Psalm 30

David’s psalm is headed “a song at the dedication of the house”. St Athanasius of Alexandria advised it for the day you dedicate a new home.

Picture: Johannes Vermeer, The Little Street, about 1658

Plain English

I will exalt You, LORD,for You lifted me upand did not let my enemies gloat over me.LORD my God, I cried to You for help,and You healed me.LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;You kept me alive and did not let me go down into the pit.

Sing praise to the LORD, you His faithful people,and give thanks to His holy name.For His anger lasts only a moment,but His favour lasts a lifetime.Weeping may stay for the night,but joy comes in the morning.

When all was well with me, I said,“I will never be shaken.”LORD, by Your favourYou made my mountain stand strong;You hid Your face, and I was terrified.

To You, LORD, I called;to the Lord I pleaded for mercy:“What gain is there in my bloodif I go down to the pit?Will the dust praise You?Will it tell of Your faithfulness?Hear, LORD, and have mercy on me;LORD, be my helper.”

You turned my mourning into dancing;You took off my sackclothand wrapped me in gladness,so that my soul may sing Your praise and not be silent.LORD my God, I will give thanks to You for ever.

Traditional wording, 1611

I will extol Thee, O LORD; for Thou hast lifted me up,and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.O LORD my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me.O LORD, Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave:Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His,and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life:weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.LORD, by Thy favour Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong:Thou didst hide Thy face, and I was troubled.

I cried to Thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?Shall the dust praise Thee? shall it declare Thy truth?Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be Thou my helper.

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent.O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Hebrew, with the King James Version beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: The King James translators, The King James Version, 1611.

Where the King James Version has “my glory” in the last verse, the plain wording follows its own margin, which reads it as “my tongue, or, my soul”.

When it is said

Anyone can pray it on the day they move into a new home.

It also fits any day when a long grief has lifted, because it thanks God for turning mourning into dancing.

Where it comes from

Author by tradition

A song for dedicating a house

The Hebrew and the Greek Septuagint give it the same heading, a song at the dedication of the house. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate number it Psalm 29, because they count the psalms a little differently.

The Hebrew text on Mechon Mamre; The Septuagint in Brenton’s English (1844), Psalm 29; Wikipedia, Psalm 30

Two houses at once

St Athanasius wrote a letter on the Psalms to a man named Marcellinus. For the day you dedicate your house, he gives this psalm and Psalm 127 to pray in thanks. He means two houses at once, the soul that receives the Lord and the home you live in.

St Athanasius, Letter to Marcellinus (Greek)

The Scripture in it

I will exalt You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me. O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol; You spared me from descending into the Pit. Sing to the LORD, O you His saints, and praise His holy name. For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning. In prosperity I said, “I will never be shaken.” O LORD, You favored me; You made my mountain stand strong. When You hid Your face, I was dismayed. To You, O LORD, I called, and I begged my Lord for mercy: “What gain is there in my bloodshed, in my descent to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your faithfulness? Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy; O LORD, be my helper.” You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.

Psalm 30:1-12 Quoted The whole psalm.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.

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