Psalms 63:2. To see thy power, &c.— The meaning, says Jarchi, here is, "I have thirsted to see thy power and thy glory, as I have seen thee in the holy tabernacle in Shilo; where my soul was satisfied with the vision of thy power and glory." The Psalmist refers here to the cloud and glory, which he had seen in the tabernacle and above the ark, and which were the peculiar emblems of the divine majesty. read more
1. early . . . seek thee—earnestly (Isaiah 26:9). The figurative terms— dry and thirsty—literally, "weary," denoting moral destitution, suited his outward circumstances. soul—and—flesh—the whole man (Psalms 16:9; Psalms 16:10). read more
2. The special object of desire was God's perfections as displayed in his worship ( :-). read more
Evidently David’s thirst for water in the wilderness led him to express his soul’s thirst for God. "Earnestly" is literally "early." As soon as David arose in the morning, he became aware of his need for God-just as he needed water shortly after waking up. He was speaking of his sense of dependence on God. read more
1. David’s thirst for God 63:1-2 read more
Psalms 63King David wrote this individual lament psalm when he was in the wilderness of Judah away from the ark and the place of formal worship (2 Samuel 15:25). This could have been when he was fleeing from Saul (1 Samuel 23) or from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:13-30). [Note: Kirkpatrick, pp. 352-53.] The theme of trust, which Psalms 61, 62 emphasize, reaches a climax in Psalms 63. Even though David was miles away from the ark, he still worshipped God."There may be other psalms that equal this... read more
The king had come to realize his need for God earlier as a result of what he had learned about God in the tabernacle. There he had become sure of God’s great power and glory."What life does to us depends on what life finds in us . . ." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 206.] read more
Title.—A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.The writer of this Ps. is a king (Psalms 63:11), who is at a distance from the sanctuary, and in danger from eager foes. If the title be correct it must refer, not to David’s earlier experiences in the reign of Saul (1 Samuel 22:5), but to the time when his flight from Absalom led him through the wilderness of Judah, between Jerusalem and the Jordan (2 Samuel 15:23-28). His longing for God’s presence (Psalms 63:1-2) passes into... read more
(1) Early will I seek thee.—LXX. and Vulgate, “to thee I wake early,” i.e., my waking thoughts are toward thee, and this was certainly in the Hebrew, since the verb here used has for its cognate noun the dawn. The expectancy which even in inanimate nature seems to await the first streak of morning is itself enough to show the connection of thought. (Comp. the use of the same verb in Song of Solomon 7:12; and comp. Luke 21:28, New Testament Commentary.)Soul . . . flesh.—Or, as we say, body and... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Psalms 63:1
Psalms 63:0. David's thirst for God: his manner of blessing God: his confidence of his enemies' destruction, and his own safety. A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. Title. לדוד מזמור mizmor ledavid.— The beginning of this psalm evidently shews, that David was, when he wrote it, in a wilderness or desart country, (1Sa 22:5 probably the forest of Hareth, or Ziph, belonging to Judah,) absent from the sanctuary: for he therein expresses the impatience of his desires to be... read more