Bible Strands
Psalms 13:2
How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David addresses the LORD in a lament, questioning the duration of his inner turmoil and the enemy's apparent dominance before requesting divine intervention. The words — The Hebrew אָנָה ('anah, "when?" or "how long?") and יָגוֹן (yagon, "sorrow") anchor the verse's repeated plea regarding prolonged grief. The thread — This pattern of questioning divine delay amid enemy pressure and inner sorrow parallels the laments in Micah 7:8 and the descriptions of unending pain in Jeremiah 15:18. Why it lands — The text demands the reader confront the reality of prolonged suffering while waiting for God's response, framing lament as a direct address rather than a passive state.
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
How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
Cross-references
- Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
- Jeremiah 8:18 My sorrow is beyond healing; my heart is faint within me.
- Jeremiah 15:18 Why is my pain unending, and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become like a mirage to me—water that is not there.
- Psalms 143:3 For the enemy has pursued my soul, crushing my life to the ground, making me dwell in darkness like those long since dead.
- Proverbs 15:13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance, but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.
- Lamentations 1:5 Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. For the LORD has brought her grief because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone away as captives before the enemy.
- Job 10:15 If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction.
- Job 23:8 If I go east, He is not there, and if I go west, I cannot find Him.
- Psalms 123:3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt.
- Psalms 142:4 Look to my right and see; no one attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul.