Psalms 63:1

1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Psalms 63:1 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 63:1

O God, thou [art] my God
Not by nature only, or by birth; not merely as an Israelite and son of Abraham; but by grace through Christ, and in virtue of an everlasting covenant, the blessings and promises of which were applied unto him; and he, by faith, could now claim his interest in them, and in his God as his covenant God; who is a God at hand and afar off, was his God in the wilderness of Judea, as in his palace at Jerusalem. The Targum is,

``thou art my strength;''

early will I seek thee; or "I will morning thee" ^F15; I will seek thee as soon as the morning appears; and so the Targum,

``I will arise in the morning before thee;''

it has respect to prayer in the morning, and to seeking God early, and in the first place; see ( Psalms 5:3 ) ( 55:17 ) ; or "diligently" ^F16; as a merchant seeks for goodly pearls, or other commodities suitable for him; so Aben Ezra suggests, as if the word was to be derived, not from (rxv) , "the morning", but from (rxo) , "merchandise"; and those who seek the Lord both early and diligently shall find him, and not lose their labour, ( Proverbs 2:4 Proverbs 2:5 ) ( 8:17 ) ( Hebrews 11:6 ) ;

my soul thirsteth for thee;
after his word, worship, and ordinances; after greater knowledge of him, communion with him, and more grace from him; particularly after pardoning grace and justifying righteousness; see ( Psalms 42:1 Psalms 42:2 ) ( Matthew 5:6 ) ; My flesh longeth for thee; which is expressive of the same thing in different words; and denotes, that he most earnestly desired, with his whole self, his heart, soul, and strength, that he might enjoy the presence of God;

in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
such was the wilderness of Judea, where he now was, and where he was destitute of the means of grace, of the ordinances of God's house, and wanted comfort and refreshment for his soul, which he thirsted and longed after, as a thirsty man after water in a desert place.

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 (Krxva) "sub auroram quaero te", Piscator.
F16 "Studiosissime", Gejerus, Michaelis.

Psalms 63:1 In-Context

1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips