Psalm 30 Explained

Psalm 30
Subtitle:"I will extol thee, O ;
for thou hast lifted me up"
Image Upright:1.2
Other Name:
  • Psalm 29
  • "Exaltabo te Domine"
Text:by David
Language:Hebrew (original)

Psalm 30 is the 30th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I will extol thee, O ; for thou hast lifted me up". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 29. In Latin, it is known as "Exaltabo te Domine".[1] It is a psalm of thanksgiving, traditionally ascribed to David upon the building of his own royal palace.

The psalm is a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has inspired hymns based on it, and has been set to music.

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text[2] [3] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

VerseHebrewEnglish translation (JPS 1917)
1A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House; of David.
2I will extol thee, O LORD, for Thou hast raised me up, and hast not suffered mine enemies to rejoice over me.
3O LORD my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou didst heal me;
4O LORD, Thou broughtest up my soul from the nether-world; Thou didst kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
5Sing praise unto the LORD, O ye His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name.
6For His anger is but for a moment, His favour is for a life-time; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.
7Now I had said in my security: 'I shall never be moved.'
8Thou hadst established, O LORD, in Thy favour my mountain as a stronghold— Thou didst hide Thy face; I was affrighted.
9Unto Thee, O LORD, did I call, And unto the LORD I made supplication:
10'What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise Thee? shall it declare Thy truth?
11Hear, O LORD, and be gracious unto me; LORD, be Thou my helper.
12Thou didst turn for me my mourning into dancing; Thou didst loose my sackcloth, and gird me with gladness;
13So that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent; O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever.

King James Version

  1. I will extol thee, O ; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
  2. O my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
  3. O, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
  4. Sing unto the, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
  5. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
  6. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
  7. , by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
  8. I cried to thee, O ; and unto the I made supplication.
  9. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
  10. Hear, O, and have mercy upon me:, be thou my helper.
  11. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
  12. To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Theme

Psalm 30 is called Hebrew: מזמר שיר חנכת הבית,, "A Psalm, a song for the Dedication of a House" Greek numbering: Psalm 29). It is a psalm of thanksgiving, traditionally ascribed to David upon the building of his own royal palace.[4] David dedicated his life work to be completed by his son, who built the "Hallowed House", Hebrew: בית המקדש Solomon's Temple. It is Solomon and his lineage, not the building, which in later sources are called the House of David.

Hebrew: חינוך, from the same root as Hanukkah, is the name for Jewish education, emphasizing ethical training and discipline.

Liturgical use in Judaism

Christian uses

Augustine saw the psalm David wrote of the founding of the house as pointing to the resurrection of Christ and the foundation of God's house, the church.[9]

In the Catholic Church, Psalm 30 is appointed to be read at Lauds (Morning Prayer) on Thursday in the first week of the month.

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the sixth day of the month.[10]

Verse 5 is used in the Jesus Culture song "Your Love Never Fails".[11] [12]

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a metric paraphrase of Psalm 30 in German, "Ich preis dich, Herr, zu aller Stund", SWV 127, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628.

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://medievalist.net/psalmstxt/ps29.htm Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 29 (30)
  2. Web site: Psalms – Chapter 30 . Mechon Mamre.
  3. Web site: Psalms 30 - JPS 1917 . Sefaria.org.
  4. Book: Henry, Matthew . Matthew Henry . Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible . Alban Books . 1-56563-778-X . 2005 . 1708–10 . It was the laudable practice of the pious Jews, and, though not expressly appointed, yet allowed and accepted, when they had built a new house, to dedicate it to God, Deut. xx. 5. David did so when his house was built, and he took possession of it (2 Sam. v. 11); for royal palaces do as much need God's protection, and are as much bound to be at his service, as ordinary houses..
  5. See The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 54-55
  6. The Artscroll Tehillim page 329
  7. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 607
  8. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 157
  9. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1801030.htm Augustine on Psalm 30, vs 1
  10. Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 215-216
  11. Web site: Your Love Never Fails – Jesus Culture . Worship Together . 28 May 2020.
  12. https://whenyouneedgod.com/what-is-the-real-meaning-of-psalm-305-deep-dive-for-his-anger-is-but-for-a-moment-his-favor-is-for-life-weeping-may-endure-for-a-night-but-joy-comes-in-the-morning/ The Real meaning of Psalm 30:5