Psalms 130:1-5

Psalm 130 ¹ 

A song of ascents. ² 

130:1 From the deep water ³  I cry out to you, O Lord.

130:2 O Lord, listen to me! ⁴ 

Pay attention to ⁵  my plea for mercy!

130:3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of ⁶  sins,

O Lord, who could stand before you? ⁷ 

130:4 But ⁸  you are willing to forgive, ⁹ 

so that you might ¹⁰  be honored. ¹¹ 

130:5 I rely on ¹²  the Lord,

I rely on him with my whole being; ¹³ 

I wait for his assuring word. ¹⁴ 

[130:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 130. The psalmist, confident of the Lord’s forgiveness, cries out to the Lord for help in the midst of his suffering and urges Israel to do the same.

[130:1]  ² sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[130:1]  ³ tn Heb “depths,” that is, deep waters (see Ps 69:2, 14; Isa 51:10), a metaphor for the life-threatening danger faced by the psalmist.

[130:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “my voice.”

[130:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”

[130:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “observe.”

[130:3]  ⁸ tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”

[130:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “surely.”

[130:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for with you [there is] forgiveness.”

[130:4]  ¹² tn Or “consequently you are.”

[130:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “feared.”

[130:5]  ¹³ tn Or “wait for.”

[130:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my soul waits.”

[130:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “his word.”