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.
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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 doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
- Lam 3:25–26The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
- Ps 25:15Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
- Ps 40:1–3I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
- Gen 49:18I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
- Ps 119:123–125Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.
- Luke 18:1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
- Gen 32:26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
- Josh 10:6And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
- Josh 9:27And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.
- Ps 119:82Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?
- Josh 9:23Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water 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.