Psalm 130:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

NIV: Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

NASB: Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the sound of my pleadings.

CSB: Lord, listen to my voice; let your ears be attentive to my cry for help.

NLT: Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer.

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

NKJV: Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.

A common request in psalms is for the Lord to hear or pay attention to a prayer (Psalm 30:10; 64:1; 119:145). This doesn't imply that God doesn't notice certain prayers (Psalm 94:9–10). Rather, it emphasizes that the person praying believes they have a relationship with the Lord such that He will answer (Psalm 17:5–6; John 9:31). Their cry is that the Lord consider and grant the request. The psalmist asks for mercy. This can imply rescue from some danger (Psalm 69:14–16); it may also suggest that the psalmist has sinned and is asking the Lord's forgiveness (Psalm 130:3–4; Hebrews 4:16).

This prayer resembles Solomon's dedication of the temple (2 Chronicles 6:41), which included a plea for the Lord to maintain His loyal love for the lineage of David (2 Chronicles 6:42). The apostle Peter recognized God's willingness to answer prayer. He quotes from Psalm 34 in 1 Peter 3:12: "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer."

Psalm 130:1–2 is prayed during some extreme difficulty. The psalmist seeks rescue from a situation which may have been caused by his own sin (Psalm 130:3–4). In the original Hebrew, the author uses two distinct words. One is Yahweh, the name claimed by God Himself (Exodus 3:15). The other is Adonai, a term literally meaning "Lord."

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).

Jerusalem is located on a series of mountains; going to the city meant ascending these slopes. Songs used by pilgrims headed to required feasts there (Deuteronomy 16:16) are labeled "of ascents" (Psalms 120—134). Each focuses on a theme. Here, the subject matter is the Lord's forgiveness towards the sins of His people. This ties to the idea of His mercy (Deuteronomy 4:31; Psalm 18:25; 111:4). It also connects to His loyal, steady love, from the important Hebrew term hesed (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 86:5; 103:4; Lamentations 3:22).

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 12/18/2024 12:14:49 PM