The Meaning of Psalms 116:7 Explained

Psalms 116:7

KJV: Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

YLT: Turn back, O my soul, to thy rest, For Jehovah hath conferred benefits on thee.

Darby: Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee.

ASV: Return unto thy rest, O my soul; For Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Return  unto thy rest,  O my soul;  for the LORD  hath dealt bountifully  with thee. 

What does Psalms 116:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 116:1-11 - He Delivered My Soul
Throughout this psalm we meet the pronoun in the first person. Only in two verses, Psalms 116:15 and Psalms 116:19, does it not so occur. There is no fear of egotism, however, when the heart of the singer overflows with divine love.
Psalms 116:1-4
The psalmist here compares himself to some wild animal ensnared by the hunter and bound by the sharp cords which make free movement impossible. Bow many of God's saints have felt the deep incision of these cords! It has been with them as with Joseph, when let down into the pit. But there is no pit so deep that a cry from it may not reach the heart of God.
Psalms 116:5-11
When the quiet faith of answered prayer is ours, the fluttering soul seems to settle down to its nest in peace. The feet which were slipping now walk in the paths of life. Notice the prayer of Psalms 116:4 and the reply of Psalms 116:8. God does more than deliver; He wipes the tears from our faces, and holds us as a mother who places her hands under the armpits of her child, teaching it to walk. Paul quotes Psalms 116:10 in 2 Corinthians 4:13. How often must this psalm have been in his thought and on his lips! Do not speak hastily. An eminent religious leader said once, "I shall have good hopes of you, when you can speak and move slowly." [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 116

1  The psalmist professes his love and duty to God for his deliverance
12  He studies to be thankful

What do the individual words in Psalms 116:7 mean?

Return my soul to your rest for Yahweh has dealt bountifully with you
שׁוּבִ֣י נַ֭פְשִׁי לִמְנוּחָ֑יְכִי כִּֽי־ יְ֝הוָ֗ה גָּמַ֥ל עָלָֽיְכִי

שׁוּבִ֣י  Return 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
נַ֭פְשִׁי  my  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
לִמְנוּחָ֑יְכִי  to  your  rest 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: מְנוּחָה 
Sense: resting place, rest.
יְ֝הוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
גָּמַ֥ל  has  dealt  bountifully 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּמַל  
Sense: to deal fully with, recompense.
עָלָֽיְכִי  with  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.