LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

PSALMS 30:7KJV
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Psalms 30:7 (KJV)

What does Psalms 30:7 mean?

Psalms 30:7 describes a sharp change in the speaker’s sense of security. Speaking to the LORD, he credits God’s favor with making him secure, then tells how deeply shaken he was when God hid his face.

The “mountain” pictures a strong, firm position. Following the speaker’s confidence in verse 6, the image gives a sense of how solid his position had seemed.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 30:7

  • “favour” — רָצוֹן (ratson): The word can mean goodwill or acceptance. Here, the speaker regards his strong position as a gift of God’s goodwill.
  • “face” — פָּנִים (panim): The word means “face” and can also refer to someone’s presence or attention. God hiding his face pictures the loss of that welcome attention.
  • “troubled” — בָּהַל (bahal): The word can carry a sense of alarm or confusion. It suggests more than a mild worry at the change the speaker describes.

Why Psalms 30:7 matters

  • The speaker looks back on his earlier confidence differently. In verse 6 he had said, “I shall never be moved”; in verse 7 he addresses the LORD as the one who had made his position strong.
  • The change leads into a plea rather than ending the account. In verse 8, the speaker says he cried to the LORD and made his request for mercy.

Where else these words appear

“mountain” Hebrew H2042 · used in 13 verses

  • Genesis 14:6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.
  • Psalms 36:6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
  • Psalms 133:3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

“troubled” Hebrew H926 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 45:3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
  • Job 4:5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
  • Psalms 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

“favour” Hebrew H7522 · used in 56 verses

  • Genesis 49:6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
  • Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
  • Proverbs 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

“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.