What does Psalm 130:7 mean?
Up until now, this psalm has been a prayer for forgiveness (Psalm 130:1–4). The psalmist knows that no one deserves mercy from God, yet the Lord is merciful. He expressed intense trust, relying on God to answer (Psalm 130:5–6). Here, the writer calls on the entire nation of Israel to express the same kind of hope. He uses the important word hesed to describe the ongoing, consistent, loyal love which the Lord expresses towards His people.When Joseph and Mary presented the infant Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem, a devout man, Simeon, was there. Like the psalmist here, he was "waiting" for God to send redemption to Israel (Luke 2:25). When he saw Jesus, he praised God and said he could die in peace because he'd seen the answer to those prayers (Luke 2:29–32). Likewise, Anna, a prophetess, saw Jesus and spread the news "to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38).
The first six verses of the psalm alternated between two words for God. One is Yahweh, the name God used when speaking to Moses (Exodus 3:15). The other is Adonai, which means "Lord." Here, however, the psalmist only uses the word Yahweh. This may deliberately emphasize that salvation comes from the God of Israel—the One True God—or it may be a simple poetic choice with no particular meaning.
Psalm 130:7–8 calls on the people of Israel to trust God because of His steady, persistent, merciful love. This trait is labeled with the Hebrew word hesed (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 17:7; 103:10–11). Prior segments alternated between the words Yahweh and Adonai in reference to God. Here, the psalmist repeats the first, which is the name the Lord used when speaking to Moses (Exodus 3:15). Israel is referred to as "he" in some translations because this is the name of the nation's namesake patriarch (Genesis 32:28).
The Lord is absolutely right to judge sin. Nothing can match the standard of His perfection. So, the psalmist asks forgiveness and mercy, trusting entirely in God's nature. This hope is constant and sincere. The Lord is associated with loyal, persistent, caring love for the people of Israel. Despite the sins of the nation, God is ready to redeem them. The first three of four small segments alternate between two common words for God; the last only repeats the word Yahweh (Exodus 3:15).
