Psalm 63:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

NIV: I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

NASB: So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

CSB: So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands.

NLT: I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

KJV: Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

NKJV: Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

David was inspired to write these words by an emergency journey through the wilderness. He used his thirst and physical need during the evacuation (2 Samuel 15:13–14; 17:27–29) as an analogy for his desire to praise and worship God (Psalm 63:1–2). David's intent to praise the Lord is based on his experience of God's loyal, reliable love (Psalm 63:3).

Raising the hands toward heaven was a posture of praise in Old Testament times and a posture of prayer in the New Testament. First Kings 8:54 pictures Solomon kneeling before the altar "with hands outstretched toward heaven." In Psalm 28:2 David states, "Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary." First Timothy 2:8 expresses Paul's desire "that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling." Of course, the physical position taken during praise and prayer is not as important as the condition of the heart. David writes in Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Psalm 63:1–4 expresses David's intense desire to experience God's presence and fellowship. David wrote these words while fleeing from enemies through a parched, uninhabited area (2 Samuel 16:14; 17:27–29). He compares his yearning for fellowship with God to his intense hunger and thirst. David vows to praise God forever because of the Lord's loyal love.

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 11:11:27 AM