The Meaning of Psalms 63:1 Explained

Psalms 63:1

KJV: {A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.} O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

YLT: A Psalm of David, in his being in the wilderness of Judah. O God, Thou art my God, earnestly do I seek Thee, Thirsted for Thee hath my soul, Longed for Thee hath my flesh, In a land dry and weary, without waters.

Darby: {A Psalm of David; when he was in the wilderness of Judah.} O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee. My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh languisheth for thee, in a dry and weary land without water:

ASV: O God, thou art my God; earnestly will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, In a dry and weary land, where no water is.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

{{A Psalm  of David,  when he was in the wilderness  of Judah.  }} O God,  thou [art] my God;  early will I seek  thee: my soul  thirsteth  for thee, my flesh  longeth  for thee in a dry  and thirsty  land,  where no  water  is; 

What does Psalms 63:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

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.

Context Summary

Psalms 63:1-11 - The Longing Soul Abundantly Satisfied
Ever since the third century this has been the morning song of the Church. The superscription tells us that it was written in the wilderness of Judah, probably during the events recorded in 2 Samuel 15:23-28; 2 Samuel 16:2; 2 Samuel 17:16. Notice the many references to the life of the soul. These are the many considerations of our mortal pilgrimage! My soul thirsteth; my soul longeth; my soul shall be satisfied; my soul followeth hard after thee.
The soul thirsting, Psalms 63:1-4
Let us be on the alert to see God's power and glory, not only in the sanctuary, but in dry and thirsty lands. How sad and weary, r.v., is life without God!
The soul satisfied, Psalms 63:5-7
To desire God is to have Him. To long for Him is to be at the well-head. To remember Him on the bed rests us. To meditate on Him in the night is to have the dawn. The shadow of His wings is absolute safety.
The soul in hot pursuit, Psalms 63:8-11
God is always in front of us. The Savior went before; we must follow in His steps, but there ought to be as little space as possible between us. Another turn of the road, and you will see Him! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 63

1  David's thirst for God
4  His manner of blessing God
9  His confidence of his enemies' destruction, and his own safety

What do the individual words in Psalms 63:1 mean?

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah God my God You [are] Early will I seek You thirsts for You My soul longs for You My flesh in a land dry and thirsty where there is no water
מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד בִּ֝הְיוֹת֗וֹ בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר יְהוּדָֽה אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֵלִ֥י אַתָּ֗ה אֲ‍ֽשַׁחֲ֫רֶ֥ךָּ צָמְאָ֬ה לְךָ֨ ׀ נַפְשִׁ֗י כָּמַ֣הּ לְךָ֣ בְשָׂרִ֑י בְּאֶֽרֶץ־ צִיָּ֖ה וְעָיֵ֣ף בְּלִי־ מָֽיִם

מִזְמ֥וֹר  A  Psalm 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְמֹור  
Sense: melody, psalm.
לְדָוִ֑ד  of  David 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
בִּ֝הְיוֹת֗וֹ  when  he  was 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
יְהוּדָֽה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֵלִ֥י  my  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.
אַתָּ֗ה  You  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
אֲ‍ֽשַׁחֲ֫רֶ֥ךָּ  Early  will  I  seek  You 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁחַר  
Sense: to seek, seek early or earnestly, look early or diligently for.
צָמְאָ֬ה  thirsts 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: צָמֵא  
Sense: (Qal) to be thirsty.
לְךָ֨ ׀  for  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
נַפְשִׁ֗י  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.
כָּמַ֣הּ  longs 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּמַהּ  
Sense: (Qal) to long for, faint, faint with longing.
לְךָ֣  for  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
בְשָׂרִ֑י  My  flesh 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
בְּאֶֽרֶץ־  in  a  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
צִיָּ֖ה  dry 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: צִיָּה  
Sense: dryness, drought, desert.
וְעָיֵ֣ף  and  thirsty 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עָיֵף  
Sense: faint, exhausted, weary.
בְּלִי־  where  there  is  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: בְּלִי 
Sense: wearing out adv of negation.
מָֽיִם  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.