Psalm 30:5

Context

The superscription of Psalm 30 reads "A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David." A dedication here refers to the completion and consecration of a building. Interpreters differ on what "house" refers to. Proposals include the royal palace of David, the dedication of the site of the temple, and a later dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The psalm is a song of thanksgiving by someone who has been delivered from a crisis that brought him near to death. The psalmist confesses that God healed him and restored him to life: "thou hast healed me" (v. 2); "thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive" (v. 3). After calling the saints to sing praise in verse 4, he gives the reason in verse 5. There follows a confession that in his prosperity he had said, "I shall never be moved," but that when God hid His face, he was troubled (vv. 6–7). The psalm closes with praise: "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing" (v. 11).

Interpretation

• A reading of the text itself: The verse contrasts God's anger and God's favor in terms of duration. It is a confession that God does not simply overlook sin, yet His anger is brief, while His favor covers the whole of life.
• A reading in terms of discipline: This reading is common in Protestant commentaries. It understands the anger not as wrath intent on destruction but as discipline meant to bring about repentance. The verse is therefore read together with the teaching on discipline in Hebrews 12.
• A Christ-centered and eschatological reading: Some Christian interpretations read the "morning" as also alluding to the morning of the resurrection or to the hope of restoration on the last day. On this view, the verse points to the ultimate joy that follows the night of suffering.
• Jewish tradition: Psalm 30 is known to be recited in Jewish morning prayers and at Hanukkah (the festival commemorating the rededication of the temple). This use connects the psalm with the "dedication" mentioned in its superscription.

Questions Concerning Application

• Translation: The Hebrew verb rendered "endure" in the KJV (rendered in Korean as gisukhada, "to lodge") means "to spend the night." The expression likens weeping to a traveler who lodges for a single night and then departs. The New Korean Revised Version changed this rendering to a word meaning "to lodge" or "to nestle." The word rendered "lifetime" can also be read as "life," so some translations render the phrase along the lines of "in his favour is life."
• Quotation out of context: Some have objected to using this verse solely as a promise that "hardship will soon be over." The passage speaks of both God's anger and the psalmist's pride (v. 6). In addition, the book of Psalms contains laments that continue for a long time without resolution. For this reason, some hold that caution is needed in reading "evening" and "morning" as literal times or as a guarantee of immediate prosperity.

Related Passages

• Isaiah 54:7–8
• Lamentations 3:22–23
• John 16:20–22
• 2 Corinthians 4:17
• Hebrews 12:11