Psalms — Chapter 13

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1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

2How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?

3Consider me and respond, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,

4lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes rejoice when I fall.

5But I have trusted in Your loving devotion; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.

6I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me.

1How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

2How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

3Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

6I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

1How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou forget me for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

2How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

3Consider [and] answer me, O Jehovah my God: Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the [sleep of] death;

4Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; [Lest] mine adversaries rejoice when I am moved.

5But I have trusted in thy lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

6I will sing unto Jehovah, Because he hath dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 14 For the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David.

1For the music director, a psalm of David. How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me? How long will you pay no attention to me?

2How long must I worry, and suffer in broad daylight? How long will my enemy gloat over me?

3Look at me! Answer me, O Lord my God! Revive me, or else I will die.

4Then my enemy will say, “I have defeated him.” Then my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5But I trust in your faithfulness. May I rejoice because of your deliverance.

6I will sing praises to the Lord when he vindicates me.

1How long, Yahweh? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

2How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day? How long shall my enemy triumph over me?

3Behold, and answer me, Yahweh, my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

4Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall.

5But I trust in your loving kindness. My heart rejoices in your salvation.

6I will sing to Yahweh, because he has been good to me.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A short lament built around the repeated question 'how long.' David asks how long God will seem to forget him, hide his face, and leave him to wrestle with sorrow and the taunts of his enemy (vv. 1-2). He pleads for God to look on him and answer before he is overcome, worried that his enemy will rejoice if he falls (vv. 3-4). The psalm turns in its final lines from anguish to settled trust, as David affirms his confidence in God's steadfast love, rejoices in the salvation he expects, and resolves to sing to the LORD for his goodness (vv. 5-6).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Individual Lament (Model Lament)
Attributed Author: David — "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David"
Key Themes: God's apparent forgetfulness, "how long?" repeated, the journey from despair to praise, trust in steadfast love, the decision to sing
Historical Context: Psalm 13 is considered the "model lament" — the shortest and most structurally perfect example of the lament genre. In just six verses it contains all the elements: complaint (vv.1-2), petition (vv.3-4), and confidence/praise (vv.5-6). The fourfold "how long?" (vv.1-2) expresses mounting frustration with God's silence. No specific historical occasion is identified, but the pattern fits David's years fleeing Saul — prolonged suffering with no visible end. The beauty of the psalm is its movement: it begins in abandonment and ends in singing, with no explanation of what changed between vv.4 and 5 except the decision to trust.
How Long (vv.1-2): How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD, for ever, how long wilt thou hide thy face from me. The question is asked four times in two verses, which is the whole structure of the complaint: not an argument but a repetition. And the four are not identical in target, two are about God, one about the singer's own state, how long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily, and one about the enemy.
Consider and Hear Me (vv.3-4): Consider and hear me, O LORD my God, lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. Three petitions after four questions, and the reason offered is the one the psalter uses repeatedly, which is reputational rather than personal, lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him. Sleep here is death rather than rest, which is the reverse of its use in Psalms 3 and 4.
I Will Sing unto the LORD (vv.5-6): But I have trusted in thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. Six verses is the whole psalm, and the turn happens with no event in between: nothing is reported as having changed except the tense. And the last verse commits to something not yet true, I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Enlighten My Eyes - Psalm 13:1, 6
David Guzik

Psalm 13 | How Long O Lord? | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 13 - Enlighten My Eyes
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • The Honesty of "How Long?" (vv.1-2) — David repeats this question four times, giving voice to the exhaustion of prolonged waiting. Are you willing to bring your own drawn-out "how long" to God instead of suppressing it?
  • Choosing Trust Without a Change in Circumstances (v.5) — Nothing external shifts between David's complaint and his declaration of trust, only his choice to rely on God's steadfast love. Can you choose to trust God today even if nothing around you has changed?
  • Remembering Past Faithfulness (v.6) — David sings because he remembers that God has dealt bountifully with him before. When the present feels dark, do you look back at what God has already done for you?