Christianity

Psalms 130Out of the Depths

Summary

Psalm 130, a Song of Ascents and one of the seven penitential psalms, begins with a cry out of the depths. The psalmist admits that if God marked iniquities no one could stand, but there is forgiveness with him, that he may be feared. He waits for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the morning, and he calls Israel to hope in the LORD, with whom is mercy and plenteous redemption, for he will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Key verse

“Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.”

Psalms 130:1

Themes

Penitence
Forgiveness
Waiting on God
Hope and Redemption

Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.

Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

My soul waiteth 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.

And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Islam
Surah Al-Anbiya (21): Jonah's Cry in the Darkness
Quran 21:87 recalls Jonah, Dhu'n-Nun, crying out in the darkness that there is no god but God and confessing that he has done wrong, and 21:88 says God heard him. Like Psalm 130 it is a prayer from the depths that joins confession with trust.
Christianity
Jonah 2: Out of the Belly of Hell
Jonah's prayer from inside the fish speaks of crying out of the belly of hell and being cast into the deep, a close parallel to the psalm's opening cry.
Judaism
Psalm 130 in the JPS 1917 Tanakh
Many Jewish communities add Psalm 130 to the morning service during the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Questions about Psalms 130

What is De Profundis?

De profundis, Latin for out of the depths, is the traditional name of Psalm 130. In Catholic tradition it is often prayed for the dead, and it inspired Martin Luther's hymn Aus tiefer Not and the title of Oscar Wilde's prison letter.

What does 'more than they that watch for the morning' mean?

Psalm 130:6 compares longing for God to night watchmen waiting for dawn, sure that it will come yet eager for it. The repetition in the verse stresses the intensity of the waiting.