Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 130:6

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 130:6. More than they that watch for the morning. — I believe the original should be read differently from what it is here. The Chaldee has, "More than they who observe the morning watches, that they may offer the morning oblation." This gives a good sense, and is, perhaps, the true meaning. Most of the Versions have "From the morning to the night watches." Or the passage may be rendered, "My soul waiteth for the Lord from the morning watches to the morning watches." That is, "I wait both day and night."

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalm 129-131 Preparing for worship

Thinking back on the sorrows of Israel’s history, the travellers recall that ever since the days of the nation’s ‘youth’ in Egypt, Israel has had suffering. The backs of the people had been whipped when they were slaves, but God cut the cords that bound them in slavery and set them free (129:1-4). Now again they are troubled by those who hate them. They pray that God will turn back their enemies and make them as useless as stalks of grass that wither and die in the sun (5-7). Left without friends, their enemies will have no one to help them (8).
A sense of their own sinfulness overcomes the travellers as they approach the temple. They know that they need forgiveness, for no person in a sinful condition can stand before the holy God in his temple (130:1-4). They wait for the assurance of God’s forgiveness with the same longing as watch men on night duty wait for the light of dawn (5-6). But all the time they have a quiet confidence that God, in his love, will forgive them (7-8).
Realizing that they are forgiven, the grateful worshippers are now ready to enter God’s temple in holy worship. The importance of the occasion fills them with such a sense of awe that they are genuinely humbled before God. They confess that they cannot understand all about God and his ways, though at the same time they rest in the knowledge of his nearness and comfort (131:1-3).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"I wait for Jehovah, my soul doth wait, And in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord More than watchmen wait for the morning; Yea, more than watchmen for the morning."

See the chapter introduction for a discussion of these lines. The picture here is one of hopeful and patient trust in God. No assurance of his forgiveness is registered here, but his hope encourages and sustains him. Somehow, he knows that God will "pass over" his sins for which he has truly repented and petitioned the Father in heaven.

"Wait… wait… I hope" The psalmist is waiting for the consolation of Israel, for the kingdom of God, and for the Advent of Christ the redeemer. Yes, death over took him before that "morning" came; but praise be to God forever, the healing mercies of the Cross of Christ flowed in both directions, all the way back to the blood of Abel and all the way forward till the Second Advent.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning - More intently; more anxiously. The Septuagint and Latin Vulgate render this, “My soul hopeth in the Lord from the morning watch until night.” The idea is that of watchers - night guards - who look anxiously for the break of day that they may be relieved. It is not that of persons who simply look for the return of day, but of those who are on guard - or it may be who watch beside the sick or the dying - and who look out on the east to mark the first indications of returning light. To them the night seems long; they are weary, and want repose; all around is cheerless, gloomy, and still; and they long for the first signs that light will again visit the world. Thus in affliction - the long, dark, dreary, gloomy night of sorrow - the sufferer looks for the first indication, the first faint ray of comfort to the soul. Thus under deep conviction for sin, and deep apprehension of the wrath of God - that night, dark, dreary, gloomy, often long - the soul looks for some ray of comfort, some intimation that God will be merciful, and will speak peace and pardon.

I say, more than they that watch for the morning - Margin, which watch unto the morning. The translation in the text best expresses the sense. There is something exceedingly beautiful and touching in this language of repetition, though it is much enfeebled by the words which our translators have inserted, “I say, more than.” The Hebrew is, “more than they that watch for the morning - watch for the morning,” as if the mind dwelt upon the words as better expressing its own anxious state than any other words could do. Everyone who has been afflicted will feel the force of this; every one who has been under conviction of sin, and who has felt himself in danger of suffering the wrath of God, will remember how anxiously he longed for mercy, for light, for peace, for some indication, even the most faint, like the first ray which breaks in the east, that his soul would find mercy and peace.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

