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.

PSALMS 143:7KJV
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Psalms 143:7 (KJV)

What does Psalms 143:7 mean?

Psalms 143:7 is a desperate prayer where the psalmist pleads with God to answer quickly because he feels overwhelmed and near despair, fearing that if God turns away, he will be as hopeless as those who have died. The verse expresses a sense of urgency and deep dependence on God’s presence for survival.

King David is speaking directly to the LORD, asking for a swift response because his spirit is failing him. The situation is one of deep distress, with David feeling spiritually exhausted and afraid that if God hides His face—meaning if God withholds His attention or favor—David will be like those who go down to the pit, a phrase often used for the grave or death in the Psalms.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 143:7

  • "Hear" (עָנָה, ‘anah): This word means more than just listening; it carries the sense of responding or answering. David is not just asking God to hear his words but to act on his behalf.
  • "Spirit" (רוּחַ, ruach): This word can mean breath, wind, or spirit. Here, it refers to David’s inner life or vitality, which he says is failing—showing how deeply troubled and depleted he feels.
  • "Pit" (בּוֹר, bor): This is a common Hebrew term for a grave or a deep hole. In the Psalms, it often symbolizes death or utter hopelessness, so David is saying that without God’s help, he feels as good as dead.

Why Psalms 143:7 matters

  • This verse highlights the intensity and honesty of David’s prayers, showing that it is acceptable to bring feelings of desperation and weakness before God.
  • The verse clarifies that “the pit” is not just a metaphor for trouble but often refers to death or the grave, deepening the sense of urgency in David’s plea.
  • Understanding the original Hebrew words helps reveal how David’s request is not just for comfort but for God’s active intervention, emphasizing the importance of God’s presence for life itself.

Where else these words appear

“like” Hebrew H4911 · used in 15 verses

  • Numbers 21:27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:
  • Psalms 49:20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
  • Ezekiel 17:2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

“speedily” Hebrew H4118 · used in 17 verses

  • Exodus 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
  • Deuteronomy 9:12 And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
  • Judges 2:23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

“pit” Hebrew H953 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 37:20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,
  • Jeremiah 37:16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

“hide” Hebrew H5641 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
  • Psalms 10:11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
  • Proverbs 28:28 When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.