Psalm 63:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

NIV: I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

NASB: My soul is satisfied as with fat and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

CSB: You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.

NLT: You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.

KJV: My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

NKJV: My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

In the last passage, David compared his yearning for spiritual things with physical thirst and hunger (Psalm 63:1–4). Here, he continues with a similar analogy. When one is hungry, there is great pleasure in eating fine food and becoming full. In English, the term "gratified" describes a feeling of satisfied pleasure. Here, David implies he is as gratified by praising the Lord as he would be from a banquet.

David's practice of praising God joyfully despite harsh experiences reflects an important truth for all believers. It is good to praise God even in dire circumstances, and to do so joyfully. God is good all the time, and He deserves to be praised joyfully. When the apostle Paul and Silas were attacked by an unruly crowd in Philippi, they were turned over to the city's magistrates, who beat them with rods many times and threw into an inner prison. Yet, despite their despicable circumstances, Paul and Silas made the same choice as David: to praise God (Acts 16:19–25). Other prisoners listened to how Paul and Silas reacted to their dilemma (Acts 16:25). When God miraculously opened the prison doors and unbound the prisoners, everyone stayed. Had they escaped, the jailer would have been killed; in fact, he was about to kill himself. But Paul pointed out that everyone was there, and the jailor and his family came to saving faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:26–34). Unbelievers can be greatly influenced by believers' joyful references to God, especially when times are hard.

In Psalm 63:5–8, David exults in the Lord. The prior verses compared David's desire to know God with physical thirst and hunger. Now, he makes a comparison between the satisfaction of good food and the joy of worship. David looks to the past and sees the Lord's powerful work in his life. As a result, he confidently trusts in God and expresses delighted praise.

David longs to know God the same way a man wishes for water and rest when wandering in the desert. Praise to God is as satisfying as eating rich foods. David trusts entirely in the Lord and His protection. The enemies who seek David's throne will be defeated; in his confidence David plans to rejoice when this occurs. This psalm was inspired by David's hasty retreat from Absalom's rebellion, through the wilderness (2 Samuel 17:27–29).

This song was inspired by David's experiences during the rebellion of his son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15:13–14). Other writings associated with this event include Psalms 3, 4, 5, 8, 41, and 62. When David evacuated Jerusalem, his traveling group made a difficult journey through dry, uninhabited wilderness areas (2 Samuel 16:14; 17:2, 27–29). The song creates a parallel between David's physical needs and his desire to reconnect with the Lord.

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.