Bible Strands
Psalms 119:58
I have sought Your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the LORD, moving from his vow to keep divine words in verse 57 into a direct plea for mercy. He speaks at a moment of deliberate pursuit following personal reflection on his conduct.
The words — The verb חִלִּ֣יתִי (chi.Li.ti) literally means "I have entreated," and פָנֶ֣י/ךָ (fa.Nei./kha) translates to "your face." The psalmist anchors his request in כְּ/אִמְרָתֶֽ/ךָ (ke./'im.ra.Te./kha), meaning "according to your word."
The thread — The motif of seeking God with the whole heart appears in Psalms 119:10, while the appeal for grace based on divine promise echoes Psalms 119:41. The posture of drawing near with a sincere heart is later mirrored in Hebrews 10:22.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to examine whether their pursuit of God is total and grounded in His stated promises rather than personal merit. It demands a concrete shift from self-directed reflection to dependent entreaty.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.
Cross-references
- Psalms 119:41 May Your loving devotion come to me, O LORD, Your salvation, according to Your promise.
- Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
- Psalms 119:10 With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.
- Psalms 119:170 May my plea come before You; rescue me according to Your promise.
- 1 Kings 13:6 Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.
- Psalms 4:6 Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
- Psalms 27:8 My heart said, “Seek His face.” Your face, O LORD, I will seek.
- Job 11:19 You will lie down without fear, and many will court your favor.
- Psalms 51:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
- Psalms 56:4 In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?