Psalms — Chapter 130

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1A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD!

2O Lord, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.

3If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand?

4But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.

5I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope.

6My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning—more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance.

8And He will redeem Israel from all iniquity.

1Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.

2Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

3If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

4But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

5I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

6My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

7Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

8And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

1Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Jehovah.

2Lord, hear my voice: Let thine ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.

3If thou, Jehovah, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

4But there is forgiveness with thee, That thou mayest be feared.

5I wait for Jehovah, my soul doth wait, And in his word do I hope.

6My soul [waiteth] for the Lord More than watchmen [wait] for the morning; [Yea, more than] watchmen for the morning.

7O Israel, hope in Jehovah; For with Jehovah there is lovingkindness, And with him is plenteous redemption.

8And he will redeem Israel From all his iniquities. Psalm 131 A Song of Ascents; of David.

1A song of ascents. From the deep water I cry out to you, O Lord.

2O Lord, listen to me. Pay attention to my plea for mercy.

3If you, O Lord, were to keep track of sins, O Lord, who could stand before you?

4But you are willing to forgive so that you might be honored.

5I rely on the Lord. I rely on him with my whole being; I wait for his assuring word.

6I yearn for the Lord, more than watchmen do for the morning, yes, more than watchmen do for the morning.

7O Israel, hope in the Lord, for the Lord exhibits loyal love and is more than willing to deliver.

8He will deliver Israel from all their sins.

1Out of the depths I have cried to you, Yahweh.

2Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my petitions.

3If you, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?

4But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared.

5I wait for Yahweh. My soul waits. I hope in his word.

6My soul longs for the Lord more than watchmen long for the morning; more than watchmen for the morning.

7Israel, hope in Yahweh, for with Yahweh there is loving kindness. With him is abundant redemption.

8He will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

This Song of Ascents opens with the psalmist crying out to the LORD from the depths, pleading for him to listen (vv. 1-2). If the LORD kept a record of sins, no one could stand before him, but forgiveness is found with him, which is why he is revered (vv. 3-4). The psalmist waits for the LORD more eagerly than watchmen wait for morning, urging Israel to hope in him, since with the LORD is steadfast love and full redemption from sin (vv. 5-8).

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: Song of Ascents / Penitential Psalm (De Profundis)
Attributed Author: Anonymous
Key Themes: Crying from the depths, God's forgiveness, waiting on God, hope in God's word, plenteous redemption, the fear that comes from forgiveness
Historical Context: Psalm 130 is the sixth of the seven Penitential Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143) and one of the most profound in the Psalter. Known by its Latin name "De Profundis" ("Out of the depths"), it has been prayed at deathbeds, funerals, and in times of spiritual anguish for two millennia. Martin Luther identified this as one of the "Pauline psalms" (along with 32, 51, and 143) because of its emphasis on forgiveness by grace, not merit. The psalm moves from the depths (v.1) upward through forgiveness (vv.3-4), waiting (vv.5-6), to confident hope for all Israel (vv.7-8). It is a complete gospel in miniature: sin acknowledged, grace received, hope restored.
Out of the Depths Have I Cried (vv.1-2): Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. The Latin opening gives the psalm its old name, De Profundis, and it is one of the seven penitential psalms; Luther turned it into Aus tiefer Not and it has been sung at funerals in the West for a thousand years. The depths are not named, which is why the psalm has lent itself to so many situations.
There Is Forgiveness with Thee (vv.3-4): If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? The question expects no answer and is the psalm's assessment of everybody, not just the singer. But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. That last clause is the psalm's best line and it runs against the obvious expectation, since forgiveness might be thought to reduce the fear. What it claims is the opposite: a God who lets things go is one you take seriously, because you are dealing with a person and not a tariff.
More Than They That Watch for the Morning (vv.5-6): I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. Waiting is said three times in two verses and the comparison chosen is a night watchman, my soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. Then the line is simply said again, I say, more than they that watch for the morning, and the repetition is the length of the night.
With Him Is Plenteous Redemption (vv.7-8): Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. The psalm turns outward at the end, as several of the Ascents do, handing its own conclusion to the congregation. And the last verse names what is to be redeemed from, and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities, so the depths of verse 1 turn out to have been moral rather than circumstantial.

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

Psalm 130 - Out of the Depths
David Guzik

Psalms 130-134 | From the Depths to the Heights | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalms of Ascent: Psalms 130-134 | Podcast
Spoken Gospel

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

  • Crying Out From the Depths (vv.1-2) — The psalmist doesn't wait until he's cleaned himself up to pray — he cries to God from the lowest place he's in. Do you let shame keep you from bringing your worst moments to God, or do you cry out from wherever you actually are?
  • Forgiveness That Produces Reverence (vv.3-4) — If God kept a record of every sin, no one could stand, but forgiveness with Him is real — and that forgiveness is meant to produce awe, not carelessness. Has God's grace made you take sin more seriously, or has it made you casual about it?
  • Waiting Like a Watchman for Morning (vv.5-6) — The psalmist waits for the Lord with the same certainty a watchman has that dawn will come. In your current season of waiting, are you anchored in that same confidence, or are you waiting without real hope?
  • Redemption Without Limit (vv.7-8) — The psalm closes with the promise that with the Lord is plentiful redemption, enough to free Israel from all their sins. Is there a sin or a season you've quietly decided is too big for God's redemption to reach?