As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy.
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; so our eyes look to Yahweh, our God, until he has mercy on us.
- KJV Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
- NKJV Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He has mercy on us.
- NASB Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a female servant to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He is gracious to us.
- NLT We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.
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
As servants watch their master's hand, so the psalmist's eyes look to God until He shows mercy. Believers wait attentively and patiently on God for grace.
Overview
Using the image of servants and a maid watching their master's hand for direction and provision, the psalmist describes humble, expectant dependence on God. They wait 'until he has mercy,' trusting His timing and goodness. This posture of patient, hopeful waiting on God's mercy is the believer's stance, fully assured because mercy has come in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 130:5–6I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope.
- Lam 3:25–26The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
- Ps 25:15My eyes are always on the LORD, for He will free my feet from the mesh.
- Ps 40:1–3For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.
- Gen 49:18I await Your salvation, O LORD.
- Ps 119:123–125My eyes fail, looking for Your salvation, and for Your righteous promise.
- Luke 18:1Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:
- Gen 32:26Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
- Josh 10:6Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, because all the kings of the Amorites from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
- Josh 9:27On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers, as they are to this day for the congregation of the LORD and for the altar at the place He would choose.
- Ps 119:82My eyes fail, looking for Your promise; I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
- Josh 9:23Now therefore you are under a curse and will perpetually serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 123:2 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.