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PSALM 63

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1. O god, you are my god, early do I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you, in a dry and thirsty land without water.
2. So may I behold your power and your glory, as I have seen you in the sanctuary.
3. For your mercy is better than life; my lips shall praise you.
4. Thus will I bless you while I live; in your name will I lift up my hands.
5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips;
6. While I remember you on my bed; while I meditate upon you in the night watches.
7. For you have been my help, therefore under the shadow of your wings will I sing.
8. My soul cleaves to you; your right hand upholds me.
9. But they that seek my soul to destroy it, shall come into the lower parts of the earth.
10. They shall be given up to the sword; they shall be a portion for foxes.
11. But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that swears by him shall glory; for the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

Verse 1. O my god, early do I seek you, my soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you; in a dry and thirsty land without water. Flesh in the Word signifies various things; it signifies the proprium [or selfhood] of man, thus either his good or evil, and hence it signifies the whole man; in the supreme sense it signifies the divine human [principle] of the lord, and specifically the Divine good of the Divine love proceeding from him. That flesh signifies the good belonging to man, may he evident from this passage, "O my god, my flesh desires you," Psalm 63:1. AE 1082.

Waters signify the truths of faith, because bread signifies the good of love; the reason why waters and bread have this signification is because those things which relate to spiritual nourishment are expressed in the sense of the letter by such things as relate to natural nourishment; for waters and bread, by which is meant all drink and all meat in general, nourish the body, and the truths of faith and the good of love nourish the soul; this also is from correspondence, for when mention is made of bread and water in the Word, the angels, as being spiritual, understand those things which nourish them, which are the good things of love and the truths of faith. AE 71.

Verse 2. So may I behold your power and your glory. Power is predicated of the good, and glory of the truth, which are in the Word. AC 4060.

Verse 5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise with lips of singing. The soul being satisfied with marrow and fatness signifies to be filled with the good of love and the joy thence derived; to praise with lips of singing signifies to worship by truths which make the soul glad. AE 1159.

Verse 6. While I remember you on my bed. Bed denotes the natural principle, because the natural principle is beneath the rational, and serves it as a bed, for the rational principle lies down as it were on the natural, and because the natural is thus spread out underneath, it is therefore called a bed. AC 6188.

Verse 7. For you have been my help, therefore under the shadow of your wings will I sing. That wings signify the Divine spiritual principle, which in its essence is truth derived from good, is evident from these words. AE 283.

Verse 11. For the king shall rejoice in God; every one that swears by him shall glory. To swear by god here signifies to speak the truth, for it follows, "The mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped." AE 608.