6.My soul hath waited for the Lord before the watchers of the morning. In this verse he expresses both the ardor and the perseverance of his desire. In saying that he anticipated the watchmen, he shows by this similitude with what diligence and alacrity he breathed after God. And the repetition is a proof of his perseverance; for there is no doubt that thereby he intended to express an uninterrnitted continuance of the same course, and consequently perseverance. Both these qualities in his exercise, are worthy of attention; for it is too manifest how slow and cold we are in elevating our minds to God, and also how easily we are shaken and even fall at every little blast of wind. Farther, as the watches of the night were in ancient times usually divided into four parts, this passage may be explained as implying that as the watchmen of the night, who keep watch by turns, are careful in looking when the morning will dawn, so the Prophet looked to God with the greatest attention of mind. But the more natural sense seems to be, that as in the morning the warders of the gates are more wakeful than all other people, and are the earliest in rising, that they may appear at the posts assigned them, so the mind of the Prophet hastened with all speed to seek God. The repetition, as I have already observed, shows that he stood keeping his gaze perseveringly fixed upon its object. We must always beware of allowing our fervor to languish through the weariness of delay, should the Lord for any length of time keep us in suspense. ⁽¹²²⁾

(122) Some, as Street, Mant, Dr. Adam Clarke, French and Skinner, and Phillips, suppose that the allusion in this verse is to the watchings which the Priests and Levites in their turns exercised during the night in the Temple, (see Psalms 34:1,) and especially to those officers of theirs who were appointed to watch for the first dawn of day, in order that the morning sacrifice might be offered. “In the Talmudical Tract Tamid it is related, ‘The prefect said to them, Go and see if the time of slaying; have arrived; if it had arrived, the watcher calls out, ברקאי, Coruscations.’ Agreeably to this explanation of the verse is the rendering of the Chaldee, which is as follows: “My soul waits for the Lord, more than the keepers of the morning vigils, which they observe for offering of the morning oblation.”­ Phillips. “The custom alluded to by the Targumist,” [or Chaldee,] says Street, “is mentioned in Exodus 30:7. ‘And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps he shall burn incense upon it.’” “The similitude,” observes Mant, “is beautifully expressive of the eager impatience of the Psalmist; which is still further augmented by the repetition.”

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 130:1-8

Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice: let your ears be attentive to the voice of my [prayers or] supplications. For if you, LORD, should start [making a list] marking iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that you may be reverenced. I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities ( Psalms 130:1-8 ).

So if the Lord should begin to keep an account of iniquities, none of us would make it. Oh, how thankful we are that with God there is mercy; there is forgiveness. Oh, how happy is the man whose sins are forgiven. "With the Lord there is mercy, and plenteous redemption." "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 130

The poet uttered a cry for God to show mercy to His people, and he encouraged his fellow Israelites to wait for the Lord to deliver them. This is one of the penitential psalms, as well as an individual lament and a psalm of ascent.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The writer purposed to continue to wait for the Lord to deliver him while he reflected on God’s forgiveness. He compared himself to a guard on duty late at night. He could only wait for the morning light when someone else would relieve him, and when all that was now dark would then be clear.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

3. A deliberate decision to hope 130:5-8

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

My soul [waiteth] for the Lord,.... This is repeated for the confirmation of it, and to show the vehement and constant disposition of his mind towards the Lord; as well as for the sake of what follows:

more than they that watch for the morning: [I say, more than] they that watch for the morning; or, "more than the morning watchers, that watch for or until the morning" h; than watchmen of cities, or the keepers of the wails, as Aben Ezra; those who are upon the last morning watch, and are looking out for the morning light; that they may go off from duty, and lie down and sleep: or than those that sit up with sick persons; who, being solitary and melancholy, as well as want sleep, long for the morning, that they may have some refreshment: or rather than the priests and Levites that watched in the temple, that waited for the morning, that they might be relieved by others; or else than those of that function, who were very diligent to observe the break of day, that they might enter upon their morning sacrifices; of which are many instances in the Misnah i. So the Targum,

"more than they that observe the morning watches, which they observe to offer up the morning sacrifice:''

and Kimchi's paraphrase is,

"who rise in the morning watches to pray.''

