Bible Strands
Psalms 143:7
Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who descend to the Pit.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses Yahweh directly during a moment of acute spiritual exhaustion, following an expression of desperate thirst in the preceding verse and preceding a request for morning guidance.
The words — The verb מַהֵר (ma.Her) commands divine haste, while כָּלְתָה (kal.Tah) states the literal exhaustion or failure of the speaker's spirit.
The thread — The plea "Do not hide Your face" recurs in Psalms 27:9 and 69:17, and the warning of descending to the Pit echoes the silence threat in Psalm 28:1.
Why it lands — The text demands immediate divine response to prevent spiritual collapse, requiring the reader to acknowledge human fragility and the necessity of sustained divine attention.
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
Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
Cross-references
- Psalms 69:17 Hide not Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress. Answer me quickly!
- Psalms 28:1 Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.
- Psalms 27:9 Hide not Your face from me, nor turn away Your servant in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my salvation.
- Psalms 71:12 Be not far from me, O God. Hurry, O my God, to help me.
- Psalms 69:3 I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
- Psalms 70:5 But I am poor and needy; hurry to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.
- Psalms 88:4 I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength.
- Psalms 102:2 Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.
- Isaiah 38:18 For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
- Psalms 13:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?