Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

PSALMS 13:3KJV
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Psalms 13:3 (KJV)

What does Psalms 13:3 mean?

Psalms 13:3 is a plea from the writer, asking God to pay attention to him, listen to his cry, and restore his hope and strength so he does not fall into despair or death. The verse uses the image of God “lightening” or brightening the psalmist’s eyes, expressing a deep need for renewed life and encouragement.

King David is speaking directly to God in a time of deep trouble and feeling forgotten. He asks God to “consider and hear” him, showing both his desperation and his trust that God can change his situation. The phrase about sleeping “the sleep of death” shows how serious David’s distress is—he feels so low that he fears for his very life unless God intervenes.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 13:3

  • “Consider” (נָבַט, navat) means to look at or pay close attention. David is asking God not just to notice him but to really see his suffering.
  • “Lighten” (אוֹר, or) means to give light or make bright. In this context, it is often understood as restoring vitality or hope, as if God’s attention could bring life back to David’s weary spirit.
  • “Eyes” (עַיִן, ayin) in Hebrew often symbolizes not just physical sight but also understanding, awareness, or even life itself. Brightening the eyes can mean restoring one’s energy or will to live.
  • “Sleep” (יָשֵׁן, yashen) and “death” (מָוֶת, mavet) together form a poetic way to describe dying, showing how close David feels to giving up without God’s help.

Why Psalms 13:3 matters

  • This verse shows how honest and raw the psalms can be, with David openly admitting his fear and weakness rather than hiding it.
  • The request for God to “lighten” his eyes highlights the belief that real hope and strength come from God, not just from within oneself.
  • Psalms 13:3 connects to the rest of the psalm, where David moves from despair to renewed trust, showing a journey from deep trouble to hope through prayer.

Where else these words appear

“sleep” Hebrew H3462 · used in 19 verses

  • Genesis 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
  • 1 Kings 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
  • Proverbs 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

“lighten” Hebrew H215 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Nehemiah 9:19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
  • Psalms 118:27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

“Consider” Hebrew H5027 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
  • Psalms 22:17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
  • Isaiah 38:11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.