. It's not just a cry of the mind or voice, but the very core of his being is crying out for intimate fellowship with the Creator. The "soul" implies the totality of the person's inner life.
• "like a parched land": This powerful simile resonates deeply in the semi-arid climate of the biblical world. A parched land is utterly dependent on rain; it can do nothing to alleviate its own condition. Similarly, the psalmist's soul is depicted as desolate, without life, and wholly dependent on God to refresh, renew, and sustain it. This conveys the urgency, desperation, and total inability of the self to generate its own spiritual life or renewal.

Psalm 143 6 Bonus section

The intense longing described in this verse points to an implicit understanding of God as the ultimate life-giver and the sole source of refreshment and peace for the human soul. This spiritual "thirst" is often the catalyst for a deeper pursuit of God, demonstrating that moments of desolation can paradoxically lead to a more profound dependency and communion with the Divine. It underscores the Christian truth that the Holy Spirit, often symbolized by living water, is the necessary provision that satisfies this deep longing, transforming barrenness into spiritual fruitfulness.

Psalm 143 6 Commentary

Psalm 143:6 is a deeply expressive verse that captures the essence of spiritual thirst and absolute dependence on God. The double imagery of outwardly spread hands and an inwardly parched soul creates a powerful statement of a person at their very limit, completely reliant on divine grace. The spread hands signify emptying oneself before God, letting go of all pretense of self-sufficiency, and acknowledging that only God can provide what is needed. Simultaneously, the comparison to a "parched land" vividly communicates the extent of this need – not merely a desire, but a life-threatening absence of God's refreshing presence. Just as barren ground without water faces death, the psalmist's soul, without God, is dying or in a state of extreme desolation. This verse is a universal cry of faith in despondency, a testament to the essential truth that the human soul finds its true sustenance and life only in God. It highlights humility, acknowledging vulnerability, and anticipating God's restorative work.This deep cry can be experienced by individuals in profound spiritual dryness, by those undergoing severe trials where human strength fails, or by believers longing for a deeper experience of God's presence and Spirit in their lives.