The coming of Christ is said to be as the morning; and the light of God's countenance is comparable to the morning light; the discoveries of pardoning grace are through the bright shining of the sun of righteousness, and is the healing that is in his wings; and salvation and deliverance from any distress Is light that breaks forth as the morning: all and each of these are more desirable, and more to be waited for, than the natural light of the morning; see 2 Samuel 23:4 Hosea 6:3.

h So Junius & Tremellius, Musculus, Cocceius. i See Misn. Yoma, c. 3. s. 1. & Tamid, c. 3. s. 2.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.   6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.   7 Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.   8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

      Here, I. The psalmist engages himself to trust in God and to wait for him, Psalms 130:5; Psalms 130:6. Observe, 1. His dependence upon God, expressed in a climax, it being a a song of degrees, or ascents: "I wait for the Lord; from him I expect relief and comfort, believing it will come, longing till it does come, but patiently bearing the delay of it, and resolving to look for it from no other hand. My soul doth wait; I wait for him in sincerity, and not in profession only. I am an expectant, and it is for the Lord that my soul waits, for the gifts of his grace and the operations of his power." 2. The ground of that dependence: In his word do I hope. We must hope for that only which he has promised in his word, and not for the creatures of our own fancy and imagination; we must hope for it because he has promised it, and not from any opinion of our own merit. 3. The degree of that dependence--"more than those that watch for the morning, who are, (1.) Well-assured that the morning will come; and so am I that God will return in mercy to me, according to his promise; for God's covenant is more firm than the ordinances of day and night, for they shall come to an end, but that is everlasting." (2.) Very desirous that it would come. Sentinels that keep guard upon the walls, those that watch with sick people, and travellers that are abroad upon their journey, long before day wish to see the dawning of the day; but more earnestly does this good man long for the tokens of God's favour and the visits of his grace, and more readily will he be aware of his first appearances than they are of day. Dr. Hammond reads it thus, My soul hastens to the Lord, from the guards in the morning, the guards in the morning, and gives this sense of it, "To thee I daily betake myself, early in the morning, addressing my prayers, and my very soul, before thee, at the time that the priests offer their morning sacrifice."

      II. He encourages all the people of God in like manner to depend upon him and trust in him: Let Israel hope in the Lord and wait for him; not only the body of the people, but every good man, who surnames himself by the name of Israel,Isaiah 44:5. Let all that devote themselves to God cheerfully stay themselves upon him (Psalms 130:7; Psalms 130:8), for two reasons:-- 1. Because the light of nature discovers to us that there is mercy with him, that the God of Israel is a merciful God and the Father of mercies. Mercy is with him; not only inherent in his nature, but it is his delight, it is his darling attribute; it is with him in all his works, in all his counsels. 2. Because the light of the gospel discovers to us that there is redemption with him, contrived by him, and to be wrought out in the fulness of time; it was in the beginning hidden in God. See here, (1.) The nature of this redemption; it is redemption from sin, from all sin, and therefore can be no other than that eternal redemption which Jesus Christ became the author of; for it is he that saves his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), that redeems them from all iniquity (Titus 2:14), and turns away ungodliness from Jacob,Romans 11:26. It is he that redeems us both from the condemning and from the commanding power of sin. (2.) The riches of this redemption; it is plenteous redemption; there is an all-sufficient fulness of merit and grace in the Redeemer, enough for all, enough for each; enough for me, says the believer. Redemption from sin includes redemption from all other evils, and therefore is a plenteous redemption. (3.) The persons to whom the benefits of this redemption belong: He shall redeem Israel, Israel according to the spirit, all those who are in covenant with God, as Israel was, and who are Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile.