Psalms 39:12
“Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The phrase "a stranger with you" isn't just about feeling lost in the world; it's a profound declaration that God knows the psalmist is just a temporary resident. It highlights that our true identity and lasting home are with God, and this earthly life is merely a pilgrimage. This humble posture, recognizing God's ownership of the land and our transient status, is key to appealing for His compassionate attention.
The Psalmist is in deep distress, likely due to illness or intense suffering, and feels the weight of God's hand upon him. Having spent the psalm reflecting on the brevity and vanity of life and his own sin, he now turns to God with a desperate plea, emphasizing his tears and his identity as a temporary resident on earth, just like his ancestors.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God revealed to Israel. It signifies His eternal existence, faithfulness, and His active relationship with His people as their Redeemer.
ger · Hebrew Noun
Refers to one who lives in a place temporarily, not as a permanent citizen or permanent possessor. Biblically, it emphasizes that the believer's true citizenship is in heaven, and earthly life is a pilgrimage.
toshab · Hebrew Noun
A transient resident; someone who stays in a territory belonging to another. In this context, it highlights the humility and dependence of the believer upon God for hospitality and protection during their brief time on earth.
The psalmist's plea to be seen as a 'stranger and sojourner' echoes the ancient experience of Israel, from the patriarchs to the Exodus generation, highlighting their temporary status on earth and reliance on God's care.
c. 1000 BC— this verse
David's Reign as King of Israel
David is the reigning king of Israel, a period marked by both significant accomplishments and personal struggles, including illness and family turmoil.
c. 1000 BC - 970 BC
David's Life and Reign
This era encompasses David's entire life and reign, a time of consolidating the kingdom, facing wars, and dealing with domestic issues, all of which inform the psalms attributed to him.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites, led by Moses, departed from Egypt after centuries of slavery, marking the beginning of their journey as a people distinct from other nations.
c. 1400 BC
Settlement in the Promised Land
Following their wilderness wanderings, the Israelites entered and began to conquer the land of Canaan, establishing their presence there under God's promise.
This passage echoes the psalmist's sentiment, describing the faithful of old who acknowledged themselves as strangers and sojourners on earth, looking for a heavenly home.
1 Peter 2:11Peter directly calls believers 'sojourners and exiles,' urging them to abstain from sinful desires, much like the psalmist pleads for God's attention in his vulnerable state.
Genesis 47:9When speaking to Pharaoh, Jacob states, 'I have sojourned in the land,' mirroring the psalmist's self-description and highlighting a shared understanding of life's temporary nature before God.
Luke 21:34Jesus warns his disciples to be alert and to avoid being weighed down by 'dissipation and drunkenness and the anxieties of life,' a caution relevant to anyone feeling the transient nature of their earthly existence, as the psalmist does.
clarkePsalms 39:12: "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were."
Hear my prayer - Therefore, O Lord, show that mercy upon me which I so much need, and without which I must perish everlastingly. I am a stranger with thee - I have not made this earth my home; I have not trusted in any arm but thine. Though I have sinned, I have never denied thee, and never cast thy words behind my back. I knew…
bensonPsalms 39:12: "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were."
Psalm 39:12 . Hold not thy peace at my tears — Joined with my prayers. For I am a stranger, &c. — Though I be not only a native, but actually king of this land, yet, in truth, I am but a stranger and sojourner, both in regard of my very uncertain and short continuance here, where I am only on my journey to my real and long home…
The phrase "a stranger with you" isn't just about feeling lost in the world; it's a profound declaration that God knows the psalmist is just a temporary resident. It highlights that our true identity and lasting home are with God, and this earthly life is merely a pilgrimage. This humble posture, recognizing God's ownership of the land and our transient status, is key to appealing for His compassionate attention.
The Psalmist is in deep distress, likely due to illness or intense suffering, and feels the weight of God's hand upon him. Having spent the psalm reflecting on the brevity and vanity of life and his own sin, he now turns to God with a desperate plea, emphasizing his tears and his identity as a temporary resident on earth, just like his ancestors.
The Psalmist is in deep distress, likely due to illness or intense suffering, and feels the weight of God's hand upon him. Having spent the psalm reflecting on the brevity and vanity of life and his own sin, he now turns to God with a desperate plea, emphasizing his tears and his identity as a temporary resident on earth, just like his ancestors.
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c. 970 BC
Death of David
The end of King David's life and reign, signifying the close of a significant era in Israel's history and the succession of his son Solomon.
"“Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers." — The phrase "a stranger with you" isn't just about feeling lost in the world; it's a profound declaration that God knows the psalmist is just a temporary resident. It highlights that our true identi…
