I rise before dawn and cry for help; in Your word I have put my hope.
Parallel translations
- WEB I rise before dawn and cry for help. I put my hope in your words.
- KJV I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.
- NKJV I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word.
- NASB I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.
- NLT I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Rising before dawn, the psalmist cries for help and rests his hope in God's words. Earnest, early-morning prayer is anchored in God's promises.
Overview
His diligence in seeking God 'before dawn' reveals a heart that prioritizes God above sleep and comfort. Yet his confidence rests not in his own zeal but in God's reliable words, the firm ground of all hope. The believer likewise hopes in the sure promises of God, fully secured in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Mark 1:35Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray.
- Ps 5:3In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; at daybreak I lay my plea before You and wait in expectation.
- Ps 130:5–6I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope.
- Ps 88:13But to You, O LORD, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer comes before You.
- Ps 119:81My soul faints for Your salvation; I wait for Your word.
- Ps 42:8The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day, and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.
- Ps 119:74May those who fear You see me and rejoice, for I have hoped in Your word.
- Ps 56:4In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- Ps 57:8Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
- Ps 108:2Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
- Isa 26:9My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
- Heb 6:17–19So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.
- Ps 21:3For You welcomed him with rich blessings; You placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 119:147 